Friends of Elm Alley: School-Street Fundraiser
About this campaign
Tenderloin kids want to play!!
While working in the San Francisco neighborhood with the highest concentration of kids and the least amount of open public space per resident, we created Friends of Elm Alley to serve students at the Tenderloin Community School by providing a safe, fun street that was free of cars and full of activities.
And it’s been a great success! We now have a permit to close the street to cars during school hours. We partnered with Street Soccer USA to help build a temporary soccer field. We painted murals, rode bikes, made crafts, shot basketballs and drew more chalk drawings than we ever thought possible.
Unsurprisingly, when given the opportunity, kids took over the street and came up with more inventive ways to play than we imagined.
Please consider making a donation so the kids can continue to play!
Your donations support safety and stewardship, art supplies and sports equipment, educational programs, community events and more! Donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
History of Friends of Elm Alley:
The Tenderloin has a lot of kids and very little public space for healthy, fun play. During the Covid-19 pandemic, this mismatch took on new urgency. Deteriorating street conditions made access to any safe outdoor space difficult if not impossible for many families.
These conditions sparked the idea to convert Elm Alley, the street directly behind Tenderloin Community School, into a safe, car-free, child friendly, and beautiful space for play, for learning, and for rebuilding community ties. The Elm Alley School Street vision and Friends of Elm Alley grew from that spark.
Through the city funded 2022 Tenderloin Community Action Plan, families and residents chose the projects they wanted to see in their neighborhood. The Elm Alley School Street was one of their top choices. With seed money and lots of support from great partners, we’re transforming Elm Alley into a colorful, vibrant, safe space for Tenderloin kids and families. The kind of space all kids need!
For more information or to get involved, please visit our website! And check out some photos of past events! With your help we can continue to expand this project and grow the ranks of Friends of Elm Alley.
****If you’d prefer to mail us a check, great! Please make sure to do the following:
Make the check out to: Independent Arts and Media
In the check’s memo / description field, write: Friends of Elm Alley
Please include your email and mailing address.
Mail it to:
Friends of Elm Alley
c/o Independent Arts & Media
PO Box 420442
San Francisco, CA 94142