Parks With a Heart

Sharing the heart of Christ with urban communities by providing safe parks with a full-time ministry presence.

Our Mission:

Martin Park exists to improve children’s lives in inner-city Fresno. In addition to high-quality after-school programming, we provide spiritual growth and family empowerment in a safe and secure environment. We walk alongside youth in the healing, creating generational transformation of communities through positive relationships, restoring dignity and purpose— igniting their full potential.

Our Vision:

We strive to see Fresno’s Inner-city communities transformed by a commitment to continual investment in their families, giving hope to each other through their relationships with Christ.

Not Just A Park

We’ve seen individuals and whole neighborhoods transformed by creating another playground in an urban community. Rather, we invest in being a constant, active presence in their daily lives to meet our neighbors’ physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Our Parks create a safe, attractive environment that invites our neighbors. Our staff and volunteers provide programs and resources that make a lasting impact. The Gospel of Christ is what fuels all we do.

We continue to be a constant presence in overlooked neighborhoods by providing safe parks where the community is engaged and the church is present.

Why We're Here

It’s no secret – urban communities are often a battleground of poverty, crime, and disparities that prevent our neighbors from excelling in life. Many in this situation feel hopeless or stuck. Martin Park exists to break these destructive cycles and build the best parks in undeserved communities so they can experience:

Tutoring Hours

0 +

Volunteer Hours

Parent Training Hours

Thank You!

Community Partners

Webster Park

Goal

$2,000,000

Donations 77%

Martin Park is an example of how powerful 'neighboring' is. Sharing, hospitality, caring, and knowing your neighbors are timeless principles that are shaping the Lowell and Webster neighborhoods. Every neighborhood needs a Martin Park!

Martin Park, under the leadership of Oscar Rodriguez, is one of those under-the-radar resources that move inner-city neighborhoods from “mean streets” to “rising communities.” Kids, families, and ultimately the whole City of Fresno benefit from their solid work at the social and spiritual transformation.

Martin Park has been a transformative presence in the Lowell neighborhood for more than 30 years. When the neighborhood was experiencing violence and chaos, children ran to that park as a place of safety, a place of learning, a place of love. Under the current leadership of Oscar and Julie Rodriguez, it has also become a place of relief, equipping, mentoring, spiritual formation, and practical help. With the help of local churches, agencies, and the Fresno Mission, it has become a crucial model for Fresno’s healing.