Friends of Devoe Park (FODP) hosted a “Dancing in Unity Fair,” on Saturday, Sept. 18, in Devoe Park, located in the Fordham Manor section of the Bronx. The event featured a face painter, balloon animal artists, a DJ, food provided by Ms. Geneva’s 50/50, an ice cream truck sponsored by Fordham Toyota, and a variety of lawn activities, games, and crafts for children which were organized by the City Parks’ department.

 

Earl Evans, one of the balloon artists hired for the event, said the kids really enjoyed playing with the balloons and kept coming back to his tent for more.

The event was also informative for adults, with Bronx Community Health Network (BCHN) supplying information about housing, food access, SNAP benefits, health services, chronic illnesses and more. Verona Lee-Alcid, a community health worker with BCHN, said people were coming up to their table all day, and she and her colleagues also handed out flyers about the network’s own services.

 

Pilar Maschi is a member of the City Parks Foundation, part of the Partnerships for Parks organization, and was one of the fair organizers. As reported, Maschi has been leading the ongoing efforts to beautify the nearby Aqueduct Walk, among other projects. She said the Dancing in Unity event was held to kick off the new school year and to provide activities for the local kids.

To that end, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) was on hand, along with  P.S. 55 and its principal, Luis Torres, to donate school supplies, comprising books and book bags filled with goodies, as part of a back-to-school giveaway. Other sponsors were Helmsley Grant, Capacity Fund Grant, and Paul Pevsner who made a cash donation of $250.

 

True to its theme, the event also featured dancing, with salsa lessons given by instructor, Frank Muhel, who also performed for the crowd.

Rachel Miller-Bradshaw, a founding member of FODP, who acted as emcee on the day, said the fair was to show appreciation for the community and unify everyone through the arts. She said she was satisfied with the turnout, even though the group didn’t get to advertise the event as much as they would have liked. Miller-Bradshaw said FODP members knew they would get a decent turnout anyway because the area near the park is densely populated.

 

“We’re just bringing the community together,” she told Norwood News. “This park really needed this nonprofit group [FODP] and I’m just happy to be a founding member,” she added.

Like Miller-Bradshaw, three other members of FODP are also board members of the adjacent Fordham Hill Owners Corporation, located at 1 Fordham Hill Oval, also in Fordham Manor. They are Michelle Centeno, Myrna Calderon and John Howard. They say they do their best to keep the park group going and encourage their neighbors and other Fordham Hill Owners Corporation residents to get involved in the local community.

 

As reported earlier this year, Assemblyman Victor Pichardo and District Leader Yudelka Tapia, both representing the 86th A.D., co-hosted an event honoring various mothers for their service to the community in the adjacent University Heights neighborhood, in honor of Mother’s Day.

 

Among those honored at that event were Miller-Bradshaw, who is also president of Northwest Bronx Democrats for Change, and Calderon, a member of Bronx Community Board 7. They were recognized for their individual contributions to the local community, along with local residents, Kpoto Kpana, Angela Salazar, Elaine Grays Watts.

 

Miller-Bradshaw went on to explain that FODP is a non-profit organization that was started in 2018, as Devoe Park had been labeled a high-risk park.

 

Since then, the group has been working to make it a safe and clean space for the community. She said throughout the pandemic, members of FODP continued to work together, despite the risk and uncertainty everyone faced at the time. “We’re happy with the work that we’ve been doing, because since we’ve been initiated and we’ve been organizing, we see a real improvement in this park and it’s not only just with cleanliness, but safety,” she said.

 

For his part, Howard and his wife, Anna Vasquez-Howard, were busy handing out books and supplies to children on the day. “The kids are loving it,” Vasquez-Howard said, as her husband chimed in that he also was loving it.

 

Howard said the fair was one of the biggest events FODP has pulled off to date, adding that the organization hopes to promote the welfare of the park and get attendees interested in FODP’s main purpose.

 

“[It’s] to make this park more responsive to neighborhood needs, to give [it] the care and attention it needs,” he said. “It was pretty grown out in lots of places and there are bad patches which are badly managed. It needs tender loving care,” he added.

 

Also in attendance on the day, in support of FODP, were Assemblyman José Rivera (A.D. 78), Bronx Parks’ commissioner, Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson (C.D. 16) who is the Democratic nominee for Bronx borough president, and Democratic nominee for City Council District 14, Pierina Sanchez.

 

Rodriguez-Rosa was recently attacked, along with her colleague, by an emotionally disturbed person at a separate Parks’ event in Starlight Park in the West Farms section of The Bronx on Sept. 25, as reported by the Bronx Times. The NYPD told the Norwood News a Parks’ Department employee made the arrest. We have reached out to the Parks’ department for further information about the incident.

 

A Parks’ representative responded on Tuesday, Oct. 11, saying, “We condemn any and all acts of violence in our parks and are especially saddened when committed against a Parks employee.” The employee added, “This was an unfortunate encounter with an emotionally disturbed individual, but we are grateful that they have been apprehended and that our Borough Commissioner wasn’t greatly harmed.”

 

The representative confirmed that the incident took place while the commissioner and her colleagues were attending a volunteer event in Starlight Park, that the emotionally disturbed park patron had exhibited erratic behavior, was apprehended and that both the commissioner and her volunteer colleague were treated for injuries on-site and received further medical care from their private physicians.

 

We asked the Parks’ department what happens to emotionally disturbed persons when they are apprehended and will update this story upon receipt of any response we receive.

 

Meanwhile, Sanchez said she grew up playing in Devoe Park and was happy to see the community out, having fun. “I think this is the best part of the community, right?” she said. “We’re so diverse and happy and we like dancing, and we like music, so this is really bringing it all together and, you know, in a difficult time, it’s kind of a positive for the community to partake in,” she said.

 

Wonderful afternoon w Friends of Devoe Park, dancing, backpack giveaway, resources, and most importantly – COMMUNITY UNITY! We’re an amazing, resilient people, working for the best life we can live. Can’t wait to keep working together for more opportunities in our neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/GkGej1ELVz

— Pierina Sanchez NYC (@PiSanchezNYC) September 19, 2021

Sanchez had a table set up for attendees to share information about stimulus benefits, voter registration, and COVID-19 vaccines. “It’s really just a resource fair that’s trying to build community,” she said. “I just think it’s really important to give all the support that we can to the groups that are trying to bring out the most positive things in our community. You know, just unifying the space and making sure that people feel like their dignity is respected.”

 

Síle Moloney contributed to this story.