Contact- John Doyle, 646.469.8339; john.doyle@cityislandrising.org
On September 16th, 2023, City Island Rising hosted a successful “Stop N’ Swap” event at Hawkins Park. The “City Island Swap” allowed nearly three hundred local residents to drop off local items in good condition to be reused by their fellow neighbors. Items that were exchanged included clothing, housewares, electronics, books, and toys.
By allowing items to be “swapped” and reused free of charge, residents aren’t just saving money, they are also protecting our environment by saving hundreds of pounds from being thrown away into landfills. There was no requirement that an item needed to be dropped off to participate nor was there any limit to how many items were allowed to be picked up.
“Our organization is thrilled that this event was so warmly received upon its launch,” said John Doyle on behalf of City Island Rising Inc. “City Islanders are known for their generosity and this event was no exception. Every item picked up today was saved from being thrown away and into a landfill nearby.”
The organization praised Alice Shecter and Mildred Perez, who is also a Rising board member, for their efforts in coordinating the successful event. Gratitude was also extended to Nicole Blackman and Cecily Marangos for volunteering the day of the event, the 45th Precinct for their logistical help, and the Department of Sanitation for assisting with cleanup after the event.
Leftover clothing will be donated to shelter and migrant efforts and donated books will be gifted to the “Bronx Bound Books” organization for their use or to be recycled. Rising intends to make the “City Island Swap” an annual event, in addition to the organizations E-Cycle, Teacher Appreciation Day, and Narcan Training events.
ABOUT CITY ISLAND RISING
In its four years in operation, City Island Rising has had success on DOT related issues, public transportation issues, and hosting Narcan/CPR trainings, a community clean up, as well as an environmental justice and water quality forum. We’ve also been working closely with the Community Flood Watch Program to document flooding and climate change within the community and hosted two Census sign-up events that informed and interacted with hundreds of our neighbors. We also host an annual Teacher Appreciation Day event for our local public school, PS 175, and an electronics recycling event that collected nearly 6,000 lbs of electronic goods. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, we’ve donated food and face masks to those in need. Our group achieved 501c3 status two years ago and is a registered charity with the NYS Attorney General’s Office.
In recent months we have started advocating for an NYC Ferry Stop within our community, started warning of the effects of climate change within our community, shined a spotlight on parks inequitywithin the Bronx, organized a successful clothing donation drive for asylum seekers and migrants, and crowd-raised funds to build a memorial for a victim of gun violence.
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