The Cincinnati Reds have long been known for their legacy on the diamond, but this summer, they’re preparing to leave a legacy far beyond the outfield walls.
With the announcement of their 2025 Community Makeover blueprint, the Reds and their partners have set the stage for a powerful one-day transformation that promises to revitalize key areas of the city—physically, emotionally, and culturally.
This year’s focus: the Walnut Hills and Evanston neighborhoods, two vibrant communities with deep histories and even deeper potential.
Scheduled for July 24, the 16th annual Community Makeover will unite over 400 volunteers in a single-day blitz of revitalization efforts across six core sites. Led by the Reds Community Fund in partnership with Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati Children’s, GE Aerospace, Kroger, the Cincinnati Zoo, United Way, and dozens of local organizations, the initiative is expected to bring lasting improvements to public spaces, learning environments, and community resources.
The Transformation Sites
The sites selected for the 2025 makeover speak to the heart of what the initiative aims to achieve: supporting children, empowering neighborhoods, and building a stronger Cincinnati from the ground up.
At Frederick Douglass Elementary, students will return in the fall to a brand-new STEM lab, outdoor garden spaces, and a safer, fully renovated playground. Murals by local artists will add color and character to the school’s exterior, while interior upgrades will create a more inspiring learning environment.
Just blocks away, the Dr. O’Dell Owens Early Learning Center will receive major enhancements, including an outdoor teaching garden and shaded learning spaces designed to support early childhood development. A special youth shoe giveaway is planned at the site during the makeover event.
The Bush Recreation Center and nearby Ashland Recreation Area will undergo both aesthetic and functional upgrades, with new play equipment, landscaping, paintwork, and accessibility improvements. Meanwhile, Owl’s Nest Park in Evanston will see the installation of a synthetic infield and revitalization of its green spaces, making it a renewed gathering place for families and athletes alike.
To further tie the project into the daily lives of residents, a new community garden will be established on Park Avenue, complete with raised beds, benches, umbrellas, and gathering areas. Designed as both a sustainable food source and a community gathering space, the garden aims to foster both wellness and connection among neighbors.
A Lasting Legacy
This is more than a makeover—it’s a movement.
Since launching in 2010, the Reds Community Makeover has invested over $11 million into underserved areas throughout Greater Cincinnati, and this year’s effort is one of its most ambitious yet. What began as a single-site service project has grown into one of Major League Baseball’s most respected community initiatives. In 2023, it earned the Reds the Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence, a recognition of the program’s enduring impact.
But awards aren’t what drive this initiative—people are. From students who will now learn in safer, more vibrant classrooms to families who will gather at cleaner, more welcoming parks, the real reward is the sense of pride and possibility being restored in these communities.
Local leaders, including Walnut Hills Area Council president Mona Jenkins, have voiced strong support for the effort. “This project is not just beautification—it’s empowerment,” she said. “It reminds our residents that they matter, that their neighborhoods are worth investing in, and that their future is bright.”
Countdown to July 24
Preparations for the makeover are already underway. Construction teams and community volunteers are beginning early-stage work across the six sites, with the bulk of the transformation set to occur in a single coordinated day of service.
That day, hundreds of volunteers—Reds employees, fans, corporate partners, and community members—will roll up their sleeves and get to work. Murals will be painted. Grass will be cut. Soil will be turned. Fields will be leveled. And through every effort, a message will be sent: Cincinnati believes in its people.
Though the makeover will unfold over the course of one day, its impact will echo far beyond it. Families will spend weekends at the new park. Children will run, learn, and play on safer, brighter grounds.
And a new sense of pride will rise from the sidewalks of Walnut Hills and Evanston—proof that when sports and service come together, cities can be changed in a day.
