New York Cares today

New York got a spring clean today. Thousands of volunteers cleaned up more than 7,900 acres of parkland and 10 miles of shoreline.
April 12th is Hands on New York day, where people give up their Saturday to paint playgrounds, plant trees and pick up trash to make New York a better and brighter place to be. Each public space that is part of the drive has a site captain who decides what projects to do with that area, and what needs to be focused on.
Linda Blacken, who is site captain of St. Nicholas Park in Harlem says that the reason this day is such a success "is due to the dedication of the thousands of volunteers who donate their time and energy to make a difference in the city." She explains that "New York Cares provides the bulk of the supplies needed to complete the tasks at no charge to the city." As the site captain, she is responsible for figuring out how best to use the teams and supplies and to get the tasks completed by the 3:00pm deadline.
Many people got involved today, on what is the 14th annual event.

She describes the day as beautiful and perfect for working outside. "The weather looked questionable this morning," she says, "but by the time the event started, the thick fog had lifted and a brilliant spring sun shone on us. I ended up with about 80 volunteers working throughout the park today."

Before lunch they painted benches and railings, and a well-used stairway, and then moved trees and leaves, and placed wood chips across the bare areas of the park and the dog run.

"It’s such a rewarding feeling to see the fruition of weeks’ worth of planning go off without a hitch" Ms. Blacken says. "All the volunteers were happy and enjoyed themselves, which is very important to me, no matter what project I’m leading."

Ms. Blacken says that volunteers plant, rake, mulch and paint. "By the end of the day," she says, "New York is cleaner, greener, and ready for the summer!"