NOBLESVILLE — Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department is asking for community support this holiday season to fund educational programs and natural habitat restoration efforts that serve residents at little to no cost.
The department provides much more than traditional green spaces, offering senior programming, school initiatives and youth advisory programs for underprivileged individuals throughout the county.
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"We're here to provide the resources that our community needs, and we're always looking for resources and funds to help," said Chris Stice, Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Director.
Regional Parks Operation Manager Chandler Bryant emphasized the department's environmental focus beyond typical recreational facilities.
"We have some ball fields and things like that, but really our focus is on restoration, the environment, and making sure we have good wildlife habitat," Bryant said.
The department works to remove invasive species while educating county residents about environmental conservation and local history. Most programming is offered free of charge to participants.
"That's the great part about it is it's free," Bryant said.
Stice explained how donations would directly impact programming accessibility.
"Some of these funds that would come in would go into some of our programming, providing those resources for those underprivileged individuals with our youth advisory program," Stice said.
As Hamilton County continues growing, the department partners with specialists like Historical Resource Specialist Christy Brocken to preserve both land and local history for future generations.
"Sites like this are so important because they're preserved in perpetuity. So these sites are protected, and they're preserved for future generations to learn about," Brocken said.
The parks department welcomes both financial donations and volunteer time from community members; leaders just hope community members get involved.
"We'd like them just to come out and take advantage of these natural resources and the opportunities here to grow as a person," Stice said.
Donations can be made online here.
Opportunities to volunteer can be found on the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Website.
