Delaware North is contributing $1 million to the Olmsted Park Conservancy endowment campaign.
This will give the parks the ability to continue the upkeep of the park while also adding five members of the Buffalo Service Corps to the operations teams.
In 1868, Frederick Law Olmsted designed the United States' first interconnected system of urban parks and parkways. The most famous of these parks is Delaware Park, which is also the largest.
Jerry Jacobs, Jr., CEO of Delaware North, and his family have a personal connection to Frederick Law Olmsted. Jacobs' parents live in one of the houses that was designed by Olmsted, and his mother works to care for the property in a way that honors Olmsted's original design.
"Frederick Law Olmsted designed these parks not for the people of his own generation," Catie Stephenson, Executive Director for the Olmsted Parks Conservancy, said. "He designed them for us today. He designed them with the next generation in mind."
Mayor Sean Ryan spoke about the contribution that was made by Delaware North and how much they do for the City of Buffalo.
"Delaware North is the biggest quiet company in the city of Buffalo, very surprised that we actually have a Jacobs standing behind us, because Jacobs' family usually likes to tend to their business quietly, but their fingerprint is quietly all over the city of Buffalo," Ryan said.
The Olmsted Parks Conservancy's mission as a non-profit is to ensure that the parks are maintained and to honor Buffalo's historic parks and parkways systems.
"Generations of Buffalonians will be able to use this beautiful public facility that is built for and maintained for the people of the city of Buffalo, and anyone from outside of Buffalo who wants to come in to use our wonderful parks," Ryan said.
Delaware North's contribution will give the Conservancy the ability to start on any maintenance or beautification plans without the worry of money.
"The Olmsted parks belong to everyone," Jacobs said. "They are a place where people gather, play, and connect with one another. They are one of the things that make Buffalo and our region so special, and they deserve the kind of steady, enduring support that allows them to thrive."
