We are a collaborative team working under the Jenkintown Education Foundation in partnership with the Jenkintown School District, HSA, and Jenkintown Borough.
About the Legacy Park Project
As the Legacy Park Community Board (in collaboration with the School District, Borough, community groups, and School Board) continues to plan for the exciting transformation of Legacy Park, we want to provide you with some important details about the project. After being created with extensive community input, much of the early conversation has focused on the replacement of the beloved “castle” playground, we want to emphasize that the scope of this initiative is much broader and more impactful.
Budget and Timeline Transparency
As conversations began about replacing the castle, community members, parents, educators, students, and neighbors, expressed a shared vision: to not only rebuild the structure but to reimagine the entire outdoor experience at Jenkintown Elementary. This includes redesigning the main playground, adjacent green spaces, and smaller structures to reflect best practices in inclusive design, nature-based play, and multigenerational use. The full park renovation is quoted at $4.75 million, but due to competing district priorities, we are immediately prioritizing Phase One at $1.5 million. This includes the demolition of the old structure and the construction of a new main play structure, slides, and swings. Completing Phase One now is critical to prevent students from being left without a playground for up to five years. The remaining steps will be incorporated into a future, larger campus rejuvenation.
A New Way to Give – Introducing Zeffy
In support of this ambitious effort, we are now using a new platform—Zeffy—in place of Venmo. Zeffy allows us to better communicate with our donors and supporters. So that we can keep everyone updated as the project progresses. We understand this may be a new platform for some, but rest assured—it’s simple and secure. You will see it at both our in-person and online events. Zeffy accepts credit cards and Apple Pay, making it easier than ever to contribute. Create an account now for faster transactions in the future!
We understand that this project is a heavy lift—but with many hands working together, we are confident we can build a park that will serve our community and its children for decades to come.
Meet the Legacy Park Community Board
Bria Gardner
Bria is originally from Abington and attended Abington High School, where she met her husband. After college, her husband began the long and laborious process of becoming a rheumatologist. His training took them to Virginia, North Carolina, and Massachusetts. When deciding where to settle down for good, Bria and her husband knew they wanted to return to the Philadelphia area to raise their children near extended family. Having grown up in the region, they knew Jenkintown would be a perfect fit for them! Their first-born son is thriving in Kindergarten at JES and they also have a rambunctious 2.5 year old daughter. Bria is a dreamer and Pinterest enthusiast by nature. By trade, she is an education consultant, having worked with Teach For America, The New Teacher Project (TNTP), and Teachstone to coach teachers, analyze and distribute data, write literacy curricula, design and refine new teacher training programs, and encourage teachers and administrators to push boundaries. She has a penchant for challenging conventions and enjoys thinking outside the box. Bria is honored to serve on the Community Board for Legacy Park at Jenkintown Elementary!
Kelly Hudson
Kelly is a former educator who now works in interior design, bringing creativity and organization to both her professional and community endeavors. As a mother of four daughters—three of whom attend Jenkintown Elementary—she and her family have deep roots in the borough, where her husband’s family has lived since 1962. Kelly’s own family has lived on and off in Jenkintown since 2009, further deepening their connection to the community.
Kelly is passionate about community engagement and has played a vital role in various local initiatives. She has served as Vice President of the HSA, co-chair of the Sustainability Committee, a member of Friends of the Jenkintown Public Library, and Director of Children’s Education at Grace Presbyterian Church. She also founded the Block by Block initiative. Kelly is dedicated to strengthening neighborhood connections.
Her extensive experience in leadership and volunteer roles has equipped her with the skills to bring people together, fostering collaboration and leveraging diverse talents to create successful events, initiatives, and meaningful community-building efforts in Jenkintown.
Janelle McGovern
Janelle McGovern (Treasurer) moved to Jenkintown in late 2019 from South Philadelphia. After an exhaustive home search, she and her husband picked the borough somewhat randomly and have been overjoyed with their decision since then. She is a parent of three, a kindergartener, a preschooler at JUMP, and a baby who is desperate to join the Olympic Relay team if they’d let her.
She is currently a stay at home mom who moonlights as a theatrical video/projections designer. Since moving to the Philly area in 2008 she has worked with Azuka Theatre, Inis Nua Theatre, Lantern Theater, Drexel University, Temple University, and more.
She has also worked previously for a biomedical lab, artist management company, and television production studio. All of which involved a lot of spreadsheets, which sparks an unironic joy whenever she opens one.
Spreadsheets aren’t her only pass time. She is also a textile nerd and loves to experiment with weaving, quilting, knitting, and crochet. At any given point you’ll find 4-6 quilts in progress on her sewing table, and you can see her work about town in the eclectic collection of button-ups that she makes with her kindergartener.
Colleen Manfredi
Colleen is a dedicated mom, active community volunteer, and former fashion industry professional. After a successful career in product development in New York City, she transitioned to being a stay-at-home mom to focus on raising her two children, Reed, a third grader, and Emma, a second grader. Since moving to Jenkintown in 2016, she has become deeply involved in the community, frequently volunteering at school and serving on local boards. She enjoys contributing her skills and creativity to support both her family and the community.
Anna Cecchini Diskin, RA – Project Manager
Anna is a registered architect and project manager with over 20 years of experience in building design and construction. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture (cum laude) from Drexel University and after graduating in 2004, she spent some time living in San Francisco and Connecticut with her husband before ultimately settling back in the Philadelphia area to be closer to both their respective families. Once settled back in PA, she sat for her licensing exams and became a registered architect in 2009.
In 2021, Anna and her family moved to Jenkintown Borough, drawn to its close-knit community and urban village vibe. Since her boys have spent a lot of time on the playground both during and after school as a meet up place for friends and pick-up sports, she is excited to be lending her expertise to the design and construction of Legacy Park at Jenkintown Elementary.
Anna is an active volunteer with Jenkintown HSA Board and enjoys photographing families in and around Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
Jillian Greenberry
Jillian is an architect, educator, and mom of two boys who has called Jenkintown home for almost a decade. She earned multiple degrees from Temple University, including a Master’s in Architecture, a Bachelor’s in Science of Architecture, and two minors in Landscape Design and the Arts. Along the way, she picked up several academic honors and served in various leadership roles; she received the Architecture Department Memorial Award for Academic Excellence, the Architectural Research Centers Consortium King Student Medal for contribution to the field, graduated from her undergraduate degree cum laude, and was awarded the Alpha Rho Chi Medal for leadership, service, and merit in architectural education. She’s also been involved in architectural education and currently teaches foundation studio as an adjunct professor.
Jillian loves the way architecture blends art and science, especially how design impacts communities and shapes the way people experience space. She strongly believes that design can strengthen communities and hopes to put that ethos to the test while designing Legacy Park. When she’s not designing or teaching, she’s busy chasing after her two young boys, Arthur and Wesley, volunteering her time with JCA, and enjoying life in Jenkintown.
Nina Russakoff
Nina is a mother of three JSD students who practiced law for about twenty years, most recently with a small firm focusing on special education. She graduated from Columbia College with a B.A., Oxford University with an M.St., and Columbia Law School with a J.D. She has worked in the government and private practice and currently serves on the Jenkintown School Board and the board of the Jenkintown Education Foundation.
Becky Wainwright
Becky brings over 15 years of experience in development and fundraising to the Legacy Park team, having successfully created and managed fundraising programs for a variety of nonprofit organizations. Currently a consultant with Schultz & Williams and previously a Director of Development at organizations like CeaseFirePA and Bloom India, Becky is known for her strategic approach to increasing revenue, building boards, and cultivating donors. She has lived in Jenkintown for 13 years and is a mom of three. She currently serves on the board of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Greater Philadelphia Chapter.