Goleta Magazine 2020-2021 - 44

non-profit to note

Goleta's Local Treasure
Above: Girsh Park is home
to many of Goleta's local
sports leagues including
AYSO and Dos Pueblos Little
League. Opposite: Girsh Park
Executive Director, Ryan
Harrington pictured near the
park basketball courts.

I T W A S T H E V I S I O N of community benefactors
Lester and Viola Girsh: to develop a marketplace, but with
a permanent little league location. Seemed easy enough.
Camino Real Marketplace came first, with a requirement to
include an 8-acre open space. Marketplace developer Mark
Linehan and the Girsh family seized that opportunity to
put in a 12-acre park, including space for baseball and soccer. The team offered the idea first to the County of Santa
Barbara who turned it down. So Mark and the Girshes created a foundation and moved forward.
Over the next several years, the foundation developed a
plan and the park grew. First, 13 acres to the west originally
slated for condos were purchased by the foundation, creating a permanent home for Dos Pueblos Little League. The
park has now grown to 25 acres, where it stands today.
Purchasing land for park use is one thing, operating a park
is quite another. Fourteen years ago, Ryan Harrington was
hired as Executive Director and implemented a business
model to only manage the facilities and be a host for nonprofits and community groups.
Girsh Park is a brilliant example of a non-profit
park funded by community support, including
support from the City of Goleta. A $500,000
budget covers operations, with four additional
revenue streams helping that: user fees, fundraising, City of Goleta and a responsible endowment
draw. Capital campaigns have come into play for
bigger projects, like a synthetic turf soccer field to
ensure year-round playing.

Girsh Park recently built more public restrooms, a snack
shack, batting cages, and a new playground. Goleta residents and visitors are invited to make a lasting contribution
to the vitality of Girsh Park by investing in the " Buy a Brick "
program-your $500 investment will place your name on a
brick in the park forever, and you'll help finance additional
planned improvements.
Now celebrating its 21st Anniversary, Girsh Park has proven
it can sustain this unique park as a non-profit and do it well.
Each year, the Park hosts a multitude of family-friendly
events, including the Goleta Lemon Festival and Fireworks
Festival along with 700 Little League kids and 1,500 AYSO
kids, as well as multiple adult soccer leagues year-round.
" The community of Goleta really supports this park, " says
Ryan. " We couldn't do it without them. "
The Girsh Park Board of Directors have a simple vision-
continue to maintain and improve this facility. " Anytime
we do major improvements, we get more people here, " Ryan
says.
Ryan has his own wish-list for park improvements: more
synthetic turf, field lighting, picnic areas, ping-pong tables,
a skateboard park, bocce ball, horseshoes-plenty of space
in the park for these smaller improvements.
" Our goal is to keep improving Girsh Park for the community, " Ryan says. " If you like what we've done in the first 21
years, get ready for an exciting 21 more. "

B Y K AT E S C H WA B

GOLETA MAGAZINE

SBSCChamber.com

https://girshpark.org/ http://www.SBSCChamber.com

Goleta Magazine 2020-2021

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