There’s so much happening at this time of year! Flowers are blooming, baby creatures are being born, events are picking back up quickly, and you can hear so much joy ringing through our 6 miles during this lovely season.
As we head into the long weekend, read below for news on our cutest volunteer day of the year, a new garden restoration project, one couple’s story of the park, our latest advocacy efforts, and of course, lots more.
Join us at our Biggest Fundraiser of the Year
Where can you meet a goat, make a flower crown, dance to live music, eat local fare, and more? Join us at the Riverside Revue on June 3 in Sakura Park, honoring Daniel R. Garodnick and Laurie Brown Kindred. Come enjoy the beauty of the neighborhood and nature as we celebrate and support the park we all love.
This fun night out is our biggest fundraiser of the year. Attending and supporting the event helps us care for six miles of parkland along the Hudson River. With major cuts to the City’s Parks Department budget, showing up for our NYC parks matters more than ever.
Calling All Families: It’s Sandsational Season
Our annual “Sandsational!” volunteer day enlists children of all ages and their caregivers to come help us replenish our park’s sandboxes with fresh sand for the year ahead. Attended by hundreds of West Side families, this is by far our cutest volunteer opportunity of the season!
A New Garden Grows in Sakura Park
Thanks to the hard work of Conservancy staff and the vision of NYC Parks Landscape Architect Margaret Bracken, a broken asphalt area at the south end of Sakura Park has been transformed into a beautiful garden filled with native plants. Long-time neighbors may remember there had previously been a garden there, but it was paved over in the ’80s — now it has been lovingly restored! Support for this project was made possible by the trustees of International House New York.
Giving Back to “the Park That’s Given Us So Much”
Longtime Riverside Drive neighbors Mary and Morris Rossabi have been using and enjoying Riverside Park for 45 years. It’s where their son learned to ride a bike, Morris wrote books, and Mary tends five rose bushes in a garden she cares for in the Park. Riverside Park has always been a part of the Rossabis’ lives, and in turn, they’ve been longtime donors to the Conservancy. Read their story →
Giving Back to “the Park That’s Given Us So Much”
Celebrating the New Dog Run 142
Alongside NYC Parks, dedicated community leaders, and elected officials, we recently celebrated the opening of Dog Run 142, a community-led space improvement 7 years in the making. It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces and happy paws enjoying the new run. Four-legged attendees even received a commemorative Dog Run 142 Opening Day tennis ball!
View photos & videos from the celebration →
Our Parks Need YOUR Help!
Recess Therapy, in collaboration with New Yorkers for Parks and the Play Fair for Parks coalition, just published a video where NYC kids share why parks and nature are so important to them! Check it out here.
NYC Parks funding keeps getting slashed in the City budget, and we are fed up with the blatant disregard for our parks and open spaces. Our President & CEO, Merritt Birnbaum, recently delivered a powerful testimony in front of the City Council, demanding for 795 cut jobs to be restored in the City budget.
If you’ve been looking to get involved in the campaign, we’re got the opportunity for you! We’re excited to launch a brand new Monthly Advocacy Club. Work with our team and likeminded neighbors to advocate for both Riverside Park’s current needs and the needs of parks across New York City.