Thank you for your support!
Dear Friend of Garfield Park,
Thanks to gifts from Garfield Park friends like you, the charitable organization Friends of Garfield Park, Inc. supports a variety of programs and events, as well as preservation and stewardship activities at historic Garfield Park.

City appropriations for Garfield Park only go so far. Along with public programs and events, the Friends of Garfield Park Inc. supports the preservation, interpretation and safekeeping of the historically-significant sites and landscapes, monuments and landmarks which call this historic park home. In addition, as a nonprofit organization that's dedicated solely to the support of Garfield Park, the Friends has the flexibility to respond to urgent and unbudgeted needs when they arise.

Central to the Friends' mission is continuing and preserving the various public benefits of this community treasure. As a registered nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the Friends actively engages in raising both funds and friends for the park. A combination of grants and gifts provide the funding support that is so vital to Garfield Park's important role in the community. The park's many friends act as ambassadors, connecting this valuable community resource to the greater Indianapolis area and beyond.

Every gift, big and small, makes a difference at Garfield Park. Your gift has a direct and lasting impact on many of the Park's most popular and long-time programs and events. From youth athletic programs, Vintage Movie Nights and Music in the Garden to preservation of the park's iconic 1916 Sunken Garden and Fountains; these are just a few of the programs made possible by gifts from Park friends like you!

  FRIENDS OF GARFIELD PARK ANNUAL GROWTH UPDATE
 
The FRIENDS OF GARFIELD PARK, INC., (FOGP) was incorporated on November 19, 1998, and is committed to raising needed resources. Our charge is as follows:
"The mission of the Friends of Garfield Park, Inc., is to ensure the preservation and continuation of the public benefits of Garfield Park through enhanced funding, effective advocacy and expanded stewardship."
 Over the past eighteen years the Friends of Garfield Park, Inc. has become a key community asset. Due to the strong partnerships and FOGP Board leadership, our list of accomplishments is as follows:
  • In 2015 raised $185,000 in support consisting of $125,000 in cash contributions and $45,000 in kind. Since 1999, combined totals amount to $2,270,000 in cash and $985,000 in-kind, totaling overall, $3,255,000.
  • Garfield Park Endowment Fund balance as of January 1, 2016 is $1,250,000.
  • Supported programs and made grants to Garfield Park totaling $130,000 and over $1,005,000 since 2001. 2015 investments included: Fountain Fest, Garfield Alive, STARS, Music in the Gardens, ISO Night in the Park, Sunken Garden Maintenance, Garfield Park intern, Garfield Junior Basketball, Conservatory Plantings, Program Support for the Arts Center, NJTL, Playball Indiana, Shakespeare in the Park, Koontz Symposium, Ghoulish Garfield and Christmas at Garfield to name only a few. 
  • In 2015 assisted neighbors and friends with efforts in restoring the Historic Trolley Stop Shelter in the park.
  • Led efforts to rebuild the Bean Creek Bridge. This 2009 project raised $200,000 in cash and in-kind support. Generated community support to see $1.5 million in improvements to the Garfield Park Sunken Gardens Fountains in 2013.
  • FOGP has been bequeathed a major portion of the estates of Lucille Wahl and Marie Shock, amounting to approximately $600,000 in administrated funds.
The FOGP is an integral part of the future of Garfield Park. In 2016, our organization will continue development efforts through our Garfield Alive program and a new effort, Garfield Naturally. This will be a comprehensive campaign to tie together the nature elements in the park. 



2015 Giving  List
Thank You for Your Gift and Making a Difference at Garfield Park!


2015  In-Kind List
Thank You for Your Gift and Making a Difference at Garfield Park!


Friends of Garfield Park in the Sunken Garden 
circa 1909.


BECOME A MEMBER!
Garfield Park is Your Park! When you join the Friends of Garfield Park, Inc. you become an important member of the Garfield Park community. Since its beginnings, Garfield Park's distinctive, neighborhood-friendly and welcoming community feel has set it apart among the city's major parks. It's truly the city park that's community at heart!
We invite you to join the Garfield community and help keep your park strong and growing! Members receive the Friends newsletter and invitations to special Friends events.
  • Individual Annual Membership $50 
  • Corporate Annual Membership $250
Members will receive the FOGP newsletters to keep you informed of our progress and work as well as invitations to special FOGP events.
By clicking on this  Buy Membership Now link you will arrive at our secure payment portal hosted at National Bank of Indianapolis, where you can purchase your Membership(s) using debit, credit or checking (ACH). Some people choose to add an extra gift to the Membership dues.

Your contribution will enable the Friends of Garfield Park to continue the work we do in our community.  Please consider what you can do, large or small, and together we can make a difference in 2016.

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Thanks again for making a difference!

Sincerely,
The Friends of Garfield Park