In 1996, a group of neighbors concerned about the deteriorating state of Pittsburgh’s parks formed a nonprofit organization and partnered with city officials to plant the seeds of change. To date, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has raised more than $150 million from public and private funding sources, completed 25 major improvement projects and offers an array of programming. Last year, the Trust for Public Land included Pittsburgh on its list of top 15 park systems in the country. Catherine Qureshi, president and CEO of the conservancy, has a soft spot for Ormsby Playground on the South Side. “We want to do restoration not just for the community, but with the community,” Qureshi says.