Help Beautify The Roosevelt Island Tram Plaza For Spring By Planting Daffodil Bulbs At The RIHS Visitors Center Kiosk Saturday Morning November 23

Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) President Judy Berdy reports:

THE RAINS HAVE COME!!!

WE CAN NOW PLANT OUR DAFFODIL BULBS AT THE KIOSK

JOIN US SATURDAY MORNING, NOV. 23rd

9 a.m. to 12 noon

AT THE RIHS Visitors Center Kiosk

Let's beautify our Tram Plaza for this coming Spring with Daffodils.

Scenes From Roosevelt Island 2014 Fall For Arts Festival - Daffodil Project Planting, Mural Painting, Castle Building, Pumpkin Carving, Hands Only CPR Training, Music, Dance, Food & More

Despite the morning cold and rain, Saturday's Roosevelt Island Fall For Arts Festival was a fun time for all who participated.

Here are some scenes beginning with the iDig2Learn Daffodil planting

project in the rain at the Motorgate Atrium,



mural painters not letting the rain stop them,

and indoor crafts at Gallery RIVAA.

After the rain stopped during the afternoon, the Roosevelt Island Explorers built castles

 using cardboard boxes,



By The Mummers entertained

with song and dance,



delicious food from Daisy May's BBQ,

Hands only CPR training from Lynn Strong-Shinozaki,

We trained 50 people in #CPRHandsOnly yesterday so proud @Rooseveltisland @MainStreetWIRE @RobinVitale @foundersheart @RIOCny #YOUROCK
— Lynne Shinozaki (@LASHINOZAKI) October 12, 2014

a clown,

juggler,

Island Kids pumpkin carving,

crafts with the Roosevelt Island Day Nursery,

tips from Bike New York,

Kite flying at FDR Four Freedoms Park

Great to be part of #RooseveltIsland Fall Arts Festival today! Overcast weather but kites filled the sky with color. pic.twitter.com/rRXM7tqSKo
— Four Freedoms Park (@4FreedomsPark) October 11, 2014

and Chinese Qin performance & storytelling at Gallery RIVAA.



Good job by RIOC and all the other Roosevelt Island organizations putting together the Fall For Arts Festival this year and not letting Saturday's bad weather spoil the fun.

UPDATE 10/13 - Roosevelt Island resident George Khelashvili attended the Fall For Arts Festival with his family and shares video below adding:

This video features Colombian professional band "Folklore Urbano" who performed brilliantly at the Fall Festival Event. This band is becoming well known to the island community since they have been offering after school programs at P.S./I.S.217 where they teach kids Colombian culture (songs, dances, playing native instruments) on a very high level. In fact, our 5-year old daughter, Mariam (who is featured in the shared video) attended the program last semester and she, along with all the kids that participated, is absolutely in love with the band.

Roosevelt Island iDig2Learn Daffodil Project Saturday October 11 - Come Plant Some Bulbs And Help Beautify Roosevelt Island During Fall For Arts Festival

Christina Delfico of iDig2Learn reports on The Daffodil Project taking place on  Roosevelt Island during the October 11 Roosevelt Island Fall For Arts Festival.

iDig2Learn hosts The Daffodil Project 

Saturday, October 11th Fall for Arts Festival

Make your mark. Come kick off RIOC’s Fall For Arts Festival with The Daffodil Project. Help us "paint with nature" as we beautify the Motorgate area in this the family friendly activity then tour the island and South Point Park for other activities. Join us as we plant daffodil bulbs outdoors so this Spring we will be greeted by cheerful daffodil flowers as they bloom and we remember.

Image Of Emily Walker (NY4Parks), Ms. Delfico & Ron & Jennifer Schuppert (RI Garden Club)

When: Saturday, October 11, 2014

Where: Motorgate Red Bus turnaround near Gristedes, Roosevelt Island, NY 10044

Free Pre-registration for children/families*: 15 minutes prior to event at 10:45 AM on site

Event Time: 11 AM to NOON

Partners:

• RIOC, 
• RI Garden Club, 
• RI Youth Program, 
• 217 PTA, 
• Gristedes, and the 
• Girl Scouts Troop 3244 and 3001

Volunteer arrival: 10:15 AM (set up tables/chairs and materials, help with free registration / photo waiver sign up, help children plant bulbs, clean up) Volunteer end time - 12:30 PM

Event Day Volunteers please RSVP to host iDig2Learn via:
Christina Delfico cell: (917) 371 1986 or iDig2Learn@gmail.com

*Beginning at 10:45 AM, all families must pre register day of at Motorgate Plaza 15 minutes before the 11 AM bulb planting and sign a photo release to participate. Event wraps at noon.

New Yorker 4 Parks http://ny4p.org/ - The Daffodil Project http://ny4p.org/daffodil-project

For over 100 years, New Yorkers for Parks has built, protected and promoted parks and open spaces in New York City. Today, NY4P is the citywide independent organization championing quality parks and open spaces for all New Yorkers in all neighborhoods. The Daffodil Project was founded in 2001 as a living memorial to September 11. With nearly FIVE MILLION free bulbs planted citywide by more than 100,000 school kids, parks and gardening groups, civic organizations, corporate volunteers and other New Yorkers, it is one of the largest volunteer efforts in the city’s history.

Dig2Learn initiative www.iDig2Learn.org

The iDig2Learn initiative creates programs for children to explore science, math and healthy habits through plant life. For more information on educational garden opportunities for children, to volunteer or to donate to the program please contact: iDig2Learn@gmail.com

Ms. Delfico explained the Daffodil project to the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) during the October 1 Public Session.

Here's what Ms. Delfico had to say.

Report From RIRA President Jeff Escobar - NYC Council Participatory Budgeting Roosevelt Island Town Hall Meeting, Upcoming RIRA Elections, Daffodil Project Planting And Fall For Arts Festival

 Image of RIRA President Jeff Escobar From CB 8 Speaks Video

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Jeff Escobar sends the following Report To The Community:

On Saturday, October 11, our little Island will again mark the seasonal passing from summer to fall with the annual Fall for the Arts Festival. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., artists of all ages, children to adults, are invited to come together at Southpoint Park and on the lawn south of 531 Main Street to help in the outdoor painting of enormous 6-by-8-foot murals, to participate in interactive art and music workshops, and to watch performance art – all intended to reflect this year’s theme of “A Multicultural Renaissance,” celebrating the cultural, ethnic, racial, and economic diversity of our community while evoking the magic and artistic sensibilities of an age long gone. It's truly gratifying to see neighbors, family, and friends come together, put aside any differences, and roll up their sleeves, pick up a paint brush, engage in friendly chatter, and, even if only briefly, allow their artistic selves to come out. Whether you want to participate, volunteer, or just observe, I strongly encourage you and your family to come and enjoy the festivities sometime during that day.

If art is not your thing but planting is, come help iDig2Learn, in collaboration with the RI Garden Club, RI Youth Program, Gristedes, PS/IS 217, its PTA, and the RI Girl Scouts, from 10:45 a.m. to 12 noon on that same Saturday, October 11, to plant Roosevelt Island’s share of nearly five million daffodil bulbs donated by New Yorkers 4 Parks to the City of New York. Established in 2001 as a living memorial to September 11, The Daffodil Project has grown in the past 13 years to be the largest citywide planting, involving more than 100,000 school kids, parks and gardening groups, civic organizations, corporate volunteers, and other New Yorkers. Now, as one of the kickoff events for our Fall for the Arts Festival, the inaugural Daffodil Project on Roosevelt Island, as hosted by iDig2Learn, will "paint with nature" through the completion of its share of the massive daffodil-bulb planting at the flower bed near Gristedes and the Motorgate Red Bus turnaround.

The planting will be a great family-friendly event and an opportunity to engage in some community pride and beautification, bringing together both new and old Island groups, as we plant bulbs this fall to greet our community next spring with cheerful daffodils and to remember loved ones lost in the September 11 tragedy. Free pre-registration for children, families, and the community begins at 10:45 a.m. at the Motorgate Red Bus turnaround near Gristedes. If you are interested in volunteering for the event, or wish to learn more about either iDig2learn or The Daffodil Project on Roosevelt Island, please reach out to Christina Delfico at iDig2Learn@gmail.com. To learn more about the citywide Daffodil Project, go to New Yorkers 4 Parks at http://ny4p.org and/or The Daffodil Project at http://ny4p.org/daffodil-project.

In 2011, four New York City Council Members launched a process to let residents of New York City have a chance to advocate for how portions of the City's capital discretionary funds would be allocated and used throughout the City's various communities. This year, twenty-three Council Members, including Council Member Ben Kallos who represents the Upper East Side and Roosevelt Island, have been given the opportunity to participate in the process, giving this district an opportunity to advocate for a share of the $25 million in City capital discretionary funds. To facilitate this process, on October 7th, from 6pm to 9pm at the Senior Center located at 545 Main Street, Council Member Kallos will be having a town hall meeting with Roosevelt Island residents to allow our community to come together to brainstorm, discuss, and supply ideas of how this year's capital discretionary funds should/could be allocated in the City's various communities. If you’re passionate about green spaces, Senior Citizen services, etc. this is the place to start, and I encourage all Roosevelt Islanders to attend this event. For more information regarding the NY City Council Participatory Budgeting, point your browser to: http://pbnyc.org/content/about-new-york-city-process.

Lastly, nominations for a position on the RIRA Common Council and/or as an Executive Officer will open on Wednesday, October 1, and close on October 24 at 9 p.m. Nomination forms can be obtained by email from Nominations Committee Chair Aaron Hamburger (ashamburger33@gmail.com), or in hard copy at either our Public Library or at Public Safety (where there will also be a lock box to drop off your completed forms). As we have been saying in this column, running for an office to represent either your building or RIRA itself is the ultimate form of community service. If you are interested in running and/or have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Aaron at ashamburger33@gmail.com or 212-758-2623. And come to our October 1 Common Council meeting at 8:00 p.m. at the Good Shepherd Center to see the body in action.

UPDATE 2:45 PM - RIRA Common Council Candidate Nomination Election Flyer.

Win The New Yorkers For Parks Daffodil Project For Roosevelt Island - Get Out Those Cameras

Daffodil Image Courtesy of Adrian Benepe and New Yorkers For Parks

Roosevelt Island Historical Society President Judy Berdy sends along the following message to Roosevelt Islanders:

Last autumn New Yorkers 4 Parks donated 600 daffodil bulbs to the Roosevelt Island Historical Society. We gave them to island groups and management companies to plant.

Please take photos of our daffs in bloom and submit as below with a copy of your photos to this email address.

We would love for an islander to win.

More information on the New Yorkers For Parks Daffodil Project here. Be advised that all entries must be postmarked by April 24, 2009