Foundation Grant Funds Cleanup, Community at Canal Origins Park

Thousands of pounds of trash are set to be removed from property restored with natural habitat at the McKinley Park neighborhood’s Canal Origins Park, 2701 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, thanks to a nearly $100,000 grant received by the Friends of the Chicago River from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF).

The nationwide Five Star and Urban Waters Grant Program engenders community stewardship of natural areas, "preserving these resources for future generations and enhancing habitat for local wildlife," the NFWF announced. It awarded Friends of the Chicago River a grant for $43,800, with an additional $52,900 added in matching funds.

Graffiti mars murals along a walkway at Canal Origins Park, 2701 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, on Sunday, September 8, 2024.The local project "aims to build community through litter removal activities at Canal Origins Park in Chicago, adjacent to the Bubbly Creek tributary of the Chicago-Calumet River system," Friends of the Chicago River said. It plans to mobilize 246 adult and student volunteers to clean up and maintain the park and shoreline.

Local Collaboration

The Shedd Aquarium Society is the only other 2024 grantee in Illinois, awarded $87,500 to clean up, restore and maintain Chicago River watershed by Ping Tom Park in the Chinatown neighborhood.

Friends of the Chicago River announced they plan to collaborate with local artists and community organizations for the program, and integrate their own Litter Free Chicago-Calumet River and Chicago River Schools Network programs.

Volunteer This Saturday

Anna and Danny enjoy their first visit to fish at Canal Origins Park, 2701 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago, on Sunday, September 8, 2024.The Five Star grant program awarded 43 projects nationwide in 2024 and receives funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, FedEx, Arconic Foundation and Southern Company.

Friends of the Chicago River hosts its next Canal Origins Volunteer Workday from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, September 14, 2024, at Canal Origins Park, 2701 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago.