Welcoming Families to the Grant Park Area

Children playing with giant soap bubbles. Photo by Marie Mower

By Marie Mower
Have you recently moved to the Grant Park area and would like to meet other families? Maybe you have lived here for a while and haven’t heard of us?
The Grant Park Parent Network (GPPN) is a community of parents who unite our families to enhance our quality of life. We sponsor events for children of all ages and offer opportunities for parents to become involved in the community through improving education, neighborhood resources and service, partnering with other neighborhood organizations, and organizing fundraising events throughout the year. Our main function is to continually form new playgroups to help foster friendships from birth. With our eldest playgroup for 11-year-olds a child can interact with other children the same age quickly. The GPPN is creating a new club for the soon-to-be moms. The club is forming to support pregnant women and welcome the new babies into our playgroups.
Please see our Facebook page “Grant Park Parent Network” for more information. Our Facebook page regularly posts information about upcoming events for our families.
Some events we are currently planning are a workshop to decorate our bikes in the Great Atlanta Bike Parade (May 20), Art Project (June), Mini-Camp Out (June), and Summer Pool Parties. (Not on Facebook? Please see our website: www.gppn.org.)
We thank the Grant Park Conservancy for bringing us the Easter Egg Hunt and fantastic Georgia Bubbleman. We thank Grant Park residents Cameron and Joy Ayer for bringing us the Bunny (on bicycles!). Thank you to the volunteers that stuffed 1,000 eggs and placed them in the park.
Volunteers are of utmost importance in our organization. The GPPN is a nonprofit organization and we host events with funds generated through fund-raising efforts. This means we need volunteers to make our events fun and successful for everyone. During the month of May, we are recruiting art volunteers. If you are an artist and can volunteer for our “Art Project” in June please contact me at mgpmower@yahoo.com.
We need to collect art materials from the community. We need the following: small to medium size paint brushes/sponges, glue, crayons, and lots of small to medium toy pieces. All those little toy pieces that have nowhere to go can be used in the “mix-media” art piece the children will create: legos, train tracks, wheels, gears, dolls, ribbon, beads, buttons, small cars, train/tractor, blocks, cups, saucers, wire, etc. Throughout the month of May and until June 8, we will collect these items at various locations. Perhaps we will have a bin at the Farmer’s Market on Sundays, Music Monday, and/or a local business. Just check our Facebook page on where to find a bin drop.
We look forward to meeting you!