Looking over my shoulder and watching a nearly full moon rise over the East River was one of many special moments I
experienced when myself and nine other friends from The Indypendent newspaper went on a late-Saturday afternoon canoe ride. It was also a great experience for us collectively  as well-- being able to step out of our normal newspaper producing drive and share the beauty and the camaraderie of the canoe ride. Kudos again to Friends of Brook Park for making this all possible. I would recommend it to anybody with the slightest interest in the outdoors.
John Tarleton, NYC Indymedia


Green Team Internship Project
By Edwin Rodriguez
10th Grade, Community School for Social Justice
 
       I was assigned to do my internship in Brook Park. Brook Park is a small community garden in 141st street and Brook Avenue. It is located in a place where many Hispanics and African Americans live, which gives them the opportunity to do as their ancestors, did and work with the great outdoors. Whether it is making a fire, or just picking up fruits and vegetables and eating them right there on the spot. Brook Park brings the green to the
community. It is a place where the people of the community can go and experience the great outdoors. They are able to experience working with the environment which is not available to them because they are surrounded by
the city. Experiences such as planting, canoeing, and starting a fire. The supervisor at the site is Mr. Harry Bubbins. His job is to make sure that everyone is on task, he usually assigns us our mission for the day and helps us when the job get challenging. When he notices that we have worked hard and accomplished our job we sit down and eat fruits, sometimes play a little game of baseball. Just in case you think Brook Park is all work and no play.

       My job at brook park is too make sure that everything is in order, meaning the park being cleaned and if anything is out of place I put back were it belongs. We also plant fruits and vegetables that would grow in the
spring. My role in the park was to make the park attract new comers so that the word can spread, and Brook Park becomes known.

       When I leave Brook Park in the end of January I will take with me many memories and experiences. Experiences that would help me in case of emergencies, and that I can show my friends and families. Experiences such as staying full when food is limited by eating plants, leafs, etc. Brook Park has changed the way I look at the world for ever. Now I am more conscious of the earth and Mother Nature, I don¹t pollute as much as I use
to and advice others not to do it as well. The hardest challenge I had in internship is getting my hands dirty. Getting dirty with the dirt and the mood was real challenging because I am a real clean person and don¹t like to
walk around smelling bad or looking dirty, which is how I feel after internship. One thing I enjoyed the most about internship was going canoeing. Canoeing was a great experience for me because I love the water
and I had never been in a canoe before. Also learning how to paddle the canoe was interesting because there is a certain way that you have to it.
Brook park help me understand how important a garden is in a community, the way it affected the way people interact with it. Seeing people planting and picking up tomatoes in a garden that has a school across the street from it, and a barbershop to the right of it, is something you don¹t see everyday. But I get to see it every Monday.

Click to read Edwin quoted in Timeout NY Kids about Randall's Island:

CLick to hear Edwin on the radio: www.publicradio.org (realplayer needed)

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" This is the best place I ever been to... I learned about the seeds inside the sunflower."
Sasha Figueroa, Brook Avenue


"Thank you friends!!! We appreciate the time you took to share Brook Park with us.  We were all moved by your work and thoughtfulness in engaging and inspiring others in the community and beyond. Your work will continue to inform and impact our next steps in planning new programming."
Courtney, wavehill.org Public Garden and Cultural Center


"The Leadership Program's trainers... have included the use of Friends of Brook Park's facilities and programs in their activities with the students.  They have mentioned how much the visits to the park have proved to stimulate their participation, as well as to give them inspiration for their creative minds.  We look forward to working
with them on a long-term basis."  Erika Petrelli, theleadershipprogram.com


"Thank you so much for your tour today. You were great at managing the recalcitrant teenagers. I hope we can get the organization to have the kids do community work at the garden--it is certainly close enough. I think the fresh-off-the-vine veggies and the labyrinth were a big hit. Some of the biggest whiners about going on the trip ate
the most string beans."  Maggie


"Working with and being a part of the Brook Park Community is a blessing. The 2005 Earthday Event with over one hundred kids was a magical experience for all involved. Love  and gratitude to everyone else who make this place so special. We look forward to the opportunities that bring us back to Brook Park."  "Rainbow Genesis" (Dharana Sutah),  greencircus.org


"The best part of Brook Park is the flowers the way they smell good... I even learn songs, dance.  I like the special activities."   Melody Lopez, 139th Street


"The one thing I love the most about the park is the peace walk (Labyrinth),  I can walk in it feeling sad, angry and upset.  I come out feeling like a princess."   Shana, Brook Avenue


"I am writing to express our support for the... creation of the Harmony Grove and Peace Walk Labyrinth project in Brook Park.  This project is the collaboration of extensive outreach and collaboration and will serve local residents through fostering education, play, health and culture.  It will be an asset to this neighborhood in the South Bronx that has a scarcity of open space."  Pamela Governale,  ny4p.org


"Thanks to Friends of Brook Park I was illuminated immediately.  I had visited the area many times over 20 years but now found a connection, I could feel in my feet touching the ground a rhythm. I also found peace and friendship connections.  I  surely wish the ultimate best for this space. If  I lived in New York I would be there to assist in anyway possible. I live in Montreal but you can be sure many friends here know about Brook Park. I am waiting with strength to visit again and of course the local Mexico juice lady PEACE HARMONY AND UNIFICATION that's Brook Park and South Bronx."      Matthew  punk42@cam.org Montreal Canada

"As a pediatrician and an expert in children's environmental health, I understand the importance of outdoor play and exposure tom nature. rates of childhood obesity, hyperactivity and behavioral problems are higher in communities that lack open space and green areas.  the children in the South Bronx are disproportionately affected by these disorders.  Therefore I believe that projects like Brook park will help reverse the trend."  
Nathan Graber, MD, Fellow, Mount Sinai School of Medicine


"In my 50 years in Mott Haven, I've seen Friends of Brook Park leads the pack of neighborhood organizations at Getting Things Done.  My experiences working with this group have enriched my life.  There's nothing like going down to our own waterfront and exploring in a canoe!" Carol Zakaluk, Gallerist, Grant Writer

To whom it may concern,
     The Brook Park project has been very successful so far. Today, I, with a group of teen volunteers from the Building with Books organization, worked on the park. There were many jobs to be done including digging up the thick areas of weeds, cleaning up garbage, protecting flowerbeds by moving huge logs to create a border, building low walls of stone and collecting firewood. All of these tasks were completed by volunteer work. However, there is much work to be done on the site even now. We need the support you can provide us with. After working so strenuously, I really feel rewarded and satisfied with the positive changes I affected. Serving the community is truly something that benefits everybody involved. Here you have the chance to help others, to help us preserve the earth. Please support this project. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mallika Vora

To whom it may concern,
     Today I participated in a project at Brook Garden located in the South Bronx. I worked with a team of young people who are all part of a club called Building with Books which works to build schools in third world countries. During the day I helped remove a tree to make way for a path, moved wood chips to surround the garden and built a shed to store gardening supplies. Other kids in the group worked on tasks such as planting and moving rocks. At the end of the day it was amazing to look back at the progress we had made and how much prettier the park had become. Before the organization Friends of Brook Park began to create the garden it was an empty lot full of trash. Now that it has been created into a park, it brings a touch of nature and serenity to the hustle and bustle of the city. As a high school junior who is always thinking about the future, I am writing this letter to tell you what an asset parks like Brook park could be to the city. Not only is it bringing nature back to the city, but they can educate everyone on the importance of conserving nature and how they can grow their on food. Something that if people learn about could make this world a better place. Please give your support to friends of Brook Park because it is an organization that can greatly improve the city.
Thank you for your consideration,
Geena Wardarci

To Whom It May Concern:
     Today I volunteered my time at Brook Park/ gardens in the Bronx with a few high school students. This summer we are going to Mali and Nicaragua to build school houses and this was a first experience of the actual events that we will partake in. However, today my labor has inspired me to make local citizens aware of the situation in this park, and many others in New York City. The day began when I first arrived at the garden. It was interesting to see so much green in an area of dull colors and conformity. I proceeded to move heavy logs with my fellow peers. We also raked and spread cedar seeds throughout the garden. The improvements were noticeable at once. My peers and I had an exciting time. The day ended with our group traveling through a labyrinth in which we also contemplated the activities of the day, and the impact our work will have on the community. I learned that the beautiful gardens with herbs, vegetables, trees and flowers had been a dirty empty lot only seven years before. The transformation was unbelievable. I know that it will help me throughout my life. I wish that people would continue to support this cause because many people are willing to donate their time and energy into projects such as these, but a financial foundation is necessary as well.
Thank You, peace and love,
Casey Delany.

To whom it may concern
     The work my fellow teammates and I accomplished was so refreshing. Driving on the way to get to the park we were passing convenience stores and old apartment buildings. As Brook Park came into sight, we all knew where our destination was. It sticks out like a magnificently sore thumb. I nor many of my teammates expected to find such beauty and serenity in such a neighborhood. When we entered it this morning it was a diamond in the rough but as we left, it shone brighter than ever before. There were still sticks in the ground and rocks in piles as we left but we all left with an unrivaled sense of accomplishment. The work we did today made such an impact on the little garden. We moved logs and rocks, as well as relocated mulch and woodchips. Others built new areas for vegetables and herbs to be grown and new tool sheds. Thanks to us there are wood benches by the fire, and borders along the plants to protect them from animals. Brook Park has changed for the better, and thanks to our contribution, will keep changing and become better and better.
Thank You,
Kalu French

To whom it may concern
     Today I spent my day improving the Brook Garden. I moved heavy wood pieces and also several stones. While it was difficult, the out come was amazing. The flowers are all in bloom, and the trees are perfectly green. Each time people work at the garden, it gets closer and closer to ( hopefully) the beautiful outcome. There are still several jobs that must be done. This could be greatly affected if there were more tools like wheel barrels. Difficult activities would become easier. Working at the garden, you notice many people watching you. People are amazed at how great it looks. While taking out the garbage, I talked to a woman from the neighborhood. She had great things to say about the garden, and memories of it as a vacant lot. Talking with hermade me realize what a difference we are making. I believe that Brook Garden will make a difference in the world.
Sincerely,
Kristee Lauren