Give for Good! Give to Ballard Park!

Give For Good! Give To Ballard Park!

Our Give For Good campaign is focused on Ballard Park. We have taken all we learned from the recent Alberta O. Jones Park project and carried forward best practices to Ballard Park in Smoketown, including in-depth community outreach, site development, and the latest accessible amenities to encourage learning through non-prescriptive play.   

Working with the Smoketown Anti-violence Coalition, the Alliance conducted a series of visioning sessions with residents to determine the specific elements for the overall park and the playground. 

Help Deliver an Exceptional Park to the Residents of Smoketown!

Donations to Ballard Park TODAY will unlock the community's priorities for the park. By the end of the giving day, you will see how Smoketown residents have reimagined Ballard Park!

Park History:

Establishment of Ballard Park: In 1919, Ballard Park was constituted as a local park, on land donated by the Ballard Family, to serve the flourishing Smoketown neighborhood. This park was one of the few exclusively Black-only parks during that period.

Smoketown Redlining: Towards the end of the 1930's, Louisville began redlining practices that depreciated the value of homes owned by African Americans, making home buying increasingly difficult. As a result, Smoketown residents had to rely heavily on renting homes owned by whites, even in African American neighborhoods, such as Smoketown. This practice has created lingering effects contributing to racial and socioeconomic disparities in homeownership and wealth accumulation. Smoketown also saw a disparity in public investment dollars. 

2023 Parks Alliance of Louisville: As part of our Parks For All Equitable Action Plan, we identified Ballard Park as a top priority site for park investment, based on the condition of the park, the condition of the neighborhood the park serves, and the fact that the park had not seen any capital investment in more than 20 years.   

Give Today! Give To Ballard Park!

Help us deliver an exceptional park that meets the needs and desires of the community it will serve. Currently the park has THREE basketball courts and one small playset on a site that is less than an acre. The Parks Alliance, in partnership with Louisville Parks and Recreation, Councilman Jecorey Arthur, and generous donors like you, will provide a completely reimaged park to the residents of Smoketown…..one that they need and DESERVE.