Hoskins Family to donate $500,000 to Town Branch Park

Town Branch Park today announced a $500,000 donation from the Hoskins Family.

 “We wanted to have a more philanthropic presence in Lexington, and the park will provide a great benefit to the community,” Alyce Hoskins said. “The public art and greenspace of the park will provide opportunities not often available to downtown residents. We also see the tremendous value of the entire project –  both Town Branch Park and Town Branch Trail – in making a great impact on all of the community.”

Former Lexington Mayor Jim Gray, who also is a member of the Town Branch Park Advisory Board, said: “There’s a long family legacy of giving generously to our community, going back in recent memory to Alyce’s father, Hilary Boone, who once told me, ‘Jim, the more you give the more you get.’ He was saying, of course, that the blessing is in the giving. And that’s what the family demonstrates in this gift and all they do.”

In recognition of the gift, Town Branch Park will name the first public art installation, called First Impressions, in their honor.

 “We appreciate the support of the Hoskins family and are excited they chose to name the first piece of public art for Town Branch Park,” said Allison Lankford, executive director of Town Branch Park. “The First Impressions sculpture will provide opportunities for learning about ecology, history and even math. The interactive educational aspects will make it an attraction for people of all ages by creating a piece that makes visitors aware of a shared history on this planet and encourages exploration and stewardship of a shared environment.”  

With this donation, the park has now raised more than $11 million of its $31 million private fund-raising goal to create more than 9 acres of signature downtown park. It also will function as the trailhead connecting 22-miles of biking/walking trails leading from downtown to Lexington’s iconic rural landscape.