2025 Mayor’s Corporate Challenge
On April 10, 2025, something special happened in Durham. Over 100 volunteers from local businesses rolled up their sleeves, grabbed their gloves, and got to work for the 2025 Mayor’s Corporate Challenge — a half-day of service that brought new life to 10 city parks and strengthened the ties between local businesses, city staff, and our community.
Together, we proved once again: when Bull City shows up, we make it count.
What We Accomplished
Here are just a few of the amazing transformations our teams helped create:
Bay-Hargrove Park – Volunteers planted dozens of native shrubs and pollinator-friendly flowers to enhance the park’s beauty and support local ecosystems.
American Tobacco Trail – Teams tackled invasive species removal along key sections of the trail, improving biodiversity and helping native plants thrive.
Old North Durham Park – A newly installed rain garden will help manage stormwater runoff naturally, reduce flooding, and add a beautiful green space for the neighborhood to enjoy.
But that’s not all — other projects included mulching parks, picking up litter, and prepping garden beds for spring. From Southern Boundaries to Sherwood Park, each location got a little brighter thanks to the hard work of volunteers and the support of our partners.
Powered by Partnership
This year’s Corporate Challenge wouldn't have been possible without the collaboration of Durham Parks and Recreation, Durham Parks Foundation, and the incredible corporate teams that gave their time and energy.
By coming together, we not only improved public spaces — we planted seeds of community pride and showed what’s possible when business and civic leaders join forces for the common good.
What’s Next?
The Mayor’s Corporate Challenge is just one example of how we can all play a role in creating greener, healthier, and more connected parks. Stay tuned for more ways to get involved — whether through volunteering, sponsoring future events, or simply enjoying the spaces we’ve built together.
Until then, thank you to everyone who made the 2025 Challenge a success — and here’s to continuing the work of making spaces for all of us.
