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Stacy Bare
Executive Director at Friends of Grand Rapids Parks
Stacy Bare is the Executive Director of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, a position he has held since February 2022.1 He is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and brings over a decade of experience in conservation and outdoor recreation to this role.3
Professional Background
Stacy has a diverse professional background that includes:
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Military Service: He served in the United States Army, including deployments to Bosnia and Iraq.4
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Nonprofit Leadership: Prior to his current role, Stacy founded and led Veterans Expeditions, an organization focused on getting veterans outdoors.1
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Consulting: He founded Bare, LLC, providing process improvement consulting for organizations working in conservation and at the intersection of health, wellness, and the outdoors.1
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Brand Ambassador: Stacy served as a Brand Champion for The North Face from 2014 to 2017.1
Current Role and Vision
As Executive Director of Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, Stacy is working towards making Grand Rapids the healthiest and most park-equitable city in America.1 His main goals include:
- Achieving 40% tree canopy coverage for Grand Rapids
- Ensuring all residents live within 10 minutes of a park or open space1
Stacy believes that planting trees and maintaining parks is not just about environmental and physical health benefits, but also about strengthening community connections.1 He emphasizes the importance of community organizing, volunteer engagement, workforce development, and environmental education in achieving these goals.1
Personal Interests
Outside of his professional life, Stacy is known as a husband, father, skier, biker, and general outdoorsman.2 He is passionate about encouraging people to explore Grand Rapids' park system and experience the transformative power of nature.5
Highlights
I'm thrilled to be headed to Fresh Coast Film Festival next month to represent Champions in the Golden Valley--a film about the ski community in Afghanistan. I invited Ben Sturgulewski out to make a film in 2019. Following the pandemic and the fall of Afghanistan, he and Katie Stjernholm and a world class team finished the film and its been making the rounds in all the great film festivals! Stoked to represent the film for its Great Lakes / Michigan debut!
If you've been looking for an excuse to come visit Michigan, join me in the UP next month!
When I started Adventure Not War, how this film got going, I did not believe, even after living through experiences of conflict, combat, and clean-up, the dominant narratives being told about the places I had been.
I knew, and still believe, most people are good, nature is a force that connects us, and that the more we spend time outside, the more we'll find what unites us and speak to our better angels.
This film is that. Thanks Ben and Katie and team.
More evidenced based research that a healthy tree canopy and neighborhoods with shrubs may reduce the risk of heart disease! This is incredible--and reenforces what is already broadly known just not in a clinical trial setting about the powerful impact of trees in a city, suburb, or village. Call your local tree planting partners and get involved! Friends of Grand Rapids Parks will be hosting our major fall tree planting initiative, Neighborwoods, the last Friday and Saturday of September!
"Researchers at the University of Louisville designed a clinical trial that followed hundreds of people living in six low- to middle-income neighborhoods in South Louisville, Kentucky. They used blood and other samples to better understand how their heart risks changed before and after the team planted thousands of mature trees near their homes.
Results "...showed that people living in neighborhoods with twice as many trees and shrubs had lower levels of a blood marker associated with heart disease, diabetes and some types of cancer compared with those who lived in more tree-bare neighborhoods."
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