2025 Community Impact Grant Spotlight: Madison Greenways & Trails

Madison Greenways & Trails received a 2025 Community Impact Grant of $1,200 from Madison Visionary Partners to help further their mission in Madison.

Madison Greenway & Trails (MG&T) hosts over a dozen educational and festival events each year. We receive excellent public responses. What we've experienced at these events is that many visitors are unfamiliar with most of our wonderful local places to walk, hike, and bike. These places are treasures, hidden to many Madison area residents. Being aware of and having access to nearby greenspace is so important to our community’s health and quality of life. Having to drive long distances discourages outdoor recreation. Yes, Monte Sano State Park has gorgeous views and trails, but so does our Rainbow Mountain in the middle of the city.

The Madison area did not have an accessible printed or social media source for residents to discover our natural areas. With our grant, titled “Discovering Madison’s Hidden Treasures - Places to Walk, Hike, and Bike”, MG&T was able to fulfill the local need for a “big picture” Madison area outdoors passive recreation map.

Thanks to the generosity of the 2025 Community Impact Grant funding from Madison Visionary Partners, MG&T has fully developed its outreach through well-designed and up to date informative and eye-catching resources. These resources include physical and digital materials that both provide immediate and accessible information to all community members interested in green space as well as opportunities for enhanced discussion with MG&T members at public events. In fact, the materials were all in place and used effectively at the recent Madison Street Festival.

The Madison Street Festival demonstrated the effectiveness of the additional resources purchased with the grant funds. The booth was staffed by MG&T members who were able to connect with the community effectively. The branded tablecloth on a new portable table, prominent easel displaying the Hidden Treasures map, and the MG&T rack cards all provided attractive and conversation starting visuals. With the inviting booth materials and displays, MG&T members were able to further promote the many ways to access walking, hiking, and biking opportunities in the area. It was an awesome festival, with hundreds of visitors to our booth, 150 rack cards handed out, and 70 new newsletter subscribers.

Certainly, one critical impact of the Community Impact Grant has been the funding for printing four 3’ x 3’ posters of the Hidden Treasures map, complete with QR code access. MG&T will be rotating the posters throughout the community.

Currently, two are on display at the Madison Chamber of Commerce/Tourist Kiosk and the Madison Community/Senior Center. In addition, a third poster is being offered to Madison City Hall. Rack cards and holders with depictions of MG&T endeavors and the map QR code have been distributed as well. Our digital poster has been added to the city website and the Madison Parks and Recreation phone app.

The efforts of MG&T continue with the assistance of the Community Impact Grant support. MG&T has rallied to spearhead the new Old Providence Trail along with trail maintenance on Rainbow Mountain. MG&T gained several new trail volunteers through MVP's Big Day of Service in June. MG&T always hopes to grow the number of volunteers, and these valuable resources create avenues for that goal. In all, the community is truly impacted by the grant funding—enhancing both the residents and the environment in Madison.

About MG&T

MG&T has partnered with the city of Madison Alabama since 2004 and serves on its Recreation Advisory Board. MG&T was a key stakeholder in the development of the Bradford Creek Greenway. We are a trailcare partner of the Land Trust of North Alabama. We recently built the Rainbolt Trail in the Rainbow Mountain Preserve with over 700 hours of effort. Work continues rehabilitating the 3.5 miles of legacy trails in the preserve. We are planning a new local preserve working with the city and the Land Trust. The first one-mile trail is under construction.

Please join us! Contact us at: https://www.facebook.com/madisongreenwayandtrails.