Taking Charleston's parks from good to great

Image by flickr user william.wardImage by 20080622wragg.jpg Wragg Square (above) is one of the parks the group hopes to focus on in the near future. The group will also work to improve the city's 119 other parks.

A new group in town aims to help beautify and improve Charleston's parks by connecting "people to people, people to the past, and people to their parks."

The group, Charleston Parks Conservancy, is partnering with the city to help improve the Charleston's 120 parks, starting with Colonial Lake, Moultrie Playground, Concord Park and Wragg Square. They also seek to establish the history of the various parks.Initially the group plans to focus just on parks with Charleston's city limits, eventually expanding to other areas.

The group exists largely thanks to financier and philanthropist Darla Moore who donated $10 million.

The group is looking for a members of the community to help connect the group to the community. In a press release, the group stated:
As part of the effort, the CPC is also looking for a few good men -- and women -- to spearhead the movement and serve as ambassadors for the program. These five lead “Park Angels” will lead the charge to recruit more “angels” with varying skills to serve as active park volunteers. Angel tasks may range from rallying funds and area support to plenty of actual “digging in dirt.” The CPC is inviting energetic citizens who have a passion for the city and its parks to apply to become “angels” by visiting www.parkangels.org. The deadline to apply is July 11.

Stay posted to the group's Web site as they get up to speed.

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