Chevy Chase, Washington DC
Nine acres of green, looked after by neighbors.
Friends of Lafayette-Pointer Park is a volunteer-led nonprofit that plants, prunes, raises funds, and rallies the neighborhood to keep our park beautiful — and to honor the families whose history runs through it.
Volunteer
Spring and fall cleanup days, garden workdays, and special projects.
Learn moreEvents
Concerts at the amphitheater, community gatherings, and seasonal cleanups.
Learn moreMembership
Join 200+ neighbors who keep the park thriving with annual support.
Learn moreDonate
Tax-deductible gifts fund landscaping, plantings, and park improvements.
Learn moreOur mission
Care that goes beyond what the city alone can do.
DC Parks and Recreation maintains the basics. We do the rest — the plantings, the events, the bench replacements, the slow work of building a place where the neighborhood actually wants to gather.
- Funded the resurfacing of the tennis courts
- Built and maintain the perennial gardens and pollinator beds
- Installed benches, picnic tables, and the gazebo
- Added the amphitheater for concerts and gatherings
- Advocated for and helped open the new recreation center (2021)
- Renamed the park to honor the Pointer family (2020)
- Run spring and fall cleanup days every year since 1999
What's next
Upcoming in the park
A few things on the calendar. Everyone is welcome.
History
The Pointer family, and how this park got its name.
The land was purchased by the District in 1928. Part of it was a farm owned by Horace Jones; part was owned by African-American families descended from George Pointer, who was born enslaved in 1773 and became a freedman and a C&O Canal engineer.
In 2020, after years of advocacy, the park was renamed Lafayette-Pointer Park to honor those families and the history that ran through the property long before the city took it over.
Read the full storyBecome a friend
$100 a year keeps the gardens growing.
Our goal is 200 neighbors contributing $100 or more each year. All gifts are tax-deductible and go directly to plantings, supplies, and park improvements.