The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps

Community Center of Augusta will host a groundbreaking ceremony for the renovations of

Ann C. Boardman Park on Friday, December 5, at 11:00 a.m. on the Kroc Center campus at

1833 Broad Street in the McKnight Family Banquet Hall.

The new park continues and enhances the original vision for the Kroc Center, which opened

to the public in August 2011 on a 17-acre site along the Augusta Canal in the historic

Harrisburg neighborhood.

Ann C. Boardman Park’s renovations are made possible through a neighborhood

improvement grant from Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp, part of the state’s Improving

Neighborhood Outcomes in Disproportionately Impacted Communities initiative. Launched

in 2022 and funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, the program invests in parks,

recreation facilities, sidewalks, and other neighborhood assets in communities heavily

affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, The Salvation Army of Augusta was awarded $2.2 million through this initiative,

designated for outdoor improvements at the Kroc Center and is being used to transform the

former Chaffee Park area—renamed Ann C. Boardman Park in 2011—into a vibrant new

destination for recreation and community life.

“This park is a promise fulfilled—to our neighbors in Harrisburg and to the donors and

partners who believed the Kroc Center campus could be a year-round hub for arts,

education and recreation that will positively impact the Harrisburg neighborhood,” said

Major Jonathan Raymer, the Area Commander and Senior Kroc Officer.A Park Designed for Everyone

Once complete, Ann C. Boardman Park will feature:

- Sand volleyball courts

- Pickleball courts

- A shaded seating and gathering area

- An adaptive playground accessible to children with special needs

- A restroom and concessions building

- A multi-purpose artificial turf field

- A walking path

Honoring a Legacy of Philanthropy: Ann Boardman

The park is named in honor of Ann Boardman, a beloved Augusta philanthropist known for

her decades-long commitment to Augusta’s youth. The Boardman family played a pivotal

role in securing the Kroc Trust gift and completing the local matching endowment

campaign. Ms. Boardman, The Salvation Army and other dignitaries will participate in a

ceremonial “first dig” where plans for the park will be officially unveiled to the community.

Continuing the Kroc Center Vision

The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center of Augusta opened in 2011 as

one of twenty-six Kroc Centers made possible by a transformational bequest from Joan

Kroc. In accordance with the terms of the Kroc Trust, the Augusta Kroc Center is financially

independent from The Salvation Army’s Center of Hope and social service programs.

While The Salvation Army of Augusta operates the only emergency shelter for men, women

and families in Augusta and requires donations from the community to serve those in need,

The Ray & Joan Kroc Corps Community Center was made possible by the Kroc bequest and a

local endowment campaign, completed in 2009, that, along with memberships, fully funds

the operations of the Kroc Center.

Original plans called for the green space along the Augusta canal to remain a park, but the

plans to complete the park were always planned for a second phase. “The completion of

Ann C. Boardman Park has been a hope for the Kroc Center since the beginning”, says Major

Raymer, “we are so grateful to Governor Kemp for helping this become a reality.“