My Nonprofit Reviews

I have worked as an advisor for several years for Pogo Park, a community-based nonprofit organization in the city of Richmond, CA that re-claims, transforms, rebuilds and then manages abandoned inner-city parks into "Pogo Parks": enriched play spaces for at-risk children to learn, grow, and thrive.

After a decade of effort, Pogo Park has renovated two central city parks (Elm Playlot and Harbour-8 Park) in Richmond's one-square mile “Iron Triangle” neighborhood - a low-income community of color whose 13,000 residents suffer from the devastating effects of poverty, violence, poor-performing schools, blight, unemployment, and hopelessness. The 5,000 children of this community suffer disproportionately from poor health due to bad diets and lack of exercise. More than 50% are overweight; their rates of asthma are in the highest 2% of the state; they have high rates of diabetes, ADD, nature-deficit disorder, depression and a variety of additional health issues according to recent state health statistics.

Before Pogo Park came along, these children were trapped inside their homes because their local streets and public parks were inaccessible and (in the words of local residents) "dirty, dull, and dangerous." National research studies all confirm the critical importance of play in a child’s healthy development. Today, the two "Pogo Parks" are functioning as a powerful health intervention into the lives of thousands of vulnerable, underserved neighborhood children and their families that actually works.

There are a number of compelling reasons: Pogo Park designs and builds their parks from the "ground up" with the active input and engagement of local residents (rather than imposing play structures from "the top down").

With the collaboration of the community Pogo Park then develops innovative play programs involving "loose parts" that allow children to create, build and then disassemble structures. We add creative activities such as Zumba dancing, chess competitions and art classes. We construct innovative play structures like zip-lines, forts, disc swings and roped spider webs.

Then Pogo Park staffs their parks with adult supervision at all times - many are parents of the very kids they're watching. The result has been magical, packed and safe playgrounds filled with healthier kids and families supervised by local residents with an increased connection to and investment in their communities.

Pogo Park’s impact is visible in the lives of the local residents they have hired, in the parks that are being restored, and in the electrifying effect of this child-based community development model on the entire neighborhood. Pogo Park has found a way to engage impoverished communities to heal themselves, creating a paradigm for urban renewal that can be rolled out nationally.

I can't speak highly enough about Pogo Park's work and vision. They are truly a top-notch organization that is changing thousands of lives everyday.