New York International FC (NYIFC), an amateur soccer club, joined forces with a Manhattan-based therapeutic needs school and a global ocean conservation non-profit to clear 25 pounds of garbage from Rockaway Beach on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
NYIFC partnered with Robert Louis Stevenson School on West 74th Street and the Surfrider Foundation to clean up a section of Rockaway Beach at Beach 84th Street.
A dozen student volunteers joined NYIFC players and Surfrider representatives to remove more than 20 pounds of garbage from the beach, primarily removing straws and plastic bottle caps.
NYIFC, which supports a variety of community-based non-profits and initiatives in New York City, currently partners with food poverty non-profit EV Loves NYC and has previously worked with the Astoria Park Alliance to assist with Astoria Park riverfront clean-ups in the past.
The amateur soccer club forged a connection with Robert Louis Stevenson School through Nicholas Alexandrakos, the club’s head of community engagement, who also serves as director of athletics at the school. NYIFC co-founder Gary Philpott also served as coach of the school’s soccer and basketball teams, while former NYIFC player Jan Washausen has also led soccer instruction at the school.
Robert Louis Stevenson School aims to provide a program that enables children dealing with anxiety, depression and other mood disorders to thrive, succeed and prepare for college.
Alexandrakos said the soccer club and school teamed up with Surfriders to clean up Rockaway Beach on Saturday, Sept. 21, to mark International Coast Clean Up Day. He added that they wanted to help protect an iconic and historic New York City neighborhood.
Alexandrakos credited Stevenson students for participating in the clean-up and said they had helped make a meaningful impact at Rockaway Beach.
“Their collective decision to give back and contribute to a cleaner and healthier Rockaway Beach was inspiring,” he said. “Ask anyone who has fallen in love with the Rockaways and they will tell you that there is only one Rockaway Beach and it needs to be protected. These students fully understand the importance of protecting our marine environment.”
Lisa Salomon, coordinator of the New York Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, said Tuesday’s clean-up serves the dual purpose of keeping the beach clean and providing Surfrider with vital information.
“Their efforts not only keep our communities clean, but also allow Surfrider Foundation to use data to influence laws and reduce waste at the source,” Salomon said.
Alexandrakos said Tuesday’s clean-up was the first time that NYIFC and Stevenson had joined Surfriders to clean up Rockaway Beach, but said plans are already in place for another event next May, adding that NYIFC players will not only help with the clean-up, but will also play soccer on the beach with students from the school afterward.
He said NYIFC will continue to participate in community-based initiatives to help uplift some of the city’s most vulnerable residents and protect New York’s natural environment, adding that giving back to the community forms a major part of the club’s ethos.
“With opportunities provided both on the field and off, we can influence positive change through direct action and collaboration,” Alexandrakos said. “We believe this approach provides our communities with a club that they can be proud of in New York City.”
He said NYIFC was founded by immigrants and is open to New Yorkers of all nationalities and backgrounds, describing it as a “club for all.”
