Allegheny County Parks Trail Guide Completed as Caren Glotfelty Retires from Parks Foundation

The Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) is pleased to share the result of a county parks trail guide project led by the Allegheny County Parks Foundation (ACPF) to engage and support the health of our region's residents.

JHF granted ACPF funding in 2020 to support the development, design, printing, and promotion of an Allegheny County Parks Trail Discovery Guide. The new guide contains maps of 22 trails, engaging photos, and trail details such as mileage and elevation statistics. Park visitors can find the guide online or as a printed booklet. On the ACPF website, park visitors may also download individual trail directions and maps.

JHF previously supported ACPF with a 2017 grant to develop a mobile-friendly, senior-friendly application that uses maps, text, and images to highlight curated walks, events, and other attractions focused on a senior audience of varied abilities. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, JHF granted ACPF funding for a social media campaign to promote outdoor opportunities that allowed for safer socialization and activity.

These grants are part of Senior Connections: Creating a Culture of Health and Exercise, a multipronged initiative led by JHF to engage and support seniors in our region. The expanded trail guide will help more people across Allegheny County, especially seniors, to access information about the park trails and will foster good exercise habits and improved mental health through park visits.

"The Jewish Healthcare Foundation stepped up with funding for the Trail Discovery Guide at a time when our region was searching for ways to manage the isolation of sheltering inside. As a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Allegheny County Parks Foundation, Karen Feinstein understood the crucial role that the parks could play in a health crisis. We are grateful that this support will help orient park visitors through 18 of our parks' popular trails. It gave us the tools to encourage people to use the network of trails and venture into parks they may have never visited before," said Caren Glotfelty, ACPF Executive Director.

JHF congratulates Glotfelty on her upcoming retirement from ACPF, which she joined in 2014. Glotfelty has been an environmental advocate for more than four decades, and JHF celebrates her dedication to improving the health and wellbeing of Allegheny County residents and visitors.