Check out RISE's upcoming Events calendar, and join family, friends, and neighbors in strengthening the resilience of our community! RISE events are free to all and intended to actively engage local residents.
Monday, September 2, to Monday, September 30, 2024
We are honored and excited to announce that we have been chosen to participate in a special charitable giving campaign, sponsored and funded by Target. You have the chance to help direct a portion of its donation to us!
Now through September 30, vote for Rockaway Waterfront Alliance, Inc. d/b/a RISE Rockaway Initiative for Sustainability and Equity through the Target Circle program to help determine how Target's donation will be divvied up.
Please help us make the most of this incredible opportunity, and thank you!
Saturday, September 14, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 60th Street & Rockaway Freeway, under the elevated A-train tracks
Spend the first part of your Saturday at Rockaway Market Street @ Beach 60th. It is the third season for the only outdoor farmers market on the Rockaway peninsula. Brass Meets World will be the musical performer on September 7.
Saturday, September 14, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Boardwalk at Beach 106th Street
Rockaway Honeyworks, a RISE initiative, will table at the 15th Annual NYC Honey Fest. Student interns from Shore Corps helped to do hive inspections and harvest honey, which will be on sale in eight-ounce, four-ounce, and one-ounce containers.
All proceeds support RISE's youth programs: Environmentor, Living Classroom, Shore Corps. Drop by to say hello and taste of some of the best honey in New York City!
Saturday, September 21, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Arverne East Welcome Center, 190 Beach 44th Street
Join us for this special event establishing the new RISE Native Plant Nursery at Arverne East.
Participants will learn to collect seeds from the native coastal plants and help to set up and plant the raised beds for the inaugural season.
People of all ages are invited to participate. Students seeking community service hours are welcome to attend. Dress accordingly for outdoor conditions. Registration is encouraged.
Special thanks to Booth Ferris Foundation, City Parks Foundation NYC Green Fund, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Saturday, September 28, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach Front Road & Beach Way (between Beach 62nd & 65th streets)
Join RISE and Surfrider Foundation for hands-on dune restoration as part of "Greater Rockaway" Coastal Resilience Plan during Climate Week NYC.
The initiative, led by RISE and supported by Surfrider's Climate Action Program, focuses on long-term enhancement and maintenance of coastal dunes to mitigate climate impacts.
Families, friends, and neighbors are welcome to help plant native plants and shrubs to build and restore a natural protective buffer along the east end of the Rockaways. Students can receive community service hours. This event is rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Registration is encouraged, in case of changes on the day.
Tuesday, October 1, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
Join us for a workshop with Harvard University Graduate School of Design, to share what you know about your neighborhood and to envision a community-led plan for expanded public waterfront along Jamaica Bay, from Beach 80th Street to the Nassau County line.
There are miles of neglected waterfront sites in the Rockaways, which are inaccessible to the public and could benefit the community as recreational space and protection against flooding.
This is an opportunity to bring your voice to the table. We encourage all Rockaway residents, particularly NYCHA's Redfern, Oceanside, Hammel, Carleton Manor, and Beach 41st Street, to attend. We will focus on each of these areas in connection with Jamaica Bay.
Students and faculty from Harvard's Department of Landscape Architecture, along with RISE Shore Corps students, will be participating to help support this initiative.
Come to ensure your community is represented in this plan!
Food and refreshments will be served. Registration is recommended.
Saturday, October 5, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
It's almost planting time! Don’t miss out on New Yorkers for Parks 2024 Daffodil Project, a citywide living memorial, stewardship opportunity, and catalyst for transformative investment in our beloved parks and open spaces.
A living memorial to the victims of 9/11 and the largest civic effort in city history, Daffodil Project gives away bulbs to plant in public spaces across all five boroughs. RISE will be hosting one of the Queens distribution sites.
Bulb supplies will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis. Register to join the waitlist!
Saturday, October 5, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
"Wildman" Steve Brill will lead a FREE session on plant identification, the natural habitat of the Rockaways, and all the best wild foods of the seashore.
The sandy soil limits tree and grass growth, but it benefits other species that can take advantage of the sun and nutrient-poor soil. Wild greens and dozens of species thrive here.
This event will happen rain or shine. Registration is required.
Special thanks to City Parks Foundation NYC Green Fund.
Saturday, October 19, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Boardwalk at Beach 44th Street
For the twelfth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, RISE is bringing people of all ages together to care for our shoreline and create a natural protective barrier for the Rockaway community.
As we learned from the hurricane, the natural vegetation and dunes that exist off our shores serve as a buffer to the homes and businesses in the area. Many of these dunes are compromised by storms, shoreline erosion, and human disturbance, including marine debris and trash, so they need to be cared for to be effective.
Families, friends, and neighbors are welcome to participate in this shoreline cleanup and beach grass dune planting. Students can receive community service hours. This event is rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Registration is encouraged, in case of changes.
Special thanks to National Sea Grant Marine Debris Community Action Coalition, City Parks Foundation NYC Green Fund, and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Saturday, October 19, 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Arverne East Welcome Center, 190 Beach 44th Street
Join The New York Times Chief Wine Critic Eric Asimov for a wine-tasting fundraiser to support RISE. Participants will be transported on a wine tour of Spain and learn why Asimov recently described it as “the most dynamic wine-producing country in the world."
The price per person is $200. All proceeds go to support the new one-acre, community-owned and operated Arverne East Native Plant Nursery, Seed Bank, and Educational Garden, as well as for staff, internships, and volunteer opportunities to maintain it.
Saturday, November 16, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
RISE is hosting a special Thanksgiving meal to give thanks and to celebrate our amazing community of family, friends, and neighbors. This FREE sit-down meal is for attendees who register in advance (no more than three per household).
The meal includes all the Thanksgiving favorites, prepared by local Rockaway partners: