United Parks As One

National night out is a national annual event that happens on the 1st tuesday in august each year. National night out promotes partnerships between communities and public-safety agencies. United parks as one was one of the first community-based organizations in newark to host a national night out event. That event eventually blossomed into annual celebrations at jesse allen park, mildred helms park, and nat turner park. Each event features live entertainment; refreshments; interactive displays presented by local organizations in fields such as the arts, education, and healthcare; face painting; and an array of other fun activities. The trust for public land, the city of newark, and victoria foundation are the main partners for the celebrations.

Community organizing initiative: this initiative helps open space groups in newark get established and develop deep roots in their communities so they can be both productive and sustainable. Our initial efforts are focused on the reactivation of groups at three parks. We hired a part-time community organizer to oversee this work. The community organizer uses community outreach, events, and other activities at the parks to identify and partner with stakeholders who are interested in caring for their local park and community.