Check out RISE's upcoming Events calendar, and join family, friends, and neighbors in strengthening the resilience of our community! RISE events are free to all and intended to actively engage local residents.
Monday, October 23, 2023,, to Friday, April 5, 2024
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
RISE wants to make sure you stay healthy this winter and spring. We encourage you to get a flu shot and/or COVID-19 vaccine and to order your free at-home COVID-19 test kits. We are working with New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as a community partner to get the word out and help you make this happen. Together, we can keep our family, friends, and neighbors Rockaway strong!
Contact us at info@riserockaway.org or (718) 327-5919 for more information.
Monday, February 12, to Friday, April 5, 2024
100 percent of all proceeds will support RISE's Living Classroom, a pre-K to sixth-grade STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) program that brings the great outdoors into the classroom, utilizing the natural shoreline for hands-on experiential learning.
RAFFLE TICKETS: $100.00 each
DRAWING: Friday, April 5, 2024, 10:00 a.m. (EDT)
PRIZES:
Many thanks to these local businesses for generously donating such fabulous and fun prizes to support our youngest Rockaway citizens.
Click here to purchase your lucky chance at winning! Under USE MY GIFT . . . , please select YOUTH PROGRAMS.
Saturday, March 23, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 60th Street & Rockaway Freeway
Join RISE for a spring cleanup to help make our community a better place!
We will be cleaning debris and removing invasive plants to prepare for the spring season. This event is rain or shine, so please dress accordingly and expect to get your hands dirty.
Adults and kids alike are welcome to participate. Students who want to do community service hours are encouraged to bring paperwork from their schools.
Special thanks to City Parks Foundation/Green Fund Tree Tops and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Monday, March 25, 11:00 am to 11:45 am
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
Ann Fosteris embraces making a positive impact and living a healthy lifestyle, which includes staying active and maintaining a healthy weight. There is no need to register for Master Fitness™, a FREE exercise class. Just show up at RISE on Monday morning at eleven o'clock and join neighbors of all ages and fitness levels. You will feel good and look great in no time!
Monday, March 25, 11:45 am to 12:15 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
Friday, April 5, 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
Come and get your FREE flu shot at RISE and be entered into a raffle to win a $50 VISA gift card! The vaccine will be administered by medical professionals from St. John’s Episcopal Hospital. No appointment is necessary, and everyone who gets their flu shot will receive a goodie bag.
Special thanks to our community partner New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
Saturday, April 6, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 62nd Street & Beach Front Road
Join RISE for our community planting of "Greater Rockaway" Coastal Resilience Plan. To strengthen our natural protective buffer of dunes, we are planting native grasses and shrubs along the east end of the Rockaways.
Adults and kids are welcome to participate in this event. Please dress accordingly.
Students who would like to do community service hours are encouraged to bring paperwork from their schools.
Registration is encouraged!
Special thanks to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and City Parks Foundation Green Fund Tree Tops Program.
Saturday, April 13, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 62nd Street & Beach Front Road
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.
Adults and kids alike are welcome to participate. Please dress accordingly.
Students who are looking to do community service hours are encouraged to bring paperwork from their schools.
Special thanks to National Fish & Wildlife Foundation for sponsoring this event.
Saturday, April 27, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
RISE is excited to partner with New York Restoration Project to host a FREE tree giveaway! Registration is required because supply is limited.
Check back soon to complete the required registration.
Saturday, May 4, 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
Enjoy a day of fun in the Rockaways with FREE environmental activities and programs for families and kids of all ages.
This year's event will include live music as well as a mock dolphin rescue, plantings, composting, face painting, water testing, fire safety, and art-related booths to learn how to appreciate and conserve the earth's resources.
All activities are intended to raise awareness of the natural resources along the Rockaway shoreline.
Local organizations interested in participating or tabling at this event are encouraged to contact Juvie Anne Alfeche, RISE Public Programs Coordinator, at jalfeche@riserockaway.org.
Special thanks to our sponsors, Joan N. and Norman Bluestone Foundation and PSEG Long Island.
Saturday, May 11, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Arverne East Welcome Center & Gardens, 190 Beach 44th Street, Far Rockaway, NY 11691
Rockaway residents of all ages are encouraged to participate in this community planting to establish RISE Native Plant Nursery at Beach 44th Street.
This event will take place rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Students seeking community service hours are encouraged to attend. Registration is encouraged.
Special thanks to City Parks Foundation/Green Fund and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Saturday, May 11, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Beach 60th Street & Rockaway Freeway
It's FREE! Give away items you no longer need or take home something new-to-you! You don't have to bring something to take something.
What to Bring
YES: Clean, reusable, portable items such as clothing, housewares, electronics, books, and toys.
NO: Furniture, large items, expired or open food, unsealed personal care products, medicine, dirty or ripped clothing, fabric scraps, incomplete toys and games, nonworking electronics, tube TVs, magazines, and sharp objects.
This event is brought to you by GrowNYC. Stop 'N' Swap is funded by New York City Sanitation.
Sunday, May 12, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Arverne East Welcome Center & Gardens, 190 Beach 44th Street, Far Rockaway, NY 11691
Join us for RISE's special 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 free, but registration is required.
Saturday, May 18, 8:00 am to 6:30 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
Join us for a FREE all-day tour of Briermere Farms and Sang Lee Farms in Peconic, New York, in the North Fork of Long Island.
Sang Lee & Briermere Farms are the partner farms for RISE Farm to Family share. They provide seasonal, fruit and certified-organic produce that is distributed at RISE every Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., from June 5 through November 13, 2024.
The general public is welcome to join us for this special tour!
The bus departs from RISE at 8:45 a.m. and will return by 6:30 p.m. The tour and bus ride are free of charge, but you must register in advance because seating is limited. Registration is limited to two (2) individuals. Registration will open in March. Check back to sign up.
Friday, May 31, 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
Saturday, September 14, 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Boardwalk at Beach 106th Street
Rockaway Honeyworks, a RISE initiative, will be attending the 14th Annual NYC Honey Fest! Student interns from Shore Corps helped to raise and care for the bees and to extract honey, which will be on sale in eight-ounce, four-ounce, and 1.5-ounce containers. Bee the Change T-shirts, tote bags, lapel pins, and lip balm also will be for sale.
All proceeds will support RISE's youth programs, including Living Classroom. Come by to say hello and a taste of some of the best honey in New York!
Saturday, September 21, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Arverne East Welcome Center & Gardens, 190 Beach 44th Street, Far Rockaway, NY 11691
Join us for a planting of RISE Native Plant Nursery at Arverne East. This event is part of “Greater Rockaway" Community & Shoreline Enhancement Plan.
People of all ages are welcome to participate. Students seeking community service hours are encouraged to attend. Dress accordingly for outdoor conditions. Registration is encouraged.
Special thanks to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Saturday, October 5, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
It's almost planting time! Don’t miss out on New Yorkers for Parks 2024 Daffodil Project, a citywide living memorial, stewardship opportunity, and catalyst for transformative investment in our beloved parks and open spaces.
A living memorial to the victims of 9/11 and the largest civic effort in city history, Daffodil Project gives out bulbs for free to plant in public spaces across all five boroughs. RISE will be hosting one of the Queens distribution sites.
Bulb supplies will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis.
Check back soon to register to reserve your free daffodil bulbs!
Saturday, October 5, 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
"Wildman" Steve Brill will lead a 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 FREE and will happen rain or shine. If the weather is bad, we will move indoors.
Registration is required.
Saturday, October 12, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Beach 64th Street & the Boardwalk
For the twelfth anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, RISE is bringing people of all ages together to care for our shoreline and create a natural protective barrier for the Rockaway community.
As we learned from the hurricane, the natural vegetation and dunes that exist off our shores serve as a buffer to the homes and businesses in the area. Many of these dunes are compromised by storms and shoreline erosion, and they need to be cared for to be effective.
Families, friends, and neighbors are welcome to participate in this dune planting and restoration project. Students can receive community service hours. This event is rain or shine, so please dress accordingly. Registration is encouraged, in case of changes on the day.
Special thanks to National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
Saturday, October 19, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
Join RISE for the 11th Annual Hip-Hop Halloween & Harvest Celebration, as we celebrate with family and friends in Rockaway Hip-Hop Community Garden. Come and take part in decorating pumpkins, face painting, music, dancing, festive food, and more.
This event is FREE and open to all!
Saturday, November 16, 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
RISE, 58-03 Rockaway Beach Boulevard, Far Rockaway, NY 11692
RISE is hosting a special Thanksgiving meal to give thanks and to celebrate our amazing community of family, friends, and neighbors. This FREE sit-down meal is for attendees who register in advance (no more than three per household).
The meal includes all the Thanksgiving favorites, prepared by local Rockaway partners: