Friends for the East Cobb Park starts new fundraising campaign

After donating more than $100,000 this week to help Cobb County acquire some of the Tritt property (previous East Cobb News post here), the Friends for the East Cobb Park is replenishing its endowment with a new fundraising campaign.

The contribution made by the non-profit citizens group helped Cobb take in nearly 30 acres of the adjacent Tritt land, and complete green space purchase around the county with $27 million of a 10-year-old parks bond referendum finally funded last year.

At Tuesday’s Cobb commission meeting, District 2 commissioner Bob Ott said he would be chipping in to help Friends begin its fund drive, and here’s what he sent us and is sharing with his constituents and the community today:

I, along with the rest of the Board of Commissioners, am especially grateful to Friends for the East Cobb Park. You may have read in the newspaper that this nonprofit group contributed to make up for a shortfall in County funds needed to close this purchase. The final figure isn’t available just yet but is expected to be over $100,000. You’ll recall that this is the group of community volunteers who raised over $1 million to purchase the original 13-acres of the East Cobb Park almost 20 years ago. This is a very unique public/private partnership that we are all very proud of. The Friends group once again stepped up to assist so that the east Cobb community’s much-loved park can literally double in size.

What wasn’t in the paper is that these funds came from an endowment fund established over 15 years ago from a generous grant matched by funds that the group raised. Interest from this endowment has been used over the years to make various improvements to the park. The Friends group, with the assistance of the Cobb Community Foundation where the fund is held, received permission to utilize some of the principal from the account to cover this shortfall, with a promise to launch a new fundraising campaign to raise money to replenish the fund.

The board of Friends for the East Cobb Park is planning to launch a new fundraising campaign, and you can soon learn more about it on their website www.eastcobbpark.org. It’s my hope that the east Cobb community will rise to the occasion and consider participating in the campaign. Remember that the community will one day have the opportunity to purchase the remaining acreage, and any funds raised over and above the amount needed to restore the endowment fund will be earmarked to assist with this potential purchase down the road. I have heard from many, many of you over the years regarding the Tritt property, and now the east Cobb community will have the opportunity to be a part of this exciting project. I have personally pledged $1,000 to the campaign, and challenge each of you to consider how you and your family can help. To make a tax-deductible contribution please make your check payable to “Friends for the East Cobb Park” and mail it to P.O. Box 6313 Marietta, Georgia 30065.

I’ll continue to provide updates in my newsletter and look forward to seeing a long list of supporters!

 

The Friends for the East Cobb Park has set up an online payment system via PayPal, and you can contribute directly at this link, in any amount that you like. You can make a one-time contribution or set up a monthly payment.

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