Big bucks for kids’ day camp

It seems like everybody has jumped on the “Green” bandwagon lately, so it may come as a surprise that New York City’s first green children’s day camp is in its seventh year in Queens - in Flushing, to be exact.
Thanks to seven years of funding by HSBC Bank, The HSBC Children’s Garden at Queens Botanical Garden (QBC) has been teaching children from five to 12-years-old about nature and sustainability through gardening, nutrition, and recycling.
At a ceremony held at QBC on Saturday, March 8, HSBC Senior Vice President Elizabeth Lee and Vice President Jae Shin presented a check for $75,000 to QBC officials as this year’s contribution.
State Senator Frank Padavan cited HSBC as a perfect model of philanthropists who support worthy projects consistently over time. “They have a record of building institutions, not just funding programs,” said Padavan.
QBG Board Chair Frank Mirovsky reminded everyone that HSBC’s first year of support was particularly timely. “HSBC supported Children’s Garden just as the city was cutting budgets in the wake of 9/11,” he said. “In 2002, it looked like we might have to suspend the program but then HSBC stepped in to fill the void,” Mirovsky continued.
The spring-summer-fall program is organized, in part, so children learn the rhythm of seasons.
In the spring, the kids plant vegetables and harvest them throughout the seasons as they ripen. They make learn to make a salad and at the close of the growing year, learn to put a garden to sleep.
Along the way, the children learn about climate and nature with simple projects that dramatize forces in the environment.
To learn about the critical role that bees play in pollinating plants, the children visit QBG’s beehives and watch beekeeper Urte Schaedle tend the hives.
To learn about recycling, the kids make paper seeded with parsley and basil that they use to create Mother’s Day cards (Mom can plant the card in her garden or flowerbox). They also make their own watering cans from recycled materials and learn to compost the cuttings from the garden.
Noting that HSBC has contributed $100 million globally to support environmental initiatives, QBC Executive Director Susan Lacerte thanked the company for its long support of Children’s Garden in particular and environmental issues generally.
To learn about recycling, the kids make paper seeded with parsley and basil that they use to create Mother’s Day cards (Mom can plant the card in her garden or flowerbox).
They also make their own watering cans from recycled materials and learn to compost the cuttings from the garden.
The Children’s Garden spring session is on Saturdays from March 29 to June 14, from 9:30 am to noon.
Summer has two sessions: Session I is on Mondays and Wednesdays from Monday, July 7 to Wednesday, August 27; Session II is Tuesdays and Thursdays from Tuesday, July 8 to Thursday, August 28.
All summer sessions are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., although half-days are also available.
The fall session is 9:30 a.m. to noon on Saturdays from September 6 to September 27. Information about tuition for the camp is available from QBG’s Web site, www.queensbotanical.org or by calling 718-886-3800, Ext. 229.