Volunteers generously donated their time and talent to benefit Essex County Branch Brook Park.
14,000+
Hours of stewardship through Care of the Park.
$400,000
Economic giveback to the community.
Our Memories Together
Stewardship Overview
What is the Care of the Park? Care of the Park is a legacy initiative of Branch Brook Park Alliance in partnership with the County of Essex. While the County remains the primary steward of the park, Care of the Park aims to shine a spotlight on Essex County Branch Brook Park and by doing so; ensure that recent investments are protected.
What are the opportunities for community service engagement? People from all walks of life are asked to join Care of the Park by volunteering on predetermined service days to carry out priorities established by the approved landscape design and maintenance plans. Service days bring together teams of volunteers to carry out priorities established by the approved landscape design and maintenance plans. Care of the Park is structured for maximum flexibility allowing for individuals, small and large groups to participate.
Most months of the year we have teams of supervised volunteers deployed throughout the park working on a number of site- specific projects. Volunteer groups are welcome to come once or multiple times. For our educational partners, opportunities to use the park for 'studio courses' and research are also available and can be structured to engage a group of students in experiential learning during the academic semester.
Who manages Care of the Park? Branch Brook Park Alliance, in cooperation with the County of Essex, oversees this initiative. The day-to-day operations are managed by a small but mighty team at Jersey Cares. A division of the nonprofit funded by Branch Brook Park Alliance. Care of the Park is volunteer-driven, and thus will depend on building a 'deep bench' of enthusiastic and committed patrons supervised by other trained volunteers.
The protection and care of this historic Olmsted conceived landscape work of art is an awesome responsibility. But 'many hands make light work,' and we expect, as this conservancy grows in size and strength more will join us in caring for this public treasure.
How do I get involved? As a leader in volunteerism since 1993, Jersey Cares has increased the level of meaningful volunteer engagement by creating and managing efficient, impactful projects that address critical community-identified needs. For years Jersey Cares has sent groups of enthusiastic volunteers to the Park. In 2017 we formally joined forces with this highly respected not for profit organization. Going forward they will be in charge of coordinating our volunteer groups. To volunteer with the Care of the Park at Branch Brook Park, please reach out to the team at (973) 969-1189. Or sign up through the website here - Jersey Cares.