Spring into Action Seasonal Events Grow Resources for Parks ORGANIZATIONS AROUND NEW YORK taking advantage of the spring season to host events that build support for their parks. In the Bronx, the Half Nelson Park Association provides frequent and consistent programming, and in Manhattan the members of the Historic Harlem Parks Coalition maximize the impact of theirs events through a four-park partnership. REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING The President of the Half Nelson Park Association knows this about events: "the best way to stop a bad trend is to occupy your park with activities you want to see." Kathryn Speller and her colleagues at Half Nelson Park in the Bronx learned this in the late 1990s when they set about taking back the only basketball court in their neighborhood from a gang of drug dealers. They started by recruiting kids to help them clean up the park and remove debris from the court in early spring. As soon as the court was fit for basketball, the Association organized tournaments and clinics. They invited long-time neighborhood residents to compete on Father's Day and in July they launched an eight-week youth tournament. Between basketball games, they held Friends and Family Days, festivals of arts and crafts, food, and games. Using all-day community festivals and basketball games, the Association reclaimed its court for its intended purpose. The Association has now established its Father's Day game, youth tournament, and Friends and Family Day as annual events in the park. In doing so, its members have found that consistent programming not only helped to win back the park, but also to build a strong base of support in the process. This year when Speller approached local business owners with an event flyer and a letter of request for donations, they were expecting her. Parks & Recreation was ready to lend supplies, and local elected officials sought opportunities to address their constituents. With an annual event, Speller explains, people get to know who you are and what you're about. They expect you. This summer's Friends and Family day will take place on Saturday, July 30. THE COALITION APPROACH Several years ago, four park groups in Harlem realized they were working in similar parks and using similar strategies to engage the community in their parks. Today, in a collaboration supported by Partnerships Catalyst for Neighborhood Parks program, leaders from the Jackie Robinson Park Conservancy, Marcus Garvey Park Alliance, Friends of Morningside Park, and Friends of St. Nicholas Park work together to enhance their parks, raising public awareness and building community under the banner of the Historic Harlem Parks Coalition. The Coalition has found success working together by jointly sponsoring at least one event each season. Since 2001, the Coalition has planned and produced a film festival in the summer. On Wednesdays in July, Harlem residents gather to see live dance and music followed by a film. The screenings move to a new park each week, drawing as many as 700 spectators. The groups raise funds, reach out to program partners, and promote the festival as a team. Doug Robinson, President of the Friends of Morningside Park, says it is the collaboration among parks that makes an event of this scale possible. "Before we started working together, each group was doing its own thing and trying to find money, many times pulling against the same resource. As a coalition, we share resources." Valerie Jo Bradley, Secretary of the Marcus Garvey Park Alliance reflects, "The festival has been a vehicle through which we can attract additional volunteers to the parks. Day to day, we see increased traffic in the parks." This summer, the Coalition will double the scope of the festival to include eight films in July, four African films screened by the African Film Festival on Wednesdays, and four African-American documentaries, screened by a new project partner, the National Black Programming Consortium, on Thursdays. The members of the coalition will also continue to unify their event promotion, creating a summer calendar that highlights select programming in all four parks. PLAN YOUR EVENT ONE STEP AT A TIME Planning an event is a step-by-step process. Working with a timetable can keep your process efficient and enjoyable. Here's a general timeline to work from, which will vary depending on the scope of your event. Six months in advance Develop a project proposal and budget to apply for funding. Choose an event date (and inclement weather plan) as early as possible. Notify Parks & Recreation staff of event as soon as date is chosen. Apply for an event permit from Parks & Recreation.(See Tip Box) Two months in advance Form an organizing committee. Book artists or special guests. Invite your community board, elected officials, and local community groups to participate; they may even help publicize the event, or co-sponsor it. One month in advance Solicit in-kind donations from local businesses. Ask local newspapers to list the event in their calendars. Recruit volunteers for the event. Two weeks in advance Confirm food, equipment,performers, and volunteers Remind VIPs by phone. Check in with Parks & Recreation and partnering organizations. Publicize the event: hang flyers in the neighborhood, send emails. The day of your event Brief all volunteers before the event begins. Enjoy yourself! Follow up Don't forget this important step! Thank everyone who contributed. Debrief with your committee: What went well? What will you improve for next time? In addition to the groups highlighted in the feature article, many parks groups organize annual programming of all kinds - from Tai Chi classes to Jazz Under the Stars. To find out about programs in a park near you, visit www.partnershipsforparks.org. This May, registered GreenThumb gardeners can pick up free vegetable starters and learn early season strategies for planting them. May 12 through 14, GreenThumb will offer tips on creating a market garden, and how to grow healthy vegetables by placing companion plants nearby. For exact times and locations and for details about other GreenThumb events, including June giveaways and a summer solstice festival, please call (212) 788-8070 or visit www.greenthumbnyc.org. Celebrate your park on May 14, 2005. It's My Park! Day is a fun day of cleaning, planting, and events in parks all over New York City. Last October, the event attracted a record number of participants. Help beat the record and sign up now! Please visit www.itsmypark.org or call (212) 360-1357. This spring, Parks & Recreation is launching Trees Count, the 2005 New York City Street Tree Census. In every neighborhood volunteers will be trained and equipped to record vital information about the city's half a million street trees. Trees Count is looking for tree-loving volunteers who can commit two to three hours a week starting in May. If you'd like to take part in the largest street tree inventory in the nation, please call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov/treescount. On Saturday June 4, 2005 National Trails Day will be celebrated in every borough. To discover hidden landscapes in NYC and help keep trails in good condition, call 311 or visit www.nyc.gov/parks. Please indicate if you are interested in registering as a volunteer. Explore City Parks Foundation's Learning Garden at Jackie Robinson Park and celebrate the neighborhood green-thumbs (all ages!) who've helped make it beautiful. The Garden Festival will take place Saturday, June 18 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Everyone is welcome for music, crafts, and games. For further details, please call (212) 360-2744 or visit www.cityparksfoundation.org/Education. NYC kids can learn golf, tennis, and track & field for free this summer. City Parks Foundation offers weekly lessons in parks around the city starting the week of July 4. Introductory and intermediate lessons are for children ages 5 to 14. To register or to obtain more information, please call (718) 699-4200 or visit www.cityparksfoundation.org. Please join Partnerships for Parks for our 10th Anniversary Summer in the City Benefit on July 19. Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, raffle prizes and more, followed by an Elvis Costello concert at Central Park Summer Stage. Come join people who love parks as much as you do. Basic tickets cost $75. All proceeds benefit Partnerships for Parks. For tickets, call (212) 360-1310 or visit www.partnershipsforparks.org. Dear Friends, This year Partnerships for Parks, a joint program of City Parks Foundation and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, celebrates its tenth anniversary ofstrengthening and supporting community stewardship of New York City's urban oases. I think the numbers speak for themselves: a database of 55,000 supporters; 100,000 volunteer participants in park clean ups; 2,000 community events; and more than one million hours of work maintaining and enhancing parks throughout the five boroughs valued at greater than $10 million. Over half the parks in the city now have an active community group involved, and this unique public/private program has created an international model for activating civic participation and fostering collaboration with government. Every one of the 29,000 acres in our City's vast system of parks is essential, and when citizens and government work together as agents of change and stewards of the open space that belongs to all New Yorkers, we all benefit. Congratulations to everyone involved with Partnerships for Parks, and thank you for your terrific work. Sincerely, Michael R. Bloomberg Mayor of the City of New York GET A PERMIT OR TAKE A WORKSHOP If you're planning an event in the park, remember to request a permit from Parks & Recreation. You can download an application from www.nyc.gov/parks, or call 311 or the permit office in your borough: Bronx (718) 430-1848 Brooklyn (718) 965-6993 Manhattan (212) 408-0226 Queens (718) 520-5942 Staten Island (718) 390-8035 To guide you through the particulars of event planning, Partnerships for Parks offers a workshop called Planning Successful Events. In this one-hour training you'll learn essential tools for delegating responsibility, marketing the event, and ensuring that the event impacts your group's goals for your park. Contact your outreach coordinator for more information on this free training. EVERY YEAR, 75,000 CHILDREN PLAY ORGANISED SPORTS in leagues in parks throughout New York City. The leagues compete in everything from softball to cricket, from Gaelic football to soccer. HOW CAN YOU TELL IF PLANTS ARE HEALTHY? Parks gardeners advise you to look for these signs when buying newplants this season: Healthy plants have firm stems and bright green leaves. New growth at the tips of branching stems indicates good health. Buy plants that have leaves spaced close together on the stem. Plantswith leaves spaced far apart are probably not getting enough sunlight. Plants with discolored or soft spots on the leaves, brown leaves or discolored veins should be avoided as they are likely to be diseased. DRESS UP YOUR PARK! Citizens for NYC is awarding up to $500 for neighborhood beautification through the Mollie Parnis "Dress Up Your Neighborhood" Award. Any project that beautifies a neighborhood or increases awareness of beautification efforts is eligible. Funds can be applied to murals, plantings, clean-ups, and educational events. For more information and to download an application, visit www.citizensnyc.org.

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Partnerships for Parks works to increase community support for and involvement in parks throughout New York City. Founded in 1995, Partnerships works to start, strengthen, and support neighborhood park groups; to link these groups together so that they can learn from each other and become stronger collectively; and to promote involvement in parks so people will join in efforts to restore and preserve them.

Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor City of New York
Adrian Benepe, Commissioner Parks & Recreation	David Rivel, Executive Director City Parks Foundation
Jenny Hoffner, Director Partnerships for Parks Editor: Dana Molina, Director, Volunteer Program Writer: Julia Schaffer

http://www.partnershipsforparks.org
http://www.nyc.gov/parks
http://www.CityParksFoundation.org

To contact Partnerships for Parks and for information on volunteering in parks,
call (212) 360-1357 or call the City's non-emergency hotline, 311.