News, news, news, we’ve got exciting news! Today, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced a new King County Parks Foundation in partnership with Laird Norton Wealth Management, celebrating their initial gift of $75,000 and establishing the goal of raising $7.5 million for legacy projects over the next decade.

As we commemorate our 75th anniversary in 2013, the launch of this exciting partnership is a wonderful way for us to celebrate the parks, trails, and open space that King County residents have invested in and enjoyed over the past seven and half decades and to prepare for our next 75 years.

And of course, we had to do it up in true King County Parks style, with a tasty parks-themed cake and lots of community partners to boot. Check out the event photos over on our Flickr.

The King County Parks Foundation’s mission is to cultivate private-sector investments to connect communities to regional trails, open space and parks and to support the resiliency of King County’s parks and trails for future generations. The Foundation will have an advisory board that consists of local business and civic leaders, and The Seattle Foundation will operate and manage the funds. In the coming months and years, Executive Constantine and Laird Norton Wealth Management President and CEO Robert Moser will work together to encourage other business leaders, community partners, and individuals to get involved with the King County Parks Foundation.

Join us! Loveourparks.org.