Neighbors, sorority members and local youth rolled up their sleeves and dug into the soil on Saturday, April 26, for the third annual community garden beautification effort in Laurelton.
Nearly three dozen participants gathered to revitalize the median garden at the intersection of Francis Lewis and Merrick boulevards in the southeastern Queens neighborhood.
The event was organized by the Epsilon Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, in partnership with the Federated Blocks of Laurelton Garden Club. Together, they hosted a day of planting, weeding, and community bonding designed to bring color and pride to the local landscape.
Joining the effort were several energetic young members of the recently launched 116th Precinct Police Explorers Program, a group of tweens learning leadership and civic responsibility through community service.
The gardeners gathered on a cloudy Saturday morning, working side by side to pull weeds, clear trash, and plant vibrant flowers expected to bloom just in time for summer.
This year’s effort was led by Asha Smith, 27, co-chair of the Epsilon Pi Omega Chapter, who helped coordinate volunteers and guide the beautification project from start to finish.
Smith told QNS that the beautification represents the local chapter’s community engagement and environmental enhancement efforts.
“This came about because one of our international program goals is to engage our environment. So we are tasked with beautifying our community gardens, reducing waste, recycling electronic and paper waste, as well as tree planting,” she explained.
Smith, a Jamaica resident, said that the event also aligns with the values of Earth Day and Earth Month, in that maintaining a community garden is an important way to show pride in one’s neighborhood. “Sometimes you may think that planting flowers or having a garden may feel superficial, but it adds a lot to our community, shows that people care about it, and brightens the community’s lives,” she said.
Julian Snype, president of the Federated Blocks of Laurelton, emphasized the importance of working with the Explorers to show local youngsters the importance of community beautification efforts.
“Anything we can do to make this event work for the young people to come out for Earth Day and show the importance of what Earth Day really means is good for us,” Snype said. “They need to understand the importance of green space and support tying our environment and area,” he added.
Snype said he hopes the youngsters will be inspired to pay the beautification efforts forward.
“You’re planting here, and you’re saying to yourself, maybe next year I’ll do it again. That’s what we want: for people to come out here to support this,” he said.
Snype said the garden space has been with the Federated Blocks of Laurelton since the 1980s. The organization is interested in expanding it to the next block.
A few of the youngsters from the Explorers program spoke to QNS about their experience.
Ismeily Herasme,12, and Lorenzo Petion,14, shared their motivations for participating in Saturday’s event.
“I’m here today because I wanted to help the environment and make it prettier by planting new plants. It lifts the mood in the neighborhood and makes you feel more welcome,” Herasme said.
Petion chimed in, adding that he appreciates all nature offers. “ I like spreading the green, I like the leaves, the flowers, and I like Mother Nature for real, because without Mother Nature there wouldn’t be me,” he said.
Herasme, who’s from Flushing, said that despite living in another part of Queens, she’s excited to support Laurelton’s beautification efforts. “It feels very honorable. Even though they don’t know I’m the one doing it, I’m happy to do it,” she said.
Eliana Castro, 14, Zachary Danvers, 12, and Kayden, 11, shared their takeaways from the beautification effort.
“I just wanted to help with the plants. That’s a part of life, I love nature,” Castro said. “I told my mom I’m going to come out here and help with the plants since it’s part of nature and part of the earth.”
“I just feel like giving back to the earth, with how many people are polluting it, and people are cutting down the trees. Mother Nature is slowly getting destroyed, and we are trying to rebuild it and save the earth from all this pollution,” added Danvers.
Kayden, a Laurelton resident, added that he takes pride in working to beautify his community. “It feels pretty good to know I’m making sure my community is being built back up and how we can make our community better again,” he said.
