People & Parks was established by Sharon Prete.  She served as the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Round Rock for 25 years.  Upon her retirement, she still had a passion for the parks system in the City of Round Rock.  As Director, she was all too familiar with the funding shortfall that can happen at the end of a project.  She had a sense of duty to establish the People & Parks Fund through the Greater Round Rock Community Foundation to help with these shortfalls and/or fund smaller projects that would increase the quality of parks and recreation amenities for residents but may not happen without these additional funds.  Her vision was to actively engage the citizens of the City of Round Rock to join her in the quest to make the Park System one of the best in country.
 

In 2013, Sharon passed away from cancer and the foundation sat idle until 2018, when her son and good friend Joanne Land reinvigorated the efforts.  People & Park

s has been getting the word out by participating in events that have been organized by the City’s Parks Department such as Earth Day and Pop Up Play days.  

Moving forward, the goal of the organization is to sell “memberships” to the People and Parks group to raise funds for potential future projects.  Each “membership” would include a free t-shirt, membership card, and voting rights to help select the project funded that year.

Our Mission:
The People & Parks Fund partners with the Greater Round Rock Community Foundation to enhance people’s lives by making our public parks, trails and green spaces better through volunteerism, innovative programming, advocacy and community financial support.