Vanelia & Versace,
Farview Park

“I bring my grandchildren over here to play. It’s close to the house. I can walk them over here and just let them swim and have a good time. I like the community setting, it’s really geared towards families.

I try to find young women who need a mentor or role model, and then be that. I babysit for mothers whose babies are sick and can’t go to daycare. If they’re short on rent, sometimes I’ll help them with that. I do this out of my own pocket because I have love for them.

A lot of them have come through the foster care system and have nobody to love them. So I try to show them family, and this type of gathering is one of the ways that I do that. Some I’ve lost along the way, but there’s others who will make it. I do it for the ones who are gonna make it.”

Roberto & Aurelia,
MLK Park

“I’m from Mexico and she is, too. We met in New York and then we came to Minnesota because it’s quieter and safer. In New York there were too many gangs.

We come to this park all the time. We’ve lived in this area more than twenty-six years. I take a walk here maybe three times a week. I play baseball on Sundays. Sometimes the whole family comes to play basketball, our three sons and us. When they were younger, we used to bring them here to the playground and the pool. Sometimes their friends ask them to come and play soccer, so my wife and I sit down somewhere and watch. That’s fun. For me, this park is safe. That’s why I like it.

In Mexico, you have to work one week for ten dollars. Here you can make ten dollars in one hour. That’s the reason why a lot of people come to this country, to change their lives. Now I have food. I have a car. I can work, and my son is working, too. He works at Dairy Queen in Edina and I work at a warehouse in Shakopee.

My wife does everything for me. Cooking, doing laundry, cleaning the house. When I come home from work, she’s got my dinner ready. I told her if she wants to work (outside the home) she can, but she doesn’t want to and that’s fine. Right now me and my two older sons are working, so it’s not necessary. She can stay home. I know how to cook soup or rice, maybe. The more easy food. But if there’s something I really like, she makes it for me. I appreciate that. That’s why every weekend I tell her ‘No cooking, I can buy us something.’

She loves me a lot and she watches out for me and our boys all the time. Since we married, she and I have never been separate. No days, no hours, no nothing.”

Kaveen,
Bohanon Park

“We play cricket here every week. We have six fields all across the Metro. Cricket is along the same lines as baseball, but instead of four bases there are two. You run back and forth between them. The sticks are called wickets. We count runs and all of that, but we only play one inning. Back home in India it’s like a religion. Whenever there’s a big cricket game going on, there’s not much productivity in India.

We have Pakistani, Indian, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi, South African, Australian, and people from the Caribbean here playing. We have a few who were baseball players growing up who tried it out and loved it, too. We also conduct programs that promote youth and women’s cricket so more people can connect with it. It’s building a bond within the community.

I have friends from many different countries and I come here to hang out with them. It’s a good summer day, enjoying the sport and also making buddies. It’s a deep connection.”

Herbert & his kids,
Marshall Terrace Park

“We come to the park every day when it’s nice out. I do everything they do. Play in the sand, play on the slides, play basketball. It’s a quiet, open spot for some family time. I work nights, so the park helps me spend as much time as possible with them during the day. We don’t have any problems here, everybody seems to get along.

When I grew up, my dad was around, but he wasn’t around. So I want them to know dad is there and that I care for them. Especially so my girls know the right type of man to look at when they grow up to be women. They won’t choose the wrong type of person because dad wasn’t around to show them the right type.

I want to play a part in teaching them the things they need to know when they grow up. What people to stay away from; to help when you can help. Just love. And I want them to pay it forward. The way daddy is with you, pay it forward. Teach that to somebody else. If you teach one person good, the world can change.

The time that we do have together, we try to make the most of it. I like to show my children how much I love them and that I wanted them, so that’s why we spend our time like we do.”