Love Parks Gala at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) on September 20, 2024.
Photos by Danny Ngan.
Recognizing Community Leaders
As part of the evening’s celebration, we recognized excellence in community leadership benefiting our Parks and Public Spaces with a series of awards:
Ken Bounds Leadership Award
Nominees should be pillars of the community either through civic leadership or philanthropy. Strategic and passionate about parks!
Winner: Debbie McNeil
Debbie has lived in the South Park neighborhood for 25 years. As the neighborhood grows denser, and green spaces are built on, parks become ever more precious. It has been her honor to support green public space projects in South Park through a fund established to honor the memory of her late husband.
Community Impact Award
Nominees should have a track record of grassroots community leadership in parks and public spaces.
Winner: Robert Stephens Jr.
Robert Stephens, Jr. has had a profound impact on the cultural life of the Central District, helping create programs and community facilities such as Black Arts West, Langston Hughes Theater, Medgar Evers Pool, Madrona Dance Studio (Spectrum Dance Studio), and Seattle Veterans Program (SEA/VETS), just to name a few. He volunteered on the Design & Review Stewardship Team that renovated Garfield High School and built the Quincy Jones Performance Center. He also established the Central Area Cultural Arts Commission to ensure that the stories and experiences of the African-American population and other ethnic communities would not be erased by gentrification and redevelopment.
Love Parks Award
Nominees should be involved in projects that have been transformational, with replicable ideas to benefit the community.
Winner: Paige Reischl
Paige Reischl, better known as Eli’s mom, helped bring community into the center of the Eli’s Park Project, a seven-year effort resulting in the creation of Pathways Park. Throughout the project, Paige worked to create a culture of belonging for all. She believes intersectionality is a requirement for equity.
Host Committee
Event co-chair: Maya Mendoza-Exstrom
Ross Baker
Rebecca Bear
Andrew Bloom
Ken Bounds
Allegra Calder
Erin Clements
Karen Daubert
Jodi Green and Mike Halperin
Ann Grodnik-Nagle
Event co-chair: Amit Ranade
Deb Guenther
Garrett Kephart
Rachel Kirschner
Kristen Milliron
Beth Purcell
Jerry Tone and Martha Wyckoff
David and Lolly Victor
Catherine Walker
Maggie Walker
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Platinum Sponsor
Gold Sponsor
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsor
Green Sponsors
Contributing Sponsors
Alaska Airlines
Associated Recreation Council
BNY Wealth
Clise Properties
Downtown Seattle Association
Friends of Waterfront Park
Georgetown Brewing
Mithun
REI
Seattle Public Utilities
Site Workshop
Thorntail Hard Agave
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
Volunteer Park Trust