The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. 

After heavy rain dampened the atmosphere somewhat during last year’s Annual Mosholu Fall Festival, this year’s event could not have taken place on a more perfect day as the sun beamed down on Knox Gate Playground on Mosholu Parkway and Gates Place in Norwood, drawing families and neighbors together for a fun-filled day.

Organized by Future of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP), in partnership with State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Council Member Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80), Bronx Community Board 7, Partnership for Parks, NYC Parks, Bridgebuilders Community Partnership, Good Shepherd Services, Norwood Community Library, the Albanian American Open Hand Association, and Bedford Mosholu Community Association, the free event saw families take home boxes of fresh produce, there was live music, games for kids, arts & crafts, snacks, mime, and free books.

 

We spoke to Vladimir Cruz, community engagement director for Partnerships for Parks (PFP), a public private program between City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks Department, the aim of which is to support and champion neighborhood volunteers in activating their parks and green spaces.

 

“One way that we do this is through volunteerism,” Cruz said. “We work with the [NYC] Parks department to gather tools and deliver them to our neighborhood volunteers so that they can lead clean-ups or any other sort of stewardship opportunities like plantings.”

 

Cruz said the organization also offers grants to volunteer groups. “The NYC Green Fund Grants are small scale grants upwards of about $2,000 or about 10% of an organization’s operating budget, and those go towards funding stewardship opportunities, as well as events in parks throughout the five boroughs,” he said.

We discussed the ongoing underfunding of the City Parks department, which receives less than one percent of the City’s budget, and mentioned how there appears to be more funding available in Manhattan from various conservancies than in the outer boroughs.

 

“The reason why this organization exists is because of disinvestment in parks throughout the ‘70s,” Cruz said. “You had folks in the surrounding neighborhoods around Central Park, Upper West Side, Upper East Side who decided to join together and start a conservancy. I think, in response to those conservancies, Partnerships for Parks was born.”

He continued, “As for funding, we try our best to use our corporate sponsors on behalf of City Parks Foundation as supplement, where the government cannot reach those funds, but we do work, obviously, in conjunction with the [NYC] Parks department.”

 

To read about Bronx Community Board 7’s latest discussion of parks-related issues and related requests in the context of the City budget planning, click here.

Cruz said half of the staff who make up the (PFP) program are government employees, and the other half are employees of the City Parks Foundation. “They [NYC Parks] do the best with the equipment that they have available to them to support these neighborhood volunteers,” he said.

 

Daniel P. Silvera, outreach specialist and community ambassador for Bridgebuilders Community Partnership, a resource center located at West 164th Street and Olgin Avenue in Highbridge, was also at the festival.

“We’re here today expanding our services holistically to the whole family, because families need resources, especially through the fall, autumn season,” Silvera said. “Our main two initiatives are our childcare voucher; if any family needs financial help, daycare, afterschool…we even pay the babysitter, they could get financial [help].”

 

He added, “We also got kinship [support] to adopt another family member, niece, nephew, little cousin. They could also come and apply for Housing Connect [affordable housing lotteries]. They can also apply for different social services, and we will have events for initiatives for young adults. We also got different classes and workshops like financial [classes]. We have programs for different community partnership leaders and advocates as a networking space.”

 

We also spoke to Roy Secord at the “Click Nature Photography for Bronx Youth” stand about the photos on display. “This was a summer 2024 program, teaching community youth nature photography and it was sponsored by Bronx Council on the Arts,” Secord said. Of the general vibe at the festival, Secore said it was a great opportunity to showcase youth photography and get to know the local representatives.

 

We also spoke to Nigel Warren from Street Outreach Program, part of Good Shepherd Services. “So, we look for youth between the ages of 18 and 24 and we try to find them some type of housing, get them out the streets,” Warren said. Asked if they worked with Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (B.R.A.G), which is also a program run by Good Shepherd Services, Warren said, “Yes, we do. We work closely with B.R.A.G.”

 

Warren continued, “We just look for kids who are homeless or could be homeless so like, couch surfing. That’s, like, a form of homelessness. We just try to find clothes, food, jobs, stuff like that.” Asked if they had spoken to many youth at the festival, Warren said, “We talked to some youth today. Right now, we’re just trying to, you know, let the community know that we are here, and we are here to serve.” The group can be reached via their hotline at 188 883 1123 or on Instagram at @GSSStreetOutreach.

 

Betty Arce, Bronx Community Board 7 sanitation committee chair, and Steven Ochoa-Camacho, deputy district manager, were also tabling at the event, sharing information and resouces with the community.

 

Elizabeth Quaranta, executive director for FOMP, said she was relieved the event was a success, and thanked all the volunteers, participants, and sponsors who helped make it happen.

 

“Carmen Mendez did her magic and entering the playground was an experience!” she said. Quaranta said the reason FOMP held the festival in Knox Gate Playground this year was because a resident told her for the past 30 years, he had never seen a community event organized there.

Quaranta said the playground is underserviced, in need of renovation, and is not even listed on Google maps, despite being in a very densely populated neighborhood. “This is part of the work that Future of Mosholu Parkland brings to the community, and has done so for many years,” she said.

 

To view a short video of the day, click here.