Mayor Jim Strickland and Chris Collier, founder of Friends of Gaisman Park
Chris Collier grew up in Memphis and fondly remembers spending time at Gaisman Park. Years later, he and his wife Jana moved into a house near the park, which had changed for the worse over the past ten years. Maintenance had dwindled, and drinking and drug use created an unsavory environment for the community, leaving the park desolate. So Chris decided to do something small: he began picking up litter on the streets around the Gaisman Park. He noticed a few people taking notice, so he decided to do more.
In July 2013, Chris launched Save Gaisman Park on Facebook to galvanize people to help address the many issues facing the park. The results were almost immediate, with the city coming in to remove obsolete structures and improve parts of the walking path. Maintenance improved incrementally, and the litter that previously plagued the park became more manageable and the park more enjoyable. Progress! The park still lacked activity however and that bothered Chris, who recalls, “It was strange- here we had this beautiful space, and it wasn’t being used.”
He continued his ritual of litter walks, and gradually a larger and more a diverse group of people started visiting the park. A subsequent donation of soccer goals dramatically increased park attendance.
Next, Chris focused on stewardship, initially organizing a few small cleanups with only 18 volunteers. Many of those early volunteers became dear friends, and their passion and stories inspired Chris. By 2017, interest and support from the community had grown so much that Chris realized they had saved the park!
Friends of Gaisman launched shortly afterwards. Today, their Spring Beautification draws up to 90 volunteers who help paint benches, plant flowers, and so much more. The event is followed by a celebration of neighbors and community than includes inflatables, music, food, and the enhanced sense of coming together as a neighborhood. Chris works with partners like The Heights CDC, Memphis City Beautiful, Clean Memphis, and the City of Memphis to help bring these projects to life. Make no mistake, however- Chris is the driving force behind Gaisman Park.
He sees a bright future for the park. After talking and listening to neighbors as well as visiting other public green spaces across the region, Chris is looking into establishing an arboretum. While it is in the early stages of planning, he envisions a redeveloped central walking path lined with native flowering hardwood trees as well as lighting, park benches, and other amenities to create a more accessible, maintainable, and enjoyable place to gather.
Chris has some advice on how to improve your favorite park:
“Take the thirty-day challenge. Just take a little time every day to walk to your park, library, or favorite neighbor’s house. Pick up some litter on the way, move limbs off the sidewalks, return a garbage cart for your elderly neighbors. Whatever it is, do it for thirty days, and if you do it happily the following things will happen: