Friends Honored with Community Group Award

Friends of the Chicago River proudly received the Community Group Award from Friends of the Parks at the group’s 2025 Park Heroes Celebration, held August 2 at the Clark Park Boathouse.

Presented annually, the Park Heroes (Volunteers in Parks) awards recognize individuals and groups whose commitment to stewardship, advocacy, and community programming make Chicago’s parks more equitable, accessible, and vibrant. This year’s celebration also marked the beginning of Friends of the Parks’ 50th anniversary.

Friends was recognized for our long-standing efforts to protect and restore the Chicago-Calumet River system, expand public access to the river, and engage communities in river-focused education and advocacy that connects people with the river and parks.

We are honored to stand alongside this year’s incredible awardees who included many friends and partners, and are truly grateful to Friends of the Parks for this recognition.