RISE Raffle!

Monday, March 9, to Friday, April 10, 2026

100 percent of all proceeds will support RISE's youth programs: SHORE CORPS, a service learning program for high school students, focused on environmental stewardship, food justice, community planning, and civic engagement; LIVING CLASSROOM, a pre-K to sixth-grade STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) program that brings the great outdoors into the classroom, utilizing the natural shoreline for hands-on experiential learning; ENVIRONMENTOR, a science research mentorship for high school students to conduct authentic environmental research on Jamaica Bay and the Rockaway shoreline.

RAFFLE TICKETS: $25 each or $100 for five (5)

DRAWING: Friday, April 10, 2026, 10:00 a.m. (EDT)

PRIZES:

1. Vino By the Sea Gift Card + Specially Selected Bottle
2. Skudin Surf Week of Half-Day Surf Camp
3. Kennedy’s $100 Gift Card
4. JetBlue 2 Round-Trip Travel Certificates between any JetBlue-served cities

Thanks to Vino By the Sea, Skudin Surf, Kennedy's, and JetBlue for their generosity!

CLICK HERE to purchase your lucky chance at winning! Check the box for Add note/comment and type Raffle! Only persons eighteen years or older may participate.

A Taste of Natural Healing

Monday, March 16, 10:00 am to 10:30 am
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

Alexandra G. Taggart, certified instructor of Dragon's Way Qigong, leads a FREE weekly thirty-minute class. The Four Energy Gates is a practice to awaken the body's energy flow. Think almost like an acupuncture treatment, but you are the practitioner! Each week we will share tidbits of the concepts behind traditional Chinese medicine and enjoy the benefits of group practice.

Zumba!

Monday, March 16, 11:00 am to 11:45 am
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

Come on over to RISE for a FREE Zumba class, led by LaDeidre Smith from Rockaway YMCA. Enjoy an aerobic fitness workout method that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance!

Jamaica Bay Community Cleanup

Saturday, March 21, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary, De Costa Avenue & Beach 65th Street

Join RISE for a cleanup along Jamaica Bay. Local residents and visitors (adults and children) are encouraged to participate in this stewardship event. As appreciative citizens of the Rockaways, we need to do our part to keep the bay clean for us and for all the wildlife.

Everyone is welcome to participate, and students may receive community service hours for their efforts! Please dress accordingly. Registration is encouraged.

Special thanks to National Sea Grant Marine Debris Community Action Coalition.

MasterFitness Complete™

Monday, March 23, 11:00 am to 11:45 am
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

Ann Fosteris teaches a FREE exercise class. She embraces making a positive impact and living a wholesome lifestyle, which includes staying active and maintaining a healthy weight. Join neighbors of all ages and fitness levels. You will feel good and look great in no time.

Core on the Floor

Monday, March 23, 11:45 am to 12:15 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

Spring Migration Bird Walk

Saturday, April 4, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

Join RISE and NYC Plover Project for a FREE guided birding tour along the Rockaway shoreline! Explore the beach with expert guides and discover a wide variety of coastal birds, while learning about their habitats and conservation.

Binoculars will be provided first come, first served, though you may bring your own. Please dress accordingly and bring a water bottle.

Registration is encouraged. In case of inclement weather, we will communicate change of plans via e-mail. 

Community Dune Planting

Saturday, April 11, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 44th Street & the Boardwalk

Join RISE for a community planting of "Greater Rockaway" Coastal Resilience Plan. To strengthen our natural protective buffer of dunes, we are establishing native grasses and shrubs along the east end of the Rockaways.

All are welcome to participate, and students may receive community service hours for their efforts! Please dress accordingly. Registration is encouraged.

Special thanks to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Tree Giveaway

Saturday, April 18, 9:00 am to 11:00 am
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

RISE is excited to partner with New York Restoration Project to host a FREE tree giveaway! Registration will be required because supplies are limited. Please check back soon for the registration link and event details.

20th Annual Earth Day Rockaway

Saturday, May 2, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

Enjoy a day of fun in the Rockaways with FREE activities and programs for children of all ages!

This year's event includes live music, face painting, free giveaways, cooking demonstrations, plantings, fire safety, water testing, and arts and crafts. All activities are intended to raise awareness of the natural resources along the Rockaway shoreline and to learn how to appreciate and conserve Earth's resources.

Community Dune Planting

Saturday, May 9, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 44th Street & the Boardwalk

Join RISE for a community volunteer day, culminating in a celebration of the land and the water. We will be cleaning the shoreline and planting native plants and shrubs as part of "Greater Rockaway" Coastal Resilience Plan, to create a natural protective buffer of dunes along the east end of the Rockaways.

All are welcome to participate, and students may receive community service hours for their efforts! Please dress accordingly. Registration is encouraged.

Special thanks to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

Mother's Day Foraging Tour with "Wildman" Steve Brill

Sunday, May 10, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

Join RISE for a FREE Mother's Day foraging tour with America's go-to guy for foraging, "Wildman" Steve Brill. We will be exploring Arverne East Nature Preserve, which has an abundance of wild plants and wildlife. The sandy soil of the Rockaways is poor, limiting tree and grass growth, but it benefits other species that can take advantage of the sun and nutrient-poor soil. Wild greens grow great here, and there are dozens of species that thrive. Field garlic is a very tasty relative of onions and garlic.

This event is rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Registration is required.

Shore Corps Year-End Celebration

Saturday, May 30, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

Coladas for a Cause

Friday, June 5, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Connolly's, 155 Beach 95th Street

Kick-start summer with the third annual "Coladas for a Cause," a fundraiser hosted by Connolly's for RISE's youth educational programs: Environmentor, Living Classroom, and Shore Corps. There will be a 50/50, a raffle, plus more. CLICK HERE to purchase your $20 entry, which includes one FREE drink! Check the box for Add note/comment and type in Connolly's! You must be at least twenty-one-years-old to participate.

Jamaica Bay Cleanup

Saturday, September 19, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Dubos Point Wildlife Sanctuary, De Costa Avenue & Beach 65th Street

Join RISE, NYC H2O, and New York Sea Grant for a cleanup along Jamaica Bay. Local residents and children of all ages are encouraged to participate in this stewardship event. As members of the Rockaway community, we need to do our best to keep the bay clean for all visitors and wildlife!

Students can receive community service hours for their efforts. This event is rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Registration is encouraged.

Special thanks to National Sea Grant Marine Debris Community Action Coalition.

Wine Tasting with New York Times Chief Wine Critic Eric Asimov

Saturday, October 3, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
RISE Educational Garden, 190 Beach 44th Street

Save the date! The New York Times Chief Wine Critic Eric Asimov will lead a wine-tasting fundraiser for RISE. All proceeds will support the one-acre, community-owned and operated RISE Native Plant Nursery, Seed Bank, and Educational Garden. More information will be forthcoming. Thank you.

Foraging Tour with "Wildman" Steve Brill

Sunday, October 4, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard

"Wildman" Steve Brill will lead a FREE session on plant identification, the natural habitat of the Rockaways, and all the best wild foods of the seashore. The sandy soil limits tree and grass growth, but it benefits other species that can take advantage of the sun and nutrient-poor soil. Wild greens and dozens of species thrive here.

This event is rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Registration is required.

Sandy Anniversary Planting

Saturday, October 17, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 62nd Street & Rockaway Beach Boulevard

For the fourteenth anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, RISE is inviting you to help create a natural protective buffer for the Rockaway community. As we learned from the superstorm, the natural vegetation and dunes that exist off our shores shielded homes and businesses. However, many of these dunes were compromised and need to be rebuilt, restored, and replenished.

Families and people of all ages are welcome to participate in this dune restoration project. Students can receive community service hours. The event is rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Registration is encouraged.