2025 By The NUMBERS
As the charitable arm of the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department, the Columbus Recreation and Parks Foundation exists to ensure that access to parks, programs, and safe spaces is never limited by circumstance. In 2025, we continued to connect community generosity with real, measurable impact, removing barriers to play, supporting youth and families, investing in nature, and strengthening neighborhoods across Columbus. This snapshot reflects not just numbers, but people, places, and possibilities made stronger through partnership.
— Keiana Mitchell, Executive Director, Columbus Recreation and Parks Foundation
SIGNATURE CRP FounDation PROGRAMS
Adopt a Center Program
The Adopt a Center program connects donors and corporate partners with neighborhood community centers to help address critical needs for families during the holiday season. Support through Adopt a Center provides residents in our communities with warm meals and clothing items, hygiene items, and toys for youth, ensuring centers remain welcoming, safe, and responsive hubs for families and youth.
Access to Care (AAC)
Meeting Basic Needs, Building Community
- ~7,000 individuals servedÂ
- 6,500+ meals provided across Columbus
- 332 volunteers contributed 777.5 hours of service
- 34 Thanksgiving meal locations
- 33 December event locations
PLAY Scholarship Fund
The PLAY (Private Leisure Assistance for Youth) Scholarship Fund ensures that cost is never a barrier to participation in Columbus Recreation and Parks Department programs. Through PLAY, children can access camps, sports, aquatics, and enrichment opportunities regardless of household income.
Meeting Basic Needs, Building Community
- 3,500+ children and youth supported through recreation and sports scholarships
- $311,599 invested directly in access to programs
Removing Financial Barriers to Play
Scholarships supported:
- Summer camps
- Aquatics & swim lessons
- Youth sports
Average scholarships ranged from $20 – $677, ensuring affordability at every level
PLAY opens doors to safe, healthy, and enriching experiences that help children thrive physically, socially, and emotionally.
Nature & Environmental StewardShip
CRPD is committed to conservation, sustainability, environmental education, and ensuring access to green spaces. Through philanthropic support, CRPF helps advance initiatives that improve environmental health, expand tree canopy, and connect residents to nature across Columbus.
Community-Led Impact
Youth Garden Program – Serving youth and young adults ages 6–21 in our summer camps Our garden program serves as one of the largest municipality-based, accessible garden programs in Ohio -Programming focused in food desert neighborhoods – offering 8 weeks of hands-on garden education delivered in partnership with Columbus Foodscapes – Fresh produce is shared with youth and the surrounding community
The Youth Garden Program impacts 400 unique youths annually
Youth Success
CRPD youth success programming engages children and young adults in activities that promote academic achievement, social-emotional learning, workforce readiness, and positive life pathways, providing support when youth may be at risk of falling off course.
Youth Success Programs Supported
Aspiring Young Leaders & Recreation Program (AJRP) – this award-winning workforce development initiative is dedicated to equipping participants with the tools and experiences needed to confidently move toward future pursuits. AJRP serves youth ages 14-23. This year, through a partnership with KEMBA Financial Credit Union, the Foundation helped support hands-on financial literacy education focused on budgeting, saving, and long-term financial wellness for 300 AJRP participants.
Center Without Walls (CWOW) – An innovative outreach initiative providing access to Columbus Recreation and Parks Department services for youth living in neighborhoods without a nearby community center or safe walking routes. CWOW delivers after-school programming, summer camps, in-school outreach, and community pop-ups featuring sports, competitive and strategy-building games, arts and crafts, science experiments, field trips, and special guest experiences. Through a partnership and grant support from the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation, funding will expand access to youth hockey by reducing financial and exposure barriers and introduce CWOW participants to the sport while promoting physical activity, teamwork, and confidence.
VOICE – The VOICE (Violence Outreach, Intervention, Community Engagement) program provides vital resources to victims of violent crime ages 11-40 to help prevent re-injury and jail time and assist with recovery. This voluntary case management program provides wrap-around services and connects participants to needed medical, clinical and community social service programs. Through grant support the Foundation assists VOICE social workers and staff with access to professional development, software and other financial resources to ensure that participants do not engage in repeat behavior.
Together, these programs emphasize safe spaces, skill-building, social-emotional development, and opportunity, ensuring youth across Columbus can thrive regardless of neighborhood or circumstance.
Looking Ahead to 2026
Access
Ensuring that youth and families have access to CRPD programming through CRPF initiatives like the PLAY Scholarship Fund and Adopt a Center program
Community Well-Being
Invest in access to parks and facilities in underserved neighborhoods
Nature & Environment
Support pollinator gardens, tree canopy expansion, and green infrastructure
Organizational Sustainability
- Strengthening systems, partnerships, and long-term fundraising capacity
- Utilizing our Foundation strategic plan
- Making sure that the community knows how they can support the Columbus Recreation and Parks Foundation and CRPD programming