The P.S./I.S. 102Q Parent Association, students and staff members participated in the New Yorkers for Parks’ Daffodil Project, planting several bulbs outside of the Elmhurst school to honor victims of 9/11 and COVID on Tuesday, Nov. 29.
The bulbs were generously donated by New Yorkers for Parks (NY4P), an independent nonprofit organization that protects and promotes open space across the city. Established in 2001, NY4P’s Daffodil Project is the largest volunteer effort in NYC history. P.S./I.S. 102Q, a Title I public school in District 24 of New York City and serves children in pre-K through eighth grade.
The Parent Association provided light refreshments and gave a brief demonstration on how to plant the daffodil bulbs before the volunteer group started planting in the front yard of the school facing Van Horn Street.
The event also marked a special occasion as school construction was recently completed and the awning and scaffolding were finally removed. Now the building is on full display. Special guests included Councilman Shekar Krishnan; Adam Ganser, NY4P’s executive director; Sherrise Palomino, director of advocacy and programs; and James Leahy from Community School District 24.
Krishnan assisted the students in planting the daffodil bulbs and presented a $10,000 check to New Yorkers for Parks’ Daffodil Project.
“Two years into this pandemic, New Yorkers have seen how parks, playgrounds and public spaces can revive and restore our communities which is why we are committed to supporting The Daffodil Project after more than 21 years of work celebrating and beautifying New York City,” Krishnan told QNS. “The Daffodil Project is an incredible initiative that uplifts, and we were proud to have been at P.S/I.S. 102 with our partners at New Yorkers for Parks this week to show our support. I look forward to continuing working with New Yorkers for Parks, and am excited to see these daffodils next spring.”
New Yorkers for Parks’ Daffodil Project is the largest annual volunteer effort in NYC history, according to NY4P’s website.
Since the Daffodil Project’s inception in 2002, over 9 million daffodil bulbs have been distributed for free, planted by thousands of volunteers in the fall, and celebrated as some of the first flowers to bloom come spring. Throughout 20 years of bulb distributions, plantings and perennial blooms, the Daffodil Project’s mission has grown.
Today, the project serves as a catalyst for citywide parks stewardship and civic engagement, advancing NY4P’s call for 1% of the city budget for NYC Parks, a celebration of the New Yorkers championing parks equity and resilience in their communities, and a memorial for the victims of Sept. 11 and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Q102PA looks forward to offering additional family-friendly community-building events in keeping with their motto, “Together We Soar.”
