80 Employee Volunteers Join SCA for Service in Manhattan’s East Village
On the morning of May 28th, over 80 employee volunteers from SCA’s national partner American Eagle Outfitters gathered in Manhattan’s East Village to restore Tompkins Square Park as part of the #AEOBetterWorld initiative.
Tompkins Square Park — an oasis of green in the heart of the East Village — receives heavy use from families and local residents but has only one gardener on staff to manage 10 acres. “We really rely on volunteers,” said NYC Parks Manager Terese Flores. “We couldn’t keep this park in shape without such dedicated efforts from the community.”
More than 80 employee volunteers from American Eagle stepped in this week to help SCA restore this much-loved Manhattan greenspace. Guided by SCA youth leaders, volunteers pulled weeds, aerated and reseeded compacted lawns, and planted flowering shrubs to fill out depleted garden beds. By the end of the project, volunteers had cleared weeds from two acres of the park, reseeded an acre of new lawn, and planted dozens of new perennials across the park.
“It was so great working with American Eagle volunteers,” said SCA leader Leelah Pewu, an alum of SCA’s NYC community crews. “Everyone was so excited about the work and so interested in learning about our experiences with SCA. I would never have had the opportunity to serve with SCA in the first place if it wasn’t for AEO’s support of our urban community programs — so it all comes full-circle!”
American Eagle Outfitters has helped SCA build the next generation of conservation leaders since 2006, contributing over $5M to support SCA members on conservation projects. With previous NYC projects at Riverside Park, East River Park, and now at Tompkins Square Park, AEO is helping neglected urban greenspaces in NYC and across the country become greener and more resilient than ever.
See more photos from this event.
