By Karen Colopy
For the past several years, Duke has offered “Doing Good in the Neighborhood” grant funds to the 14 neighborhoods that make up the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership, in an effort to support neighborhood leaders’ work to improve the quality of life in our neighborhoods.
Since 2021 the Trinity Park Neighborhood Association has applied for and received $24,500 worth of grants through this program. We have partnered with the Ellerbe Creek Watershed Association, George Watts PTA, Trinity Park Foundation, and Reality Center on several projects: creating and installing an historical kiosk along the South Ellerbe Creek Trail, removing invasive species along the trail, maintaining the rain gardens on the George Watts playground, purchasing permanent labels for the public art in the Park, restoring both the granite steps and the brick steps to the Park on W. Trinity Ave., and improving the outdoor meeting space at the Reality Center.
The 13 other neighborhoods in the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership have also carried out a wide variety of projects. A few examples:
- Walltown and Lyon Park provided refreshments for community meetings to organize environmental justice efforts in neighborhoods with contaminated parks.
- Old West Durham, in partnership with EK Powe Elementary PTA, renovated two educational garden spaces at the school.
- West End, Lyon Park, and Crest Street hosted neighborhood meals to build neighborhood connections
- Burch Avenue purchased street barricades and held garden education programs
- Old West Durham and Watts-Hillandale created four new garden areas in Oval Park.
Later this year, we will have the opportunity to apply for a new round of grant funding to address needs in our neighborhood. We are especially encouraged to partner with our fellow DDNP neighborhoods or local non-profits. Projects must address one or more of these nine priority areas: 1) Supportive, safe communities, 2) Political activism, 3) Neighborhood networking, 4) Housing justice, 5) Environmental justice, 6) Neighbors helping neighbors, 7) Cultural heritage and preservation, 8) Traffic and pedestrian safety, and 9) Intra-community development.
Want to get involved? Have an idea for a project in Trinity Park or partnering with another? Think BIG and help us make a difference! Contact Karalyn Colopy at karalyncolopy@gmail.com
