​Memphis Friendship Foundation 

Background

The Friendship Park idea was born out of the experience of neighborly love between the Memphis Islamic Center and Heartsong Church.  We exist to create opportunities for building friendships based on mutual understanding and respect between people of all races, cultures and faiths.  Our project is the eight acre Friendship Park which will serve as a world-wide monument to friendship, a platform for making and celebrating friendships, and a launching pad for outreach experiences that will make our communities safer and more joyful places. Please check for our story on CBS Early Show and MSNBC Countdown

Mission

To create a world class one of a kind multigenerational environment for wondrous play, cooperative experiences and human interchange* that invites opportunities for making the world a safer and more joyful place through friendship.

Vision

Friendship Park is a living monument to and catalyst for inspiring the human spirit to seek out, begin and grow friendships through wondrous play, cooperative experiences and human interchange*, where cherished commonalities are celebrated, and those things unique to every race, culture and faith are discovered, explored and respected, to the end that friendships are celebrated, begin and flourish, making the world a safer and more joyful place.

 

The Project

The creative dream about the Friendship Park was capture and documented as MFF’s core project by the board on 22nd July 2012. Task forces were formed to brain storm and gather specific about park features and programs and were documented with the board of directors. Initial support fund was created through Lead Scouts donations. Once the board settles on the best estimate for cost of the park we will develop a plan for maintaining what will be built, and with the specific plan for the park features, a clear time line and a viable sustainability plan, we will be ready to approach donors for major funding. To this point we have a support of 80 Lead Scouts who contributed at least $1000 to our initial project support fund. All Lead Scouts will have their names inscribed on a beautiful art piece that will hang in the den area of the park building. Once 120 Lead Scouts have stepped up there will be no more. Please pray that God will direct our every step.

Project Updates

We are making some real headway!

We are making some real headway these days. Welcome to our newest board members, Pam Beasley, Director of Parks for Germantown, and Farooq Qureshi, a member of the Memphis Islamic Center who has a deep passion for the Friendship Park project matched with a great amount of experience and creativity. Pam will be working with Steve Stone, our president, on the Capacity Building Team which will seek to build partnerships between MFF and individuals, other non-profits, businesses, corporations and foundations. Farooq will be the co-leader with Michelle Worth of our Marketing Team.

We also welcome Mamie Shannon to the Friendship Park project. Mamie is widely known as the host of Local Color on WKNO, and well as being a much sought after event organizer and leader in the greater Memphis community. It is in her capacity as Professional Fundraiser that Mamie will lend her expertise to the park project. She will work with the Capacity Building Team to find partnerships and funding for our work. Already, Mamie has written a grant which could add some much needed funds to us.

We also welcome a partnership with PlayCore. Tom Norquist, the Vice-President of their GameTime division, charged with the leadership of product development, sales and marketing has joined the Friendship Park team as a full partner and consultant. Tom has extensive experience in the art and science of play, and numbers among his projects the playground at the White House. He has already led the board in an imaginative planning process and is ready to lead us to the next steps of program and features development, site preparation and construction of the park.

Recently we have partnered with the University of Memphis, Department of Architecture. Dr. Michael Hagge and Dr. Jennifer Barker led a field trip of design and architectural student to visit the site of the park. Their assignment was to design features for the park based on our mission to create opportunities for building friendships between people of all races, cultures and faiths. We have seen some of their work and it is remarkable and creative. In early May we will receive a book that includes the work of all the students in the class.

In the next few days the survey on the land across the road from what MFF already owns will be done. That four acre tract is owned by Heartsong Church who has gotten permission from their bank who holds the mortgage on that property to sell it at a deep discount to the foundation. As soon as we know what the final cost will be we will communicate it to all of our supporters.

Friendship Park ~ Memphis, Tennessee