Lillian, AL –In 2019, Baldwin REALTORS® applied for and received a $3,000 Placemaking Grant from the National Association of REALTORS® in an effort to support the community of Lillian, Alabama, and make it a better place to live. The intention of the Placemaking Grant is for REALTOR® associations to partner with others to plan, organize, implement and maintain Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper placemaking projects within their communities. With this specific request from Baldwin REALTORS®, the goal of the grant money was to transform an unused space at Lillian Park into a vibrant public space for the community to gather and enjoy.
Once the grant was approved, Baldwin REALTORS® used the funds to help sponsor the construction of a bandstand at the Lillian Community Park. They partnered with the Lillian Recreational Park Board, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit to complete the project.
The inaugural use of the newly constructed bandstand was this past December. Lillian Park held their first ever “Christmas in the Park Celebration,” and the bandstand was the location of Santa’s home. The future vision of the special space is to host many more community-driven events just like this, such as outdoor concerts, movies and music in the park, farmer’s market, and community picnics.
“REALTORS® live, work and volunteer in their communities and take immense pride in helping to improve them,” said Stephen Roberts, Baldwin REALTORS® President. “Placemaking can foster healthier, more socially and economically viable communities. It creates places where people feel a strong stake in their neighborhoods and are committed to making things better. This grant will allow us to address areas in our county that are in need of enhancement and revitalization and create a place where friends and neighbors can come together.”
The Placemaking Grant is awarded to local and state REALTOR® associations to help them and their members create new public spaces and destinations in a community, like turning a parking spot into a people spot (parklet) or a vacant lot into a pocket park or garden. REALTOR® associations and their REALTOR® members are actively engaged in the community and know the neighborhoods and the properties that would benefit most from these placemaking projects.
To find out more about National Association of REALTORS® placemaking program visit, realtoractioncenter.org/Placemaking.
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