Ms. Veronika Forero, our RI A.L.L. Instructor,  writes and sends pictures this am from NYC:

Hi Bonnie,

We have been hot here, but the hose is wonderful !!  We spray each other and work in the shade - no time to be indoors.  We've had plenty of fun weeding, watering, planting, staking, tasting, and hunting for spiders, inchworms, butterflies, and moths. Off to meet with The Child School groups and will send more pics later.

Best,
Veronika

This is the Tenth Anniversary of A Living Library's participation in Roosevelt Island Day !

Very Auspicious !

I remember vividly meeting, the then-Principal of the Roosevelt Island School, PS/IS 217, Sherry Gregory on 9/12/01.  We were determined to create a positive, creative, and life-affirming situation and experience for the children, youth, and adults of Roosevelt Island, after the brutality and trauma of 9/11. The Roosevelt Island Living Library & Think Park was born !

Fast Forward ! June 11, 2011 !

We are planting our Third Living Library & Think Park Garden on RI.  Because the School is now under construction, our Orchard and Concentric Circle Gardens on the riverside of the School and our Original Living Library & Think Park Garden in the schoolyard are off-limits.

So, thanks to RIOC and Steve Chironis, and Urban America and Doryne Isley, we are starting anew, adjacent to the building at 504 Main Street, which may become the new RI Branch Library.

Many children, youth, and adults came to plant with us; we even had a group from the United Nations Rotaract join us !  Everyone had a great time, and much was accomplished !

Another note: The top picture shows Reynault Williams watering the newly planted RI Living Library Gardens.  He has been participating in A Living Library since we began on Roosevelt Island when he was a PreK child at PS/IS 217. For years, since then, he is the one who always waters the new Living Library Garden on Roosevelt Island Day ! He is now in 8th grade !

See for yourself, all that we accomplished !!!

Please also view Martha Kerr's beautiful photo album from this event at link below: Photos of RI Living Library on RI Day by Martha Kerr: June 11, 2011

We had another fantastic Volunteer Team from NYC Salesforce, led by Dan Purvis, work with us to develop our new Roosevelt Island Living Library & Think Park Gardens near 504 Main Street on Roosevelt Island on Wednesday, June 8. I designed the Gardens, and RIOC and Urban America gave incredible help to manifest them.  We especially thank Steve Chironis and Doryne Isley, our brilliant supporters and co-creators ! And, of course the crew from RIOC who helped to dig it ! And, our own Living Library Instructor, Ms. Veronika and her cousin Alex accomplished great things in spite of the heat !  Also special thanks to friend and RI neighbor, Lydia Tang, for helping to bring all elements together ! There was a heat advisory in NYC, but we perservered, and we were able to carve out beautiful new Living Library Gardens ! Have a look at a few pics:          

We are excited to be developing our new Roosevelt Island Living Library & Think Park Gardens next to the RI Youth Center, Blackwell Park, and 504 Main Street ! Stay tuned for updates and transformational pics as students, A.L.L. instructors, neighbors, Barnard interns, and Volunteers from Salesforce and Rotaract make big changes this week ! Our work culminates on Roosevelt Island Day, this Saturday with more neighbors and children planting vegetables and flowers. Enjoy a few pics from last year's Roosevelt Island Living Library & Think Park's plantings of Orchard and Garden on riverside of PS/IS 217 !