Welcome to summer - we hope you all had a good Memorial Day weekend and are ready for warmer weather.  In this issue, we cover:

• June Friends Meeting
• Volunteer Update
• Friends Board News

June Friends Meeting

COVID-19 restrictions are lifting, our volunteer opportunities are increasing, and we think it's time to expand the Friends board!  With so many changes on the horizon, we want to invite you to a meeting in June share details on those topics, and also to hear from you about changes you'd like to see, and how you'd like to be involved with the Friends.  The meeting will be held via Zoom:

June 15, 2021 7:00 pm 

You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpcequqDMjH9eqXrJkV0mhjMqbXQJ0HThW
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

April has been a busy month!  In this issue, we cover:

• April Accomplishments
• Meetings and More
• Park Service Updates

April Accomplishments

The Demonstration Garden is planted!  Our small and mighty team of volunteers got all of the plants in place on April 17th.  You can find a few more details about the garden and plants we used on our Demonstration Garden page.

And, volunteer Melanie did us proud by painting a birdhouse with a "Flags of the Titanic" theme.  The Southwest BID is hanging birdfeeders at the Duck Pond and Lansburgh Park to celebrate Earth Day. 

As promised, we have more volunteer opportunities in April. In this issue, we cover:

• Commemorating the Sinking of the Titanic
• Demonstration Garden Planting April 17th
• More Volunteer Opportunities with the Friends
• April Opportunities with Neighbors and Partners

Commemorating the Sinking of the Titanic

Due to continued COVID-19 restrictions, we once again discourage gatherings in the park on April 14-15, the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.  Please find time on your own to contemplate the lives lost and saved on this poignant day in history.  We are hopeful that restrictions will be lifted before next year, when we will commemorate the 110th Anniversary of this tragedy.

We have just a few quick updates for you as the first day of Spring comes our way. In this issue, we cover:

• National Cherry Blossom Festival
• Water Quality Monitoring with the Anacostia Riverkeeper
• Current Volunteer Opportunities

National Cherry Blossom Festival

The National Cherry Blossom Festival kicks off on March 20.  This year's festival is designed to incorporate both virtual and personal experiences, from Art in Bloom to the Blossom Kite Fly to the Petal Porch Parade - and more!  Visit the National Cherry Blossom Festival website for details.

While this February it seems like we are stuck in the never-ending grips of winter, the Friends Board is thinking Spring!  We also are thinking of our amazing volunteers and planning ways to engage you in safe, socially distanced opportunities to support our Park.  In this issue, we cover:

• Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities
• Wearing Masks in National Parks
• Continuing Winter Activities

Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities

We know some of you are interested in supporting the Park, and we are working on new volunteer opportunities that can be conducted safely and in compliance with DC, National Park Service, and Federal COVID guidelines.  Watch this space for our rollout of more opportunities in the upcoming months! Two projects on the horizon are:

Corinne --

As we prepare for our small Thanksgiving celebrations, we, the Friends Board, are grateful for many things.  We'll highlight our top items here:

• Our Friends!
• The National Park Service
• Our Beautiful Park

Our Friends!

We are most grateful for our Friends -- the volunteers on stand-by for when we can resume work parties, and our donors who made our annual fundraising drive a success.  Donors took advantage of the 1-for-1 match, and we raised a total of $2290! Our ability to help NPS restore and improve the park is directly influenced by the support of our volunteers and our donors.  We look forward to a brighter year in 2021, when we can restart our volunteer projects.

Corinne --

We have just a few quick updates as October comes to a close:

• Limited Time Match
• Volunteering with the Friends
• Cultural Landscape Inventory Status

Limited Time Match

Our fundraising drive with donation matching ends on October 31st.  Friends have donated $780 so far this month - a bit more than half of the 1-for-1 matching funds we have available.  Will you donate before the match period ends on October 31st?  Several generous donors have contributed to a matching grant of up of $1250.  This means if you give now, your donation will be doubled!

Corinne --

The park made a lovely backdrop to an outdoor wedding recently.  It has been wonderful to see all of the different ways that friends and neighbors have found enjoyment in the park this year.  We have several updates as we begin October:

• October Fundraising Drive
• Demonstration Garden Zoom Meeting
• Anacostia River BioBlitz

As we head into Autumn, the theme seems to be:  Hurry up and wait!  We do have progress to report...and, we are still figuring out our new normal due to COVID-19.  Thanks for bearing with us as we do our best to give you current, and accurate information.

In this e-blast:

• Fall Work Party - Delayed for Now
• Park Survey - Huge Response!
• Demonstration Garden in the Works

Fall Work Party - Delayed for Now

We had hoped to have a fall work party to paint benches; however, that activity is delayed at least through September.  The Park Service has extended their restriction on volunteer activities through September, and there is no guarantee at this point that October activities will be allowed.  We will let you know if and when COVID-19 restrictions ease enough to allow a volunteer activity, and organize an event when NPS agrees that we can safely conduct one.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania would like to hear from you!  In their own words:

Our research team from the University of Pennsylvania is working with the National Park Service to get a better understanding of how several NPS-managed small parks in Washington, DC function as public space. We are interested in how the Titanic Memorial park is valued, perceived, and used by the community. You can share your thoughts by taking this survey. We will be collecting responses through Sunday, August 16.

Please share your thoughts by completing this survey -- Thanks!