VISION for the

JACQUELYNN YOUNG SCHOLARSHIP for HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

NY CHINATOWN COMMUNITY NEWS

WHY KIDS?OUR KIDS, OUR FUTURE

CONTACT US INFORMATION

HOMEPAGE

VISION for the

COLUMBUS PARK PAVILION

Why is the Pavilion SO IMPORTANT?

The Pavilion is so important because of WHAT IT CAN BECOME?

Our vision is to have the Pavilion available for community use. Allowing us to all share in the benefit of having a building in the park in the heart of NY Chinatown. Providing an open place for public town meetings, year round structured activity, a centralized place to gather and disperse community & public information and providing a cornerstone for tourist and visitors to come visit. The Pavilion will force NY Chinatown to work together. Encouraging community organizations to become partners in providing family members open space and recreational activity. Providing a great benefit to NY Chinatown.

Our kids & seniors have no place to go: There are just not enough youth/recreational facilities for our neighborhood kids & seniors. Because NY Chinatown does not have a “Youth/Community Center”, neighborhood parks and schools have long been used as places where kids and seniors congregate to meet, play, and organize. Our After School programs are constantly being cut, renting of school gyms for recreational sports are costly and our parks cannot be used during the Winter season and bad weather.

A Vision for the Pavilion

Columbus Park Pavilion: Can be transformed into a community center, which can serve youth, seniors and the general public. Can be used by social service agencies, neighborhood schools, youth & senior organizations, city agencies, cultural groups, etc.. Such a center will make a big difference in the quality of life in our community and our parks. It can become the headquarters for the public use of Columbus Park.

Activities such as:

Ø Movies, Shows and Performances

Ø Educational Workshops on such topics as:

1. Chinese in America

2. History of NY Chinatown, Columbus Park, Little Italy, our neighborhood

3. Chinese Medicine, Herbs

4. Cultural Dance, Art, Martial arts

5. Asian Myths & Stories, Holidays

6. Languages & Dialects

7. Religion

8. Business Development

9. Immigration, Housing, Vocational

10. Employment

11. Neighborhood Social issues

12. City & neighborhood Politics

Ø Information Center

1. Employment Opportunities

2. School Admissions (HS & College)

3. Small Business Tips

4. Neighborhood Activities

Ø Youth & Senior Activities

1. Chess/Ping Pong Recreation &Tournaments

2. Recreational Card Playing

3. Food/Social/Health/Business Fairs

4. Indoor Carnival activities

5. Educational Classes & Workshops

6. Indoor Exercise activities

7. Organized Neighborhood Team Sport Clinics & Tourneys

8. Organized Dance Classes and Shows

Ø Regular Town Hall Meetings on issues that effect our community

We need your help to Accomplish Our Vision for the Pavilion!

Our Success Depends on the following:

Ø Enclose the upper loggia of the Pavilion

Ø Provide Heating and Air-Conditioning to the upper loggia

Ø Have the pavilion accessible for community use day, evening and weekend hours

Ø Allow for co-management (Community & NYC Parks) of the Pavilion

Ø Have a Pavilion that is ACTIVE, CLEAN, MAINTAINED, & OPEN by making it available for community use.

Ø Get Funding to market Columbus Park as a valued community resource, run park activities and keeping the park maintained, healthy, active for all.

Columbus Park: Columbus Park is the number one park serving the NY Chinatown community. Activities range from seniors exercising, to kids playing basketball and soccer. Workers from around the neighborhood use the park to play football and baseball. Our churches use the park daily for outdoor activity. Social Service agencies use the park to hold events to distribute important information to our community. Groups use the park to have carnivals for kids, sporting tournaments and to promote better business. No one will dispute that Columbus Park is one of the most active parks in NYC.

Your support & involvement in Columbus Park is IMPORTANT:

Current NYC Parks personnel are not bi-lingual they cannot communicate properly with our neighborhood residents that use the park. Often there is miss-communication and sometimes confrontations, signage are only in English and our residents often do not understand the rules of the park. Friends of Columbus Park can provide the NYC Parks Department & the City of NY an organization that can bridge that communication gap and also provide the needed understanding necessary for a healthy park environment.