36
COURIER LIFE, APRIL 22-28, 2022
Civic engagement blooms in Bklyn
The Daffodil Project brings new flowers and activism to grounds of PS 46
BY MIKAELA WEGNER
Students celebrated a
riot of new blooms in front
of their Fort Greene elementary
school this week, and
advocated for more park
space in their neighborhood
in partnership with
The Daffodil Project.
Councilmember Crystal
Hudson joined students
at PS 46 Edward C. Blum
School and advocacy group
New Yorkers for Parks on
Monday morning to discuss
the importance of
well-funded parks and playgrounds,
calling for the city
to dedicate just one percent
of its annual budget to the
city’s Parks Department to
create better green spaces
for all.
Hudson’s District
35, which includes Fort
Greene, Clinton Hill, Crown
Heights, Prospect Heights,
and Bedford-Stuyvesant,
is made up of less than 10
percent of park land, leaving
constituents of all ages
with limited options when
they want to spend time outdoors.
Back in October, Hudson
helped students plant daffodils
in partnership with the
Daffodil Project, a 20-year
initiative started to remember
victims of the 9/11 attacks.
on Monday, the council
member returned to see
the bright yellow flowers
finally springing from the
dirt.
“This is such a full circle
moment,” Hudson said.
“There are not many things
and many opportunities
you get to plant seeds, and
watch them grow, … and become
big and beautiful like
these daffodils are today.”
Younger students stood
fidgeting until speeches
finished when they were
allowed to enter the school
yard, sitting in groups of
four to paint rubber tires.
Fifth grader and Student
Council President
of PS 46 Evangeline Medrano
stepped up to speak
out in favor of more space
to play for she and her fellow
students. Last month,
Medrano published an
opinion piece in the Brooklyn
Daily Eagle, asking for
funding for her school’s
playground.
She said tires students
painted at the event will be
left outside “adding a little
bit of color” to her school.
“The whole point of this
was to show that everyone
here is united,” Medrano
said. “And lots of people
don’t believe that because of
how different people look.”
Lack of funding for park
development has had a “detrimental
impact on the lives
of New Yorkers,” according
to Adam Ganser, Executive
Director of NY4P. While
parks popular with tourists
are the city’s focus, Ganser
said not-so-seen parks are
still essential for community
members.
Organizers hope the
Daffodil Project will continue
to serve as both a living
memorial and an active
advocacy platform for communities.
The 20-year tradition
began in the aftermath
of 9/11, when a Dutch
daffodil bulb supplier donated
one million bulbs to
NY4P. Since then, the organization
has distributed
8 million daffodil bulbs to
volunteers, who plant the
flowers in parks, schoolyards,
and more each fall.
New blooms provided by The Daffodil Project grow outside PS 46 in Fort Greene, as students and
advocates call for more funding for the city’s Parks Department. Photo by Mikaela Wegner
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