MEET OUR AWARDEES
We are pleased to introduce the inaugural 2025 Henry Lee Fund for Boston Parks Awardees! Explore the various special projects across the neighborhood parks and public greenspaces throughout Boston, which support the care of the trees, soil, turf, sculpture, and bring communities together!
AWARDEES
NEIGHBORHOOD: South End, Boston
GRANT AWARD: $5,000
The Betances Mural, created in 1979 under lead artist Lilli Ann Killen Rosenberg, is a vibrant public art piece in Plaza Betances, Boston. Made from ceramic plaques and glass mosaics by over 300 community members, it celebrates cultural pride and serves as a cultural hub for local identity and gatherings, including the annual Festival Betances. The mural has gained national recognition for its artistic and cultural significance. The Betances Mural continues to radiate beauty and meaning, but it is in need of repairs.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Hyde Park, MA
GRANT AWARD: $5,000
Doyle Park is an abandoned playground along the Neponset River in Hyde Park—a river that runs through the neighborhood for three miles, offers little-to-no safely accessible public waterfront enjoyed by residents of Boston’s other major rivers, and even residents upstream on the Neponset. DCR’s redesign will improve Doyle Park and make the space more inviting. One component left out of the initial redesign is a play structure in the Northeast corner of the park. This is because the community wanted to see a unique structure that would invite kids to engage in creative play.
NEIGHBORHOOD: East Boston
GRANT AWARD: $5,000
This project would provide a small but meaningful enhancement to a popular green space in East Boston. It would not only make the space more beautiful and inviting; but would also encourage reading and community connections through gardening. The main focus of the project is a FLOWER GARDEN & LITTLE FREE LIBRARY BOX designed to enhance the beauty of the Greenway entrance, and DONATED BENCH at the site to provide seating and relaxation. The Mary Ellen Welch Greenway will establish the Greenway Garden Club to involve local residents interested in gardening.
NEIGHBORHOOD: South End
GRANT AWARD: $5,000
Peters Park is a vital community space in the South End of Boston, serving a diverse group of users, including teenagers, families, and older citizens. The park requires improvements in under-utilized areas, specifically enhancing plantings and transforming concrete spaces into green zones. The project will be executed by Doug Curtiss Landscape Contractors over a timeline of 1-2 weeks, depending on weather and supplies. It aims to replace dead plants with native flowering species in raised flower beds to create a more welcoming environment, with success measured by the health of the new plantings and increased park usage observed by volunteers. Friends of the Public Garden Director of Capital Improvements and Parks Care, Rebecca McKevitz is leading efforts on new plantings and other technical support.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Fenway
GRANT AWARD: $2,376
This parkland serves as the ‘Gates’ to the Back Bay Fens at the Westland Avenue and Hemenway Streets junction. It is frequently used for traversing between East and West Fenway and offers relaxing seating, shade, and lawn space. Grant funds will be used to: REPAIR OF MEDALLIONS: The project focuses on the repair of 8 medallion cast resin decorative lion’s heads on the Johnson Memorial Gates; CONSERVATION WORK: The work will be carried out by conservator Karen Wolff, who will clean the medallions, remove graffiti, and perform necessary repairs; RECONSTRUCTION: One medallion, which has been damaged, will require the reconstruction of its proper left nostril; INPAINTING AND COATING: All repaired areas will be in-painted, varnished, and coated with wax to preserve patination..
NEIGHBORHOOD: Town Field, Fields Corner, Dorchester
GRANT AWARD: $5,000
The project involves the maintenance of 10 raised vegetable beds and 4 herb/flower beds by All Dorchester Sports & Leadership (ADSL), VietAID, and collaborators like Rebuilding Together Boston and the Food Project. MissionSAFE and ADSL will use one bed each to teach gardening to youth, while the other 8 beds will be managed by community members. The herb and flower beds will support youth cooking programs. Plans include installing fencing, minor landscaping, adding benches, and acquiring seeds and tools in early spring. An agricultural graduate student will oversee the project during spring and summer. The project aims to enhance a currently underused, overgrown area of Town Field, making it more attractive and usable for the community, thereby promoting safety through diverse usage.
NEIGHBORHOOD: Roxbury, MA
GRANT AWARD: $5,000
The proposed greenspace project elements will enhance community use of the grounds, while stabilizing historic walls and improving care of the orchard. The Rockford streetscape improvements will improve public access to the grounds and create an inviting public space increasing opportunity for neighborhood-serving events. Based on funding priorities, a $5,000 grant is requested for the new gate and or masonry repairs. The full scope of the project also project includes a planning phase completed for grounds and greenspace.
NEIGHBORHOOD: The Old West End
GRANT AWARD: $5,000
Thoreau Path, established in the late 1950s as part of urban renewal, features over 200 trees along a 20-foot-wide pathway from Storrow Drive to Cardinal O’Connell Way. After 40 years of neglect, these trees faced rapid decline. Through WE TREE efforts, which included replanting 34 trees and caring for 9 mature ones, the community has shown overwhelming support. Following a storm that damaged 12 trees, WE TREE transformed the area into a vibrant space. This project not only revitalized the path but also strengthened community connections, inspiring the organization to share our success with other neighborhoods. The Project objective is to address the maintenance and safety of mature trees abutting the path, focusing on those at risk of dying or dropping branches.