This Weekend In Parks

Soundview Park – It’s My Park Day 2011;
Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

It’s My Park Day!

On Saturday, May 19, New Yorkers will roll up their sleeves and dig in to make their neighborhood parks shine. Parks & Recreation will join Partnerships for Parks, dozens of community groups and volunteers citywide at Parks’ largest volunteer day.

It’s My Park Day is a semiannual event sponsored by Partnerships for Parks, a joint program of the City Parks Foundation and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation.

More than 5,000 volunteers are expected to contribute their time to improve and to celebrate New York City’s parks. This spring, volunteers will come together to complete 145 projects in over 150 locations across the city, working to clean, paint, weed and plant, as well as enjoy free fitness activities, arts & cultural events, and games.

For example, at Soundview Park in the Bronx, volunteers will spruce-up the park by cleaning, planting and taking care of trees throughout the park. Volunteer projects will be coordinated by Friends of Soundview Park, Soundview Community Partnerships, Changing the Odds, and Bank Street’s Liberty LEADS. Parks’ Urban Park Rangers will lead an informative Hawk Watch tour through the park beginning at 11:00 a.m.

At South Oxford Park in Brooklyn, volunteers will spruce-up the park by cleaning and painting. Local community members will read stories to children, including Suzette B’Johnson, author of Golden Sheeba: A Fairytale Princess Story. There will also be a book giveaway on the lawn and at 2:00 p.m., and puppeteers from City Parks Foundation’s Swedish Cottage Marionette Theater will perform “Bessie’s Big Shot.”

At Mathews-Palmer Playground in Manhattan, volunteers will repaint the handball courts, plant flowers in the Alexandra Palmer garden, and clean the playground. Volunteers will start the day with a yoga class and Parks’ Playmobile will be on hand from 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. to provide sports and activities including basketball, volleyball, relay races, jump rope, arts & crafts, and face painting.

At Astoria Park in Queens, volunteers will clean up and paint benches. Participants will share their vision for the future of Astoria Park by participating in fun and interactive “People Make Parks” activities. At 10:00 a.m., City Parks Foundation Sports and the USTA will provide free tennis lessons for youth.

At Tappen Park on Staten Island, volunteers will spruce-up the park by cleaning, raking and planting in garden areas and throughout the park. Volunteer projects will be coordinated by the Historic Tappen Park Community Partnership and Eden II School. Parks’ will provide the “Playmobile,” complete with games, arts & crafts, and face painting.

Partnerships for Parks supports New Yorkers who want to work together to make neighborhood parks thrive, strengthening a diverse, growing network of dedicated park volunteers and groups by creating opportunities for them to celebrate their parks and accomplishments, access resources, become more effective leaders in their communities, and work with government to affect decisions about their parks.

For more information on It’s My Park Day or other Partnerships for Parks initiatives, please visit www.partnershipsforparks.org.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“Oh I need you, by me,
Beside me, to guide me,
To hold me, to scold me,
‘Cause when I’m bad
I’m so, so bad.

So let’s dance, the last dance
Let’s dance, the last dance
Let’s dance, the last dance.”

Donna Summer
(1948 – 2012)

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