... an artist collective of current and former residents of a long-term care facility on Roosevelt Island in NYC. Guided by the Reality Poets’ lived experience and vision, our work focuses on disability justice, community building and gun violence prevention...
According to Open Doors:
Hi OPEN DOORS Family,
Join us Friday June 14th at 3pm EST at Light House Park, Roosevelt Island (900 Main Street) for OPEN DOORS Annual Barbecue! If you've attended before, you know this is how we kick off the summer. OPEN DOORS is going strong, so come join us for a great time! I hope to see all of you who can make it, there will be food and drinks.
Sincerely,
OPEN DOORS
The Open Doors Reality Poets are also hosting a Poetry Workshop in collaboration with the Carter Burden Network Roosevelt Island Older Adult Center.
I'm excited to invite you to the Reality Poets Poetry Workshop, hosted at the Roosevelt Island Older Adult Center on Monday June 10th 4-6pm EST. This will be the first of many Reality Poets Poetry Workshops, and if you've been to recent Freestyle Fridays, you've seen a little of what we'll bring to the table. At this workshop, you will learn about poetry, write and share poetry and hear from others in your community. Furthermore, participants will have the chance to submit writing from this workshop to our upcoming book, Wheeling and Healing 2. If you can't make it in person but still want to participate, you can tune in with this Zoom link.
I look forward to seeing all of you who can make it!
The Roosevelt Island Baseball Little League was awarded a $5 Thousand grant from SNY Play Ball (the television home of the Mets and Jets) during a ceremony last
Saturday June 2 prior to the start of the League's annual All Star Game at
Capobianco Field.
SNY Play Ball presented by Toyota has awarded the Roosevelt Island Baseball
League with a $5,000 grant for the necessary field maintenance equipment to
keep the conditions safe for play, and to provide essential baseball equipment
for their 175+ youth ballplayers....
... Today is a very special day for
Roosevelt Island baseball and the Roosevelt Island Baseball League. In
addition to it being the annual All Star
game, we have a very special presentation
today.
SNY Play Ball is a wonderful
organization. Some of our kids had the opportunity to
attend and participate in an on field clinic at City Field two years ago
through SNY Play Ball and for those
coaches and parents and players who took part in that, it was a very, very special
opportunity.
Two years later, our league was
nominated as an outstanding baseball
league in the City. Every season, SNY Play Ball chooses one
baseball league in New York to recognize
with a very very generous grant to help towards operations and
equipment and it's very, very needed
and appreciated. It was an honor
to be nominated and it's even more of an
honor to be selected as the 2024
recipient...
... Every
year before the All Star game, I always
feel the same emotions. That's pride
in seeing our players. Seeing our Majors
All Stars, the leaders of the baseball community. I used to remember when they
were Minors players. Now I remember when a lot of our
Majors Allstar were T-ball players which
makes me feel old but it also really
makes me feel proud and that's exactly
the way it should be.
The older players
showing the younger players how to be
baseball players but much more important
how to be
teammates and for coaches and parents
seeing these kids grow up and seeing
them as T-ball players or as Minors
players and then seeing them grow into
the people they're becoming and the
people they will become and knowing that
our baseball league played a small part
in that is the most rewarding thing of
all to me....
... this
honor for our league is because of all
of you. It is because of the players, the
coaches and the families who make up
this league and your dedication and your
passion to what we do here that makes
this a special place...
Watch the full remarks of Roosevelt Island Baseball Little League Commissioner Arya Shirazi.
The Roosevelt Island Baseball Little League completed a 9 game 2024 schedule. The playoffs are scheduled for Saturday June 8, Championship and Coaches Games Saturday June 15 and All Girls Rule Saturday June 22 at Capobianco Field.
PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a meeting of the Governance Committee of the RIOC Board of Directors will be held on Wednesday, June 5, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at The Good Shepherd Community Center, 543 Main Street, Roosevelt Island, New York 10044.
AGENDA:
1. Creating process recommendations for the governance function to: - Keep Board of Directors informed of best governance practices
- Review corporate governance trends
- Recommend updates to corporate governance principles
- Advise on skills and experiences for potential Board members
- Examine ethical and conflict of interest issues
- Conduct Board self-evaluations
- Recommend by-laws which include rules and procedures for conduct of Board
operations.
2. Community Concerns
Any Other Committee Business that May be Brought Before the Committee.
Apparently, the resistance by some at RIOC or their NY State overseers for the revival of the Governance committee has been overcome by Ms Tang and Mr Fhala.
sent the following message to RIOC employees this afternoon.
To my fellow RIOC employees,
It is with mixed emotions that I write to you today to share some personal news. I have accepted a position as in-house counsel at an affordable housing developer here in NYC, and I will be leaving RIOC at the end of the month. My last day will be Friday, June 28th.
It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve in the interim leadership role since January and to be at least partially entrusted with the stewardship of the unique gem that is Roosevelt Island. Our work continues, both for this month while it remains ours together, and into the future once I am gone. I leave content, however, knowing that the work lies in good hands with you all, the incredible team who make this island function, who keep it clean and orderly, who come in day in and day out, rain or shine, to do your jobs and to make this island the beautiful, tranquil oasis it is.
I also leave content in the hope that I have left the island and our institution at least slightly better than when I first arrived. But even if that is true, it is you all that I must thank for it. The employees of RIOC are the backbone of this organization—from the Youth Center to PSD to the grounds crew to the maintenance staff to Sportspark, the bus fleet, and then all the administrative staff—it is you all who have kept the RIOC ship steady over these last few months and for that I am forever grateful.
And so, I thank you all for your efforts and I wish you all the best in life and your future endeavors. Roosevelt Island and the community here are better because of you and your work. Always remember that.
My best to you all,
Upon learning Mr Ellis was leaving RIOC, I asked him and the RIOC Board of Directors:
I understand that you are leaving RIOC at the end of the month.
First, thank you very much for your service to Roosevelt Island. I believe that over the last 6 months, you and the RIOC Interim Leadership team have done an outstanding job and you will be missed.
Does your departure have anything to do with the Haynes/Robinson lawsuit? Will either of them be returning to RIOC?
Who will be in charge of RIOC?
Is there any statement from the RIOC Board?
Any statement from Gerrald?
Will update when more information becomes available.
This morning, Mr Ellis spoke at the raising of the Roosevelt Island Pride Flag.
This evening Mr Ellis discussed an extension of the Roosevelt Island Master Ground Lease between New York City and State during the Community Board 8 Roosevelt Island committee meeting.
The departure of Mr Ellis from RIOC is big loss for Roosevelt Island. As part of the Interim Leadership team he has brought competency to RIOC management and real engagement with the Roosevelt Island community. The RIOC Board and NY State should try and persuade him to stay.
Stay tuned for more.
UPDATE 6/4 - RIOC Board Member Ben Fhala replies:
Of course, I will refrain from delving into the details due to the litigation and out of respect for Gerrald to narrate what he wants and can make public.
I was deeply saddened to hear that Gerrald decided to step down from the interim leadership position. Since the junior board members joined, he has been a welcoming figure in an incredibly hostile environment. Throughout our many long talks during this journey of reestablishing governance on this island, he was a voice of calm and reason. He worked behind the scenes to enable, inform, and support this new board's mission to create structures that support the incredibly important work we have been tasked with.
In the very first board meeting, he welcomed the new board members and urged us to reach out to him for any need, reminding us that he has fiduciary duties to us and will always be available. Not long after that meeting, the executive team set a directive to prevent open communications with the board members. Yet, at great personal risk, Gerald kept the dialogue with all board members who wished to remain informed.
He did his best to mediate between the senior board members and the junior board members, between the executive team and the board, and even between NY State Homes & Community Renewal (HCR), the Governor's Executive Chambers, and this board. His dedication and personal sacrifices throughout the last year have made him the most ideal candidate to assume the position of CEO. Unfortunately, due to reasons I cannot elaborate on, his nomination was blocked and delayed. Although he was appointed to the interim leadership team without the support required to operate fully, he helped bridge the gap that had formed between the community and the organization created to serve it. He is still working tirelessly to bridge the facets of this board and its oversight.
Simply put, this community and the resident board members will forever be in his debt for putting the needs of the public and this board ahead of all others. While the upcoming future remains unknown, his leadership and advocacy have left us in a much better place than we would have been. I will miss the topics we agreed on and the ones we had open heated debates over, and I know I made a friend for life.
Thanks,
Ben Fhala*
Junior (Resident) Board Member
*Disclaimer: All statements made by Ben Fhala are made in his capacity as a RIOC Resident Board member. He does not represent the entirety of RIOC or the full board but serves as a Resident Board member, offering information to the community and its stakeholders.
You're invited to the Safe Space Art Exhibit: Celebrating Our LGBTQ+ Community at RIVAA Gallery from May 30 to June 16. Join us for the group art show and for a series of special events honoring diversity, creativity, and the vibrant spirit of our LGBTQ+ community.
Explore a vibrant collection of artworks that celebrate the LGBTQ+ community, their stories, and their journey. From powerful portraits to stunning abstracts, every piece is a testament to love, acceptance, and pride.
Events:
Opening Reception: Saturday, June 1, 5:00 - 8:00 PM at RIVAA Gallery
Classical Music Concert: Sunday, June 2, 3:00 - 4:30 PM at RIVAA Gallery
RIOC Pride Flag Raising: Monday, June 3, 11:00 AM at the traffic circle in front of Blackwell House
Dance Performance + Poetry: Sunday, June 9, 3:00 - 4:30 PM at RIVAA Gallery
Closing Reception: Sunday, June 16, 5:00 - 8:00 PM at RIVAA Gallery
Location: RIVAA Gallery, 527 Main St, Roosevelt Island, NY
To mark Pride Month, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation will once again host its second annual Pride Flag Raising Ceremony this coming Monday, June 3rd at 11AM in front of Blackwell House (500 Main Street). The RIOC leadership team will be joined by members of the Roosevelt Island LGBTQIA+ community to raise the Pride flag in celebration of island inclusivity, tolerance and love.
This special event is free and open to all members of the community.
Sometimes it's the unscripted moments that are the most unexpected and the most meaningful! That's what it was like on Friday 6/16/23 when RIOC had its PRIDE flag raising and Proclamation of June as PRIDE Month on Roosevelt Island.
The usual niceties and honors were generously bestowed by RIOC President Shelton Haynes. Penny Gold and I were even invited to say a few words because of our efforts in creating an upcoming PRIDE exhibit at RIVAA this year.
It seems we had unintentionally become the LGBTQ+ Reps on Roosevelt Island!
And then the REAL moment happened...
RIOC Public Safety Department (PSD) Inspector Suarez came up to the podium to say a few words. She has been an officer at PSD for 30 years and is now among their highest ranking officers. She told us that when she first started at PSD, there were two other gay women there besides herself. All three acknowledged one another, but remained somewhat distanced from one another, lest the merest "taint" of being Gay be whispered around work.
She remained closeted at work for ten years.
Then one day her boss took her aside privately and said that she should feel free to live her life openly because "he had her back".
As she told her story, tears filled her eyes and there wasn't a dry eye in the crowd!
Inspector Suarez is married to a wonderful wife of 22 years. She is a mother and a grandmother.....
She was also that unexpected gift to our LGBTQ+ community and the entire Roosevelt Island community that day! Here's to you, Inspector Suarez--CHEERS!
The Carter Burden Network Roosevelt Island Older Adult Center (546 Main Street) is hosting their semi-annual Renew, Reuse and Rewear Clothing Giveaway of Eileen Fisher women's clothing on Saturday June 1. According to the Carter Burden Network Roosevelt Island Older Adult Center:
Join us for the semi-annual Eileen Fisher clothing giveaway and have a chance to get your favorite clothing item for free.
Here's more on the Eileen Fischer Renew Program. In 2023, over 75 thousand Eileen Fischer garments were donated to non profit organizations to be given away.
We have two excellent types of camps to choose from:
Experience Day Camp, where tradition meets enrichment! Our program offers a full day of camp activities designed to engage and inspire. From STEAM programs, athletics, arts and crafts, chess, water play, and more, there is something for every child to enjoy and explore!
Serve up a summer of fun in Tennis Camp. With more than 50 years of teaching kids in our Junior Tennis programs, Advantage Tennis Camps are New York City’s oldest and some of the best tennis learning programs available.
Our summer tennis camps are ideal for both beginners and for more experienced players
Enroll your child today for a summer of trusted excellence at
Advantage Day Camps.
Matt loves a good song: folk, rock, blues, you name it. Some are by poets,
like Paul Simon or Cat Stevens, who know how to make a point or paint an
image. Some are by satirists, like Tom Lehrer, who know how to skewer the
self-important. And some are just there for the beauty of it. All the songs
tell a story and Matt will be with us to deliver that story. Come join Matt
for an evening of music, stories, and celebration.
Special guest appearance by Sherie Helstien.
The Main Street Theatre & Dance Alliance has offered music, theatre and dance training along with performance opportunities for all ages for over 35 years in the Roosevelt Island community.
Our Mission - MSTDA nourishes creativity by providing high quality music, theatrical and dance training as well as performing opportunities to everyone in our diverse community. We offer every person, child or adult, the opportunity to participate in the arts without discrimination due to race, color, national origin, sex including gender and orientation, cultural background, socio-economic status, age, ability, or disability. With a robust scholarship program no one is turned away for financial reasons.
Tickets are $10, children $5 (benefitting the MSTDA Scholarship Fund).
Roosevelt Island is a mixed income, racially diverse waterfront community situated in the East River of New York City between Manhattan and Queens and is jurisdictionally part of Manhattan. The Roosevelt Island Tramway, which connects Roosevelt Island to the rest of Manhattan, has become the iconic symbol of Roosevelt Island to its residents.
The Purpose of this Blog is to provide accurate and timely information about Roosevelt Island as well as a forum for residents to express opinions and engage in a dialogue to improve our community.
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