Category Archives: kids

Harlem RBI honored with Nonprofit Excellence Award


The winners of the 2012 New York Community Trust/New York Magazine Nonprofit Excellence Awards were announced yesterday, November 15th, in New York City and a Harlem organization received one of the three top honors. Harlem RBI, which uses the power of teams to coach, teach and inspire inner-city youth to recognize their potential and realize their dreams, received the Silver Prize Award. Richard Berlin, Executive Director and Kenneth Rosh, Board Chairman-shown in the photo below-accepted the award and a $10,000 prize. Harlem RBI won the Prize for Excellent Communications in 2008 and has now been recognized for its outstanding management practices.

The Gold Prize Award went to Red Hook Initiative in Brooklyn and the Bronze Prize Award went to Open Door Family Medical Center in Ossining, NY. Each winner also received scholarships towards tuition at Programs in Social Enterprise in Executive Education at Columbia Business School, valued at a total of $18,000.

The Nonprofit Excellence Awards honor outstanding management practices and encourage innovation and communications among New York’s diverse nonprofit community. A Selection Committee of 28 nonprofit experts choose these three organizations from an original group of 50 applicants.

Congrats to Harlem RBI! Way to go!

A look back in photos at this year’s East Harlem Harvest Festival

East Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest Festival
East Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest Festival
East Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest Festival
East Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest FestivalEast Harlem Harvest Festival

On October 27, the business community of East Harlem organized their first Harlem Harvest Festival. I attended and had a fabulous time from drinking SugarHill Beer for FREE (Yum), to watching to 212Green perform and walking up and down La Marqueta trying out the different food treats. It was a wonderful time at the East Harlem Harvest Festival and glad to hear the organizers plan on doing this a couple of times a year! Given that, I definitely plan to head back!

Attend the Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail October 28 at Harlem Meer

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Don’t forget that this coming Sunday (October 28th) is the annual Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail at Harlem Meer, the entrance is located at 110th Street and Lenox Avenue or Fifth Avenue and 110th Street. Bring your little pumpkin, aka kid/child, in their favorite Halloween costume and a carved pumpkin for the sail. The event starts at 4 pm with the Pumpkin Sail starting as the sun sets. It’s a fun time. I enjoy seeing all the kiddos in their adorable costumes.

To learn more about the Pumpkin Sail in terms of weight and size, go here. And go here to view past posts on the annual Halloween Parade and Pumpkin Sail.

Reminder: East Harlem Harvest Festival October 27 from noon to 6 pm

It’s Thursday and I am already thinking about the weekend. I am planning on heading on over to the eastside of Harlem, 116th Street and Park Avenue, for its first Harlem Harvest Festival. The event celebrates East Harlem’s restaurants, bakeries and vendors of La Marqueta public market.

Several restaurants will be participating where one can purchase small bites from Agua Fresca, Kiosk, Hot Bread Kitchen, Soul Fixins’, Creole Restaurant and Music Supper Club, Evelyn’s Kitchen, Luca Bosco, Corbin Hill Farm, Spaha Cafe, Tanto Sabor, El Kallejon Botanas Bar, East Harlem Cafe, Lloyd’s Carrot Cake, Coco Le Vu and Nafi’s Hot Pepper Condiments.

There will be Beer Flights available in the Beer Garden at Urban Garden Center and there will be a Make Your Own Brew Workshop hosted by Celeste Beatty, the founder of Sugar Hill Beer of the Harlem Brewing Company. The Children’s Zone at Urban Garden Center will have a cooking demo by Culinaria Festival, face painting, pumpkin carving and the Cutie Patooties workshop. Dimitri Gatanas of Urban Garden Center will be hosting garden related workshops like How to Build Your Own Terrarium and “Plants in Suspension” Dimitri’s version of the Japanese art of Kokedama.

Hope you can join in on the fun. The event starts at noon October 27 and will end at 6 pm. So plenty of time to head on over to La Marqueta at East 116th Street and Park Avenue. See you there!

Let’s help Harlem Grown win $25,000 from Martha Stewart


Last night when I was online tweeting about the Presidential Debate. I came across Edward Norton’s (the actor) twitter page. His tweet said: “Trying to help Harlem Grown win $25K from Martha Stewart.” I inquired further and realized this was important information Mr. Norton tweeted out. I wanted to share too to help Harlem Grown.

This holiday season Martha Stewart is helping to give back by creating the Thanks for Giving Challenge. This is where charities that raise the most funds by November 25th as a part of the Challenge will receive additional cash contributions (as much as $25,000!) from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. So go here to donate at least $26 from October 19 at 7:00 pm EST to November 27th at 11:59 pm EST and you will be automatically entered into the sweepstakes to Win a Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook and you’re helping Harlem Grown to win $25k.

Watch: Harlem kids sing ‘get out and vote’

Harlem children from Democracy Prep sing a familiar tune encouraging all to get out and vote! “It is our civic duty,” says the kids from Harlem Prep! Couldn’t agree more!

Attend Manhattan Country School Farm Festival in East Harlem October 20

Every year Manhattan Country School (MCS) in East Harlem aims to bring a little bit of the Catskills to the streets and children of NYC during their annual Farm Festival. This Fall season is no different. MCS will host its annual Farm Festival for children ages 3 and up from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, October 20. This is when parent volunteers turn East 96th Street between Madison and Fifth Avenues into an urban carnival, offering family friendly entertainment including rides, games, crafts, a silent auction, raffles and live music-all for FREE! The MCS Farm Festival also offers a selection of homemade baked goods, a wide variety of delicious ethnic cuisine and fresh produce from their farm in Roxbury, NY.

Admission is free and tickets for food, games and rides will be available for purchase. In the event of rain, festivities will take place indoors.

MCS Farm Festival – FREE
Saturday, Oct. 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
7 East 96 Street, NY 10128 (which is where Harlem begins on the East side)
Between Fifth and Madison Avenues, Near Central Park

Subway/Bus directions
Take the #6 to 96 Street or MTA bus M1, M2, M3, M4, M96

Save the Date: East Harlem Harvest Festival happening October 26-27

Central Harlem just completed its Harvest Festival. Now its time to plan for East Harlem’s Harvest Festival taking place at 116th Street and Park Avenue. I believe its the first one and organizers are making sure it lasts all weekend.

On October 26, a celebration of culture and cuisine is planned. How to make you’re own brewski is on the agenda at the Urban Garden Center and Sugar Hill Beer is involved. That will be good and those 21 years and older can participate. A Hookah Lounge will be set up thanks to Kiosk Restaurant, a delightful Moroccan restaurant in East Harlem. And for children, the East Harlem Harvest Festival will be planning a Recycling Game, pumpkin carving and a class on how to make healthy food provided by Culinaria Festival!

So no need to worry about making plans for the weekend of October 26-27. Head on over to the eastside of Harlem for their Harvest Festival. See you there.

One week away, Harlem Harvest Festival October 6

Some of us will be checking out the Common Ground Festival today in Morningside Park, but then a week later its time to head over to the Harlem Harvest Festival on October 6, which I believe its in its third or fourth year. The Festival starts at 116th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue. See details below and read last year’s blog post on the Harlem Harvest Festival.

Attend Morningside Park’s Common Ground Festival in Harlem

Have no plans for Saturday? Head on over to Morningside Park in Central Harlem for the Common Ground Festival, organized by Friends of Morningside Park. The Common Ground Festival takes place on Saturday, September 29 from 2 to 8 pm. Enter at 114th Street and Morningside Avenue.

This year the Common Ground Festival will feature pony rides, lantern making, various dance performances, music and will also align with the “Morningside Lights” Arts Festival installation and puppet parade.

The Common Ground Festival will also have several food vendors, including Snap Food Truck, Yogo Frozen Yogurt and Cuzinz Duzins.

Should be a fun day! See you there!