Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Leverett.
Hi Julie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Llano Parks Project began in 2012 with a simple Facebook post. One of our founders, Vivian Wooten, asked if anyone would be interested in updating the playground equipment at Robinson Park. That post led to an initial meeting of more than 20 community members. Over time, five of us remained committed to turning that interest into action — Jesse Blackmon, Brandon Dempsey, Julie Leverett, Rachel Wimberley, and Vivian Wooten — and together we became the founding team of Llano Parks Project.
Within a year, we secured our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status and began building awareness and fundraising support. What started as a bake sale that raised about $100 has grown into a fully volunteer-run organization that has invested more than $500,000 back into our local parks and engaged over 200 volunteers in the process.
Since then, we’ve partnered closely with the City of Llano, Llano County, and the community to make meaningful improvements across our park system.
At Badu Park, we constructed a retaining wall, stairs, and a beach area; consolidated the playscapes into one contiguous space to better serve families with children of multiple ages; partnered on the Matt & Doraliza Raglin Splash Pad phases; supported rebuilding efforts after the 2018 flood; renovated restrooms; assisted with FEMA-funded playscape redesign; upgraded the basketball court and added pickleball; completed the splash pad with additional features; and installed pet waste stations.
At City Hall Park, we installed two new playscapes and fencing.
At Moore Park, we added seating, upgraded the basketball court to a full court with new goals, purchased new batting cage netting, and installed pet waste stations at the dog park.
At Robinson Park, we assisted the City with playscape design and selection, re-striped courts, added pickleball, and installed pet waste stations.
One of our most significant accomplishments has been partnering with the City to complete a comprehensive Parks & Recreation Master Plan. This plan provides a long-term vision for our park system and ensures that improvements are thoughtful, strategic, and community-driven.
Through this work, we’ve learned that Llano Parks Project is about much more than playgrounds and facilities. It promotes health and wellness, strengthens community connection, and contributes to economic development by enhancing the overall quality of life in Llano.
Looking ahead, our next chapter includes expanding Badu Park’s river trail, developing a community fitness trail system in Badu Park with exercise stations for all ages and ability levels, and creating amphitheater-style seating near the pavilion at Robinson park to support concerts, events, and community gatherings. These projects build on the strong foundation we’ve created and continue our mission of making Llano’s parks vibrant spaces where families connect and community thrives.
Llano Parks Project remains fully volunteer-run because we believe the majority of every dollar raised should go directly back into our parks and into our community. We’re proud of the impact we’ve made — and even more excited about what’s ahead.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of our greatest challenges is raising enough funding to meet the growing needs of our community. So far, we have been able to complete projects without placing any financial burden on our citizens. Looking ahead, we have a dream for Robinson Park — a transformative $10 million renovation that would include ADA-compliant sidewalks, improved roads and curbing, expanded trails, easier access to the river, a remodeled pavilion and stage, additional seating, and a new pool to replace the aging 1950s facility. This vision represents the kind of investment that could serve our community for generations to come.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I still remember taking an aptitude test in high school that said I would work with computers. I laughed and thought, there is no way.
Five years later, I graduated with a BBA in Management Information Systems, and my first job was as a programmer at Dell. God clearly knew something I didn’t.
I’m grateful for my 11 years in corporate America in the IT and business world. That season taught me so much—not just technical skills, but what truly energized me professionally. I discovered I was wired for project management, working with people, and driving results. I also learned an important lesson about which voices to listen to—both external opinions and my own internal dialogue.
For much of my life, I was a high achiever who wanted to meet expectations. That’s not a bad trait—but it took many years before I truly discovered who God created me to be, apart from performance.
When we moved from the city to Llano, everything changed. My priorities shifted in ways I never expected. I had always loved working and found much of my identity there. But when we had our first baby, God gently—and dramatically—reshaped my perspective.
Ironically, in college I used to say that the two jobs I would never want were stay-at-home mom or teacher. God clearly has a sense of humor, because I have been both since 2011.
Staying at home was one of the greatest stretching seasons of my life. There was no instant gratification—no completed project, no quick resolution, no performance review. It required patience, endurance, and faithfulness in the unseen work. I am still learning to embrace the beauty of that process.
When the parks initiative was first presented, something inside me lit up. I was excited not only to connect with the community, but to use the skills I had gained in corporate America for something that mattered deeply in the season of life I was in as a young mom. None of us who founded Llano Parks Project had ever run a nonprofit before—but we all had the passion and willingness to learn.
When I stepped into the president role in 2015, I dove in headfirst. I studied how to run a nonprofit, how to fundraise, how to host a gala, and how to navigate state and federal regulations. I learned through successes, challenges, and plenty of mistakes. What I discovered is that I am capable of stepping into things I know nothing about—and learning. I refuse to let fear keep me from taking the next step.
I’ve also learned how deeply important team is. I have come to rely on the encouragement, wisdom, skill sets, and friendship of the people around me. None of this is done alone.
When I look back over the past 25 years—from corporate America, to country life as a stay-at-home mom, to starting a nonprofit, to homeschooling—I see how faithfully God has prepared me for each season before I even knew I would need it. Every stage had purpose. Every step was shaping me.
And I know without a doubt that I could not have accomplished any of it without Him.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Happiness is a funny word because it seems that it is based on an external circumstance or event. I really love the word joy because it is an enduring, inner state of gladness, contentment, and peace that stems from faith in God’s presence, promises, and salvation rather than external circumstances. It is an internal choice not an external feeling.
When I really stop and define it, I can see clearly what brings me joy: His creation — the beauty of the world around me and the gift of family and friends. His presence — the encouragement, comfort, and peace I feel even in uncertain seasons. His love and forgiveness — teaching me both how to receive grace and how to extend it. And His salvation — unearned, undeserved, and freely given to all.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.llanoparksproject.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/llanoparksproject
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LlanoParksProject/
Image Credits
Marty Hayworth (on some but not all)
John Howell (on some but not all)
