Oak Park celebrates another big win with mParks’ award for new quilt program

For the second consecutive year, Oak Park won the Michigan Parks and Recreation Association (mParks) Innovative Recreation Programming award. This year, it was for their Rooted in Community program. 

On April 6, the city hosted the opening night of the program at City Hall, allowing visitors to view the five quilts made using residents’ drawings and input.

Each twin-size quilt features 92 individually drawn squares from attendees of the city’s farmers market from 2024 to 2025, who were welcome to draw a square that represented a piece of the community. The 465 pieces were put together by Amy Lumley and quilted by Keroline Garrett. The project took over 1,600 hours to complete, and volunteers worked from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the farmers’ market to give residents the chance to participate.

There is also a unique centerpiece that was completed by volunteers Ann Turkish, Carolyn Love, Faith Winn, Loretta Brown, and Janice Suwinski. 

Lumley says she is most proud of the diversity the quilts show, “We have certain squares done by two-year-olds up to 80-year olds. We have all ethnicities and religions; you can really see the community here. All the stories I heard talking to people as they did their squares, it’s been a real gift.”

All five quilts will be on full display at City Hall until June 2026.

How it All Began and What’s Ahead

The Rooted in Community program was spearheaded by Oak Park’s recreational coordinator, Maralee Rosemond. Rosemond has been an Oak Park resident for nine years and previously worked for Lathrup Village’s recreational department. Her experience and eye for talent were key to the project’s success.

“That’s what I do, I find people’s strengths and reel them in,” Rosemond says. “The truth of the matter is, don’t get stuck on a bus with me.” 

That’s exactly how it unfolded, according to Lumley and Rosemond. Once Rosemond caught wind of Lumley’s talent for quilting on a trip, Rosemond sat next to her to see if she would get involved. Rosemond had previously worked on a quilting project and hoped to revisit the project on a larger scale.

“I worked with adolescent girls at a psychiatric facility, and when we did [the quilts], it was very uplifting, but felt behind closed doors. When I found Amy, I went ‘we can do this again, now we can uplift a whole community.'”

The project did face a few hurdles. As with all city programs, cost was a concern. 

“It was a little of a challenge,” Lumley says. “Typically, you have to buy quilting boards for about $30 or $40 a board, but we were able to make our own boards using sandpaper and glue from the dollar store for $2. So, it worked out very well.”

As the city celebrates the win, it’s already gearing up for this year’s new program at the farmers market.

“I always want people to be engaged in our community. That’s why we try to do events like this at our farmers’ market. We already have nutritional education, cooking demos, our produce program, and even nurses to take blood pressure readings. We always want to do something new and special,” she says.

Rosemonds adds, “It speaks volumes for our effort in making sure that other people in the state know that our community works as one. To be recognized for that diversity, I think, is key.”

Oak Park’s Market summer season will start June 25 with a special sneak peek on May 31. For more information call (248) 691-7555 or visit www.oakparkmi.gov.

Photos by Matha Meija.

This story is part of a series supported by the city of Oak Park to highlight the people, businesses, and initiatives that make Oak Park a unique place to live.