Nichole Whiteley, Daily Herald

Hundreds of Pleasant Grove residents gathered in the city’s center for the groundbreaking of the Cook Family Park on Wednesday.

Children donned bright yellow hard hats and used mini shovels to play in the dirt on what will soon be the 25-acre park before being asked to participate in the proper groundbreaking.

“The park is a place that can help gather people and connect people and it’s taken an area of the city that has kind of been the eyesore of the city, and we’re going to be able to turn that into something beautiful and something that that the whole city can be proud of,” said Julie Cook, donor and co-founder of The Cook Center for Human Connection.

The Cook family donated $5 million for the park, which will go toward the playground and splash pad. The Cook Family Park will also have several soccer/multi-use fields, an all wheels/skate park bike pump track, futsal fields, a basketball court and a permanent nine-square court.

“We have owned this property for over 10 years and didn’t really know what it was going to become. And then we had a generous donation and that got the ball rolling and really was the catalyst for where we are today,” said Pleasant Grove City Council Member Cyd LeMone

Nichole Whiteley, Daily Herald

After several speeches on the park’s value to the community, the Cook family, Pleasant Grove City Council members, developers and Mayor Guy Fugal upturned the first piles of dirt.

Greg Cook, DoTerra executive and co-founder of the Cook Center for Human Connection, said his family has driven past this property for 25 years hoping something beautiful would take its place. Construction will begin immediately following the groundbreaking.

“This park is for the kids,” Julie Cook said. After the first dirt was turned, children in attendance — ranging from small babies to teenagers — were invited to take part in the groundbreaking. The Cooks provided the children with the hard hats and shovels to be part of the ceremony because, Julie Cook said, “we want the kids to feel part of the ownership from day one. I think it’s important for them to see what can be created as well, and something to look forward to.”

By next summer the playground and splash pad are expected to be complete according to city council member Eric Jensen.

Brooke Howland, a resident of Pleasant Grove, said she and her children are excited for the park in part because of the value it will place on family involvement. “It’s not just a soccer park or just a playground. It’s kind of a mix of everything,” she said.

Nichole Whiteley, Daily Herald

The Cooks have donated money to fund many other projects in Pleasant Grove, all of which Julie Cook said, give the community a place to gather and make connections.

“The Cook Family Park, the reason it’s named that is because it’s first and foremost for the families of Pleasant Grove. The cook family made the donation, but it’s really called the cook family park, with you see the family in the middle is bolded, it’s because it’s really about families coming together,” said Anne Brown, chief executive officer and president of the Cook Center for Human Connection.

The Cook Center for Human Connection is an organization that the family founded and is centered around mental health and suicide prevention, Brown said. They provide free resources, globally, to parents and children and seek to help parents handle topics such as suicide, mental health, anger and anxiety. They also help parents through typical stages of parenting such as understanding the emotional development of a child at different stages in their life.

The Cook Center for Human Connection played a large role in the idea and goal for this park. Brown said the Cook Center aligns with the park “on the lines of human connection because parks are really a place where families can grow and connect and others can come together and connect.”

Brown added that her most important memories as a child come from sitting at a park with her family, and she expects that fond childhood memories will be made at this park for generations to come.

Nichole Whiteley, Daily Herald

“This park is just one step further in fostering connection and finding ways to help families,” said Jenna Cook Lawrence, one of Greg and Julie’s children.

The Cook family, Pleasant Grove City Council members, Mayor Guy Fugal and others ready their shovels for the groundbreaking of the Cook Family Park in Pleasant Grove on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023.

Hard hats are set on golden shovels ahead of the Cook Family Park in Pleasant Grove on Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2023.

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