Helen Simpson Park

Project Overview

The one-day project to provide a much-needed facelift to enhance the aesthetic appearance, vibrancy and accessibility to this neighborhood park in Cleveland’s Buckeye neighborhood. Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Communities worked with volunteers from the Ohio Landscape Association and the City of Cleveland Department of Parks, Recreation and Properties to enhance the park’s existing planting beds, trees and turf. The park is named after Helen Simpson, a neighborhood resident and pioneer in Cleveland television who was tragically murdered in 1972 on her way home from work. The case has never been solved.

Parks, lawns, landscapes and maintained green spaces help to mitigate temperature increases in communities and significantly reduce energy use and cooling costs. Project EverGreen’s GreenCare for Communities initiative has made a significant impact. Since 2008, Project EverGreen and its partners have renovated community parks and public green spaces totaling more than 200 million square feet of living green space.

Through its nationwide base of professional volunteers, Project EverGreen has connected people, plants and their communities to maximize the health of grass, plants and trees, which in turn sequesters carbon and cleans the air. The initiative supports healthy green spaces in neighborhoods and cities, enabling maintained green spaces to function as the lungs of the city and offsetting the negative effects of a warming environment.

A single group or individual cannot transform lawns, landscapes and parks but Project EverGreen’s coalition of businesses and individuals helps maintain green spaces so they can thrive.