“Be creative. Be bold.”
This is the parting advice that Rick Graham left me after I had the pleasure of interviewing him. Rick, our Vice-Chair, describes himself as “semi-retired” and has proudly served Salt Lake City for 39 years, working with 7 different mayors, and has been with the Pioneer Park Coalition for 8 years. A University of Utah alumnus, this Salt Lake native has worked with parks ever since graduation, and has no intentions of leaving quite yet, saying, “...if I could end my career with the Pioneer Park Coalition, I could have a happy life.”
For now, Rick underscores and emphasizes the current priorities of the PPC: reducing crime, alleviating drug addiction, and focusing on those that are resistant to homelessness. But in the future, Mr. Graham believes we can beautify and improve the physical space of Pioneer Park. He has high hopes to transform the landscape into an “...iconic public use space that draws people from all over the valley, all over the county, all over the state.” Pioneer Park has great potential to become something great, something that embodies community and truly brings people together. It’s his dream to renovate this green space for the betterment of the public.
Rick’s passion for parks and community service is evident in our discussion. Although critics of the PPC have characterized us as complainers, neither of us see it that way. Instead, Rick sees this as more of a call to action, explaining that our coalition aims “To be bold, aggressive, and invoke change.” Without passion and without ideas, nothing will change, and homelessness will continue to grow in Salt Lake. The status quo is unacceptable. Rick’s advice about working towards doing good, goes hand in hand with being persistent. As we go forward and seek change, we must all remember to “Be creative.” and “Be bold.” in order to effectively work towards finding sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our community.
- Anna Henderson