2024 Green Grants Award #5 Goes to Friends of Fonticello Park

Logo for the Friends of Fonticello Park with drawn figures enjoying the outdoorsCongratulations to the Friends of Fonticello Park for their $1,000 award in the Community Beautification category!

Fonticello Park, in the City of Richmond, has seen decades of deferred maintenance and neglect, ultimately leading to violence and vandalism in the park. After the tragic murder of Markiya Dickson in the park on Memorial Day 2019 and another non-fatal shooting in the park in September 2022, Friends of Fonticello Park was formed to bridge community voices to facilitate the creation of a vibrant and safe Fonticello Park.   They are a group of passionate neighbors who are committed to honoring the history of Fonticello Park and inspiring future generations by creating a green space that is culturally responsive to the needs of the park community and fosters a sense of belonging.

The only request of Markiya’s parents after her tragic death in the park was that her life be remembered through efforts to make the park a safe place for children to play. Research show that an urban area that has positive activity, is cleared of litter, and maintained with attractive landscape directly relates to a decrease in crime and violence. The Friends of Fonticello Park originally installed a modest garden to honor her memory with flowering native plants in pink, purple Yellow flowers of a native plantand white, Markiya’s favorite colors. Unfortunately, due to a lack of quality borders and signage, the modest garden was destroyed.

With funds provided by the Green Grants program, the Friends of Fonticello Park will purchase mulch, compost, over 60 native plants, and other supplies to install a larger and more protected native plant garden.  It will include a small plaque explaining the importance of the garden, and have a stone edge barrier to clearly mark the area off from mowing and playing.  This will transform another portion of the area from turf grass to native plants, which benefits the local ecosystem and also honors Markiya with a variety of pollinator-friendly plants in her favorite colors

Thank you, Friends of Fonticello Park, for understanding the importance of reintroducing native plants to the park in order to support the local ecosystem, preserve biodiversity, reduce the heat island effect, combat climate change, conserve water, and provide beauty and healthy spaces for the community!