Ceremony kicks off holiday, improvement project

The fourth annual Jamaica community tree lighting was held on Saturday, December 1 at Rufus King Park to celebrate the holidays and community togetherness (inset).
More than 200 community members and groups attended the event, which has become an important neighborhood holiday tradition for Jamaica.
Following the tree ceremony, Councilmember James Gennaro (pictured); representative of Senator Malcolm Smith; Yvonne Reddick, District Manager of Community Board 12; and St. John’s University volunteers met at Mary Immaculate Hospital, where hundreds of donated presents were given away to children of the diverse community of Jamaica.
“The tree lighting at Rufus King Park is an important tradition for the community of Jamaica,” said Mick Arieta of CENTRO HISPANO. “The event continues to bring unity to our diverse community and grow every year because of the collaboration between so many groups.”
The collaborative project between CENTRO HISPANO, Friends of Rufus King Park, Greater Jamaica Development Corporation, and King Manor Museum to improve Rufus King Park was also announced at the event. The project, funded by the JM Kaplan Fund, will bring many more cultural events and improvements to Rufus King Park in the upcoming year.
“The tree lighting was significant because it represented the start of a new beginning for Rufus King Park,” said Stephania Nesaralli, youth volunteer of CENTRO HISPANO.