Photo Credit: Pete Eshelman / Roanoke Outside Foundation
In an era of tight budgets for parks and recreation departments, one region of the country is turning to crowdfunding to pay for improvements that enhance access to the outdoors.
Just as one might give online to a favorite charity or help someone in need, crowdfunding has played a key public role in the evolution of the Roanoke Region of Virginia as one of the East Coast’s top outdoor communities.
A decade after the Roanoke region rebranded itself as outdoor-oriented, residents and businesses in this Blue Ridge Mountain metro have become so inspired they’ve covered most of the cost of new kayak launches, a kayak/canoe dock, and the first phase of a bike skills park—with more projects planned.