Chevy Chase, Washington DC
A community public park open to all — used every day by neighbors and visitors from across the area for pickup tennis and basketball, family picnics, after-school play, and gatherings by the childcare community. Volunteer-led, neighbor-funded, plant by plant since 1999.
Friends of Lafayette-Pointer Park, Inc. is a non-profit organization incorporated in the District of Columbia to assist the DC Department of Parks and Recreation in the maintenance and improvement of Lafayette-Pointer Park grounds. The Park includes extensive gardens, a gazebo, playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, green spaces, and the Lafayette-Pointer Recreation Center. FOLP is a 501(c)(3) organization and all contributions are tax-deductible.
Rec Center
Tennis
Basketball
Playgrounds
Gazebo
Water DaisyFall 2026 · In the park
The Lafayette Athletic Field has been getting some summer TLC, but a few areas of new grass that dried out are now susceptible to weeds. FOLP is looking for volunteers to help give the field some care — every bit of help makes a difference.
Completed · summer 2026
We did it! Thanks to an outpouring of community support, FOLP reached its ten thousand dollar fundraising goal, and artist Paul Waclo completed the bear carving the week of June 8–12, 2026. One of Lafayette-Pointer Park's beloved 250-year-old oaks — damaged in a major windstorm last summer — has been transformed into a sculpture of a bear, the longtime mascot of Lafayette Elementary School.
FOLP and organizers worked with Lafayette Elementary School to arrange field trips so every class could visit Paul at work, and on Tuesday, June 9th the community gathered for a Honey Strawberry Shortcake and Lemonade party at the carving site to celebrate. Thank you to everyone who gave, volunteered, and came out to cheer the bear to life!
Read the full story for project history, artist details, and how the carving came together.
Ongoing support
Friends of Lafayette-Pointer Park supports the ongoing care of the perennial beds and pollinator gardens, and picnic areas where neighbors gather. As an official park partner, FOLP works alongside DC Parks and Recreation. Over the past decade we have added benches and picnic tables, maintained hundreds of plants in the gardens including native plants and Spring bulbs, and supported community cleanups and gatherings.
We continue to raise money for an expanded planting program, bench replacements, and the steady work of caring for the park. Please support the effort and make a contribution today.
Help us reach our goal of 200 pledges this year. Membership gifts fund the planting calendar, the supplies, and the small-scale projects that keep the park feeling like the neighborhood's.
Donation amount
Venmo, PayPal, Credit Card, or mailed check. All gifts are tax-deductible.
Or mail a check payable to FOLP to P.O. Box 6221, Washington, DC 20015.
Partners who help keep our park thriving
DC Parks and Recreation
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3/4G
Lafayette Home School Association
Ward 4 Council
Lafayette Tennis Association
In the park
Fall 2026
The Lafayette Athletic Field has been getting some summer TLC, but a few areas of new grass that dried out are now susceptible to weeds. FOLP is looking for volunteers to help give the field some care — every bit of help makes a difference.
Fall — date TBD
Fall kickoff for our annual fund. Meet the board, hear what's planned for the year, and renew your membership. Date TBD — check back closer to fall.
Fall — date TBD
Plant tulip and daffodil bulbs in the perennial beds, rake leaves, and prep the gardens for winter. Date TBD — we'll announce once the weather forecast firms up.
