Legacy Foundation Makes First Donation -- Great American Trails Grant

Sugar Land, TX - Sugar Land recently completed the expansion of Eldridge Park Trail, a project supported with a $15,000 Great American Trails grant from the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the Darden Foundation.

Sugar Land was one of eight communities to receive a 2012 grant and used the funds for enhancements that included benches, trail signage and trash receptacles along the mile-long trail.  The grant was transferred from NRPA (a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts) and the Darden Foundation (the charitable arm of Darden Restaurants, Inc.) to the City through the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation.

The grant-funded amenities enhanced a City-funded project to lengthen the trail at Eldridge Park.

"Thanks to the Darden Foundation, the NRPA and the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation, residents can now enjoy longer, leisurely strolls along Eldridge Park's newly expanded walking trail," said Director of Parks and Recreation Jim Browne.  "Local parks and trails are community resources supporting conservation and environmental sustainability.  The Great American Trails grant helped improve the infrastructure at Eldridge Park and contributed to the multitude of benefits our trail system provides the community."

LongHorn Steakhouse, a division of Darden Restaurants, Inc., helped secure Sugar Land's grant.

"At LongHorn, we believe in hard work and doing things the right way, part of which means giving back to the local communities we serve," said LongHorn Steakhouse President Dave George.  "Guests visit us to spend time with family and friends, and what better way to extend this idea beyond our restaurant than by providing support to help refurbish outdoor, public spaces for families to enjoy."

Trails in Sugar Land are intended to contribute to a more interconnected community and foster active modes of transportation such as walking and biking. They also protect, sustain and restore open spaces - making the community more livable and improving the quality of life.

The Sugar Land Legacy Foundation, a private non-profit organization established in 2010 to create a vehicle for sustainable charitable and planned donations for parks and civic facilities in Sugar Land, facilitated the grant from the Darden Foundation.  Contributions to the Legacy Foundation support the City of Sugar Land's acquisition, ownership, construction, development, improvement, operation or maintenance of land and facilities.  This includes capital projects and funds supporting activities for recreation, entertainment, sports, the arts or similar activities that might benefit the citizens of Sugar Land.

For more information on the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation, call (281) 980-8981 or visit www.sugarlandlegacy.org. For more information about the Great American Trails program, visit www.nrpa.org/greatamericantrails.

Photo: Pictured (L-R) during a recent ribbon cutting ceremony were Joe Chesser, City of Sugar Land; Sam Jones, Stone Castle Constructors; Karen Glynn, City of Sugar Land; Phil Martin, City of Sugar Land; Himesh Gandhi, Sugar Land City Council; Bill Roy, Sugar Land Parks Board; Jennifer May, City of Sugar Land; Paul Barnett, Sugar Land Parks Board; Harish Jajoo, Sugar Land City Council; Joe Zimmerman, Sugar Land City Council; Don Smithers, Sugar Land City Council; Jim Browne, City of Sugar Land; Sunny Sharma, Sugar Land Legacy Foundation; Gene Reed, Sugar Land Legacy Foundation; Kimberly Terrell, City of Sugar Land; Bridget Yeung, Sugar Land City Council; Merle Smithers, Sugar Land Parks Board; and Karen Daly, City of Sugar Land.