Friends of Schuylkill Banks (FOSB) was founded in 2010 to provide financial and volunteer support for the Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) in their mission to revitalize the tidal Schuylkill River from the Fairmount Dam to the Delaware River. FOSB focuses on grassroots fundraising efforts that engage current and future users of the Banks as friends, leveraging individual contributions to help SRDC improve maintenance, increase programming, and focus on capital project fundraising and implementation.
Schuylkill Banks plays a vital role in Philadelphia’s park system, the larger regional trail network, and the planned East Coast Greenway connecting Maine to Key West. The first segment, which opened in 2004, brought Fairmount Park’s River Drives to the heart of Center City. In 2011, the Grays Ferry Crescent opened between 34th Street and Wharton Street, bringing waterfront access to many South and West Philadelphia neighborhoods for the first time. By 2012, several additional segments and improvement projects will be operational, creating further linkages to communities on both sides of the river, increasing residents’ access to open space, and creating more opportunities for active transportation and commuting.
This is an exciting time for the Banks and for Greater Philadelphia. As Schuylkill Banks continues its expansion, it is critically important that we are able to maintain and improve it for the growing number of residents and visitors who benefit from it in so many ways.
Please become a friend and help us invest in the future of Schuylkill Banks.