Businesses and community groups can now sign up to sponsor one of Tacoma's 80-plus parks through a new Adopt-a-Park program that Parks Tacoma launched Monday, Aug. 17.

Sponsors commit to three years of volunteer labor and a cash donation in exchange for a recognition sign at the site.

Columbia Bank is already in.

The bank adopted Melanie's Park along the Foss Waterway, naming the sponsorship after late CEO Melanie Dressel, who was part of the founding team that started Columbia Bank in 1993 and led it until her sudden death in February 2017. Nearly two dozen Columbia Bank employees showed up for their first work party at the park in mid-July.

"We want to give people a way to improve their community, connect with new locations and spend time outside," Parks Tacoma corporate relations and sales manager Tessa Bondi said in the program announcement. "This will also lead to cleaner, safer and more engaged park spaces."

Bondi said the program aims to spotlight smaller neighborhood parks that most residents have never visited, beyond well-known destinations like Point Defiance Park and Wright Park. Sponsors organize four work parties per year, with volunteers handling tasks like removing invasive species, planting vegetation and picking up litter. Parks Tacoma provides tools and training.

The specific dollar amount of the required cash donation is not listed in the announcement.

Columbia Bank community impact director Andrew Tweedie said the sponsorship honors Dressel's legacy of investing in places that bring people together. Under her leadership, the bank grew from one branch to more than 140 locations across Washington, Oregon and Idaho. Columbia Bank has honored her each year since 2017 with a Melanie Dressel Community Commitment Week of employee service.

Melanie's Park sits near the base of the 11th Street Bridge on the Thea Foss Waterway. The site once housed a steam plant before Superfund remediation of the waterway began in the 1980s. Its full official name is Melanie Jan LaPlant Dressel Park.

Interested businesses, corporations or community groups can contact Bondi at [email protected] to learn more about adopting a park.