Support Programming at Astoria Heights Playground, Queens
Your donation will support meaningful programming in a highly utilized park space and will include sports and gardening activities which will create a beautiful, safe and inspiring space for all.
Leader
Lynn A Kennedy
Location
46th street and 30th Rd. Astoria, NY 11103
About the project
The Friends of Astoria Heights Park is a neighborhood group committed to making Astoria Heights Playground a beautiful, clean, safe, fun and inspiring public space. To achieve this in a manner that is sustainable over time, we partner with elected officials, the New York City Parks Department, not-for-profits and local businesses whose expertise and purposes align with ours. Most importantly, we are committed to building community awareness and engagement with Astoria Heights Park and the surrounding neighborhood. Through teamwork with our neighbors, we are promoting appreciation, investment, community pride, and regular involvement in the Park and neighborhood that will contribute to its improvement and upkeep over time. The group is fiscally sponsored by the City Parks Foundation and is the recipient of several small grants aimed at capacity building, tree stewardship and increasing youth volunteerism.
We aim with the funds, to provide youth/family sports programming for basketball, tennis/ pickle ball and in conversation with Electeds to help advocate for increased program funding, will engage our youth more consistently, providing a safe space to play, stay fit and hopefully learn skills. Providing funding to support sports workshops, and with local facilitators, will offer families a local and free option for programming. Our workshops that we were able to host prior for basketball were successful, engaging several age bands, and addressing a need in the neighborhood. Some supplies may be needed for the activities/ workshops although we do try to attain donations for to minimize costs. If possible, we would also like to repeat our yoga for teens/adults workshops that were a hit during the pandemic.
The garden club is meant to spearhead a group of multi-generational volunteers, to learn about and help with weeding, planting, tree care, cleaning the park and other identified and related group needs. Supplies such as garden gloves, t-shirts, trowels and signage may be needed. Special workshop(s) would also be welcomed to engage new volunteers as well and to offer incentive.
The Steps
Spring- Fall 2023 - Conduct outreach to form garden club and host at least 1 clean up and 1 educational activity for garden club. Excess funds will be used for Spring 2024.
Summer 2023- Spring 2024 - identify activity, dates, coaches for sports programming for late summer and fall. Excess funds remaining will support Spring 2024 programming/ Supplies
Why we‘re doing it
The Friends of Astoria Heights Park has been active since 2013 in hosting relevant programming for all members of the community when possible. The park space is heavily utilized with many diverse ethnic groups and of varying ages. The park is used by families with toddlers, youth for sports training, seniors for tai chi and relaxation, adults taking exercise classes, tennis and adolescents as part of their regular school day. During the COVID pandemic, the park became an even more vital space as many took refuge there to offer reprieve from isolation, anxiety and to improve overall health.
We are aiming to build up a garden club to improve park maintenance, support to parks employees and to build sustainability.
We also would like more funding to continue supporting youth athletics, as funding for our tennis was cut and there is no other formal athletics offered for youth training. The park has experienced some safety issues since COVID pandemic and we feel with continued care of the park, volunteerism, as well as youth engagement, we will continue to remain a vital component of the community.