Spring Picnic Returns with Gardeners, Broadway Talent, and More

On June 15, 2022, our annual Spring Picnic gala returned after a two year pandemic hiatus. Guests gathered at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for a beautiful night of celebrating our gardeners, supporters, and NYRP’s essential greening work across the city.

We were thrilled to honor landscape visionaries and NYRP Trustees Walter Hood (Creative Director and Founder, Hood Design Studio) and Janice Parker (Principal and Founder, Janice Parker Landscape Architects) for their critical support of our mission to ensure all New Yorkers have equitable access to green space, no matter where they live.

Frank DiLella, Emmy Award-winning journalist, hosted the program featuring performances by The Brooklyn Music School Faculty Jazz Ensemble and Broadway stars Adam Jacobs (Aladdin), and Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls The Musical). 

This Spring Picnic also included our first-ever NYRP Garden Spotlight Awards recognizing groups who have gone above and beyond the past two years. The night’s awards went to Bette’s Rose Garden (Melrose, The Bronx) and Aberdeen Community Garden (Bushwick, Brooklyn) for Rookie of the Year; our Eastchester Road Community Garden (Eastchester, The Bronx) for Maximizing Food Production; and our Bathgate Community Garden (Tremont, The Bronx) for being a Community Hub.

In addition to beautiful performances, the evening included outdoor cocktails, a seated dinner, and demos hosted by NYRP gardeners. Guests infused their own honey with our Hendrix Street Community Garden gardener Monti Lawson, learned how to make a local summer salad with chef and Williams Avenue Community Garden gardener Kele Nkhereanye, and assembled their own terrariums with our Miraflores Community Garden gardener Alexis Henry. 

You can still make a donation to ensure that all New Yorkers have equitable access to quality green spaces.

Event Co-Chairs
Todd DeGarmo
Helena Durst

Thank you to our generous Spring Picnic supporters:

Diamond Gardeners
Amy Goldman Fowler and Sara Goldman Arno
Bette Midler and Martin von Haselberg
Janice Parker Landscape Architects

Golden Shovel
Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere
Miriam Wheeler

Silver Spade
Todd DeGarmo / STUDIOS Architecture
Helena Durst
Hollander Design Landscape Architects
Kathy and Ben Needell
Vered Rabia

Bronze Trowel
Peter Christensen
Delta
The Durst Organization
EvensonBest
Marilyn and Jim Simons
Darcy Stacom, CBRE Group, Inc.
Margaret and Michael Valentine
Ann Ziff

Budding Rose
Jody and John Arnhold
Samuel M. Ashner
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
David Geffen Foundation
Nikki Donen and Clifford Ross
Douglas and Susanne Durst
David Falk
Janet and Thomas Montag
The Moore Charitable Foundation
Margo M. and James L. Nederlander
Nancy Owens
Katharine J. Rayner
Angelina and Michael Reali
Jon Recor and Commissioner Daniel Stewart – Retired
Iris Smith

Blossoming Flower
Betty Chen and Peter Coombe
Cathy Chernoff
Elaine Dannheisser Foundation
Sophie Coquillette Koven
Sophie von Haselberg and Harry Guinness
Jennifer Wray

Sprouting Seedling
Maxwell Abbott
Cassie Arison and Niv Alexander
James Capalino
Susan Courtemanche
Donna Kenton
Michael Lorber
Josh and Kerri Rider
Steve Shane
Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks

As of 6/15/2022

Please contact [email protected] with any Spring Picnic questions.

Photo Credit: BFA