Events
Events
Check out RISE's calendar of events, and join family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors in strengthening the resilience of the Rockaway community! Events are free to all and intended to actively engage local residents.
A Taste of Natural Healing
Monday, April 13, 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.
MasterFitness Complete™
Monday, April 13, 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, April 13, 11:45 am to 12:15 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
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! Native tree species to be distributed at this location include:
Tree sizes vary, and be prepared to transport up to a two-gallon pot size. A reservation is required to guarantee yourself a tree! A limited number of trees will be made available to walk-ins while supplies last.
Click here to reserve your tree!
PLEASE NOTE: After you submit the registration form, you will receive a confirmation e-mail with a ticket number and two reminder e-mails when the event gets closer. If you do not receive these e-mails, you are not registered! Please contact community@nyrp.org for your status. Thank you.
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.
Zumba!
Monday, May 4, 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!
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.