Sonam Sherpa’s Eagle Scout project was a park clean up program for American Playground at Greenpoint. The project took place over 3 separate days in April and May, where over 50 scouts and neighbors came to the playground to clean up trash, bottles, and debris.
Sonam is an exceptional 16-year old high school student, who does not even live in the neighborhood; he lives on the other side of Brooklyn in Windsor Terrace. However, he has strong ties to Greenpoint and Williamsburg, having graduated from local middle school IS 318 and has been a member of Scouts BSA Troop 26 for many years. Troop 26 is the 2nd oldest Boy Scouts troop in Brooklyn, and has been meeting outdoors in Greenpoint/Williamsburg parks during this past pandemic year.
Sonam brought together a partnership comprised of NYC Parks, Partnership for Parks, Friends of American Playground, local nonprofit Town Square BK, BSA Troop 26, BSA Troop 1G, BSA Pack 7, local restaurants, and neighborhood residents. NYC Parks donated rakes, brooms, dustbins, garbage bags and gloves for the project. Local restaurants – Franklin Pizza, Le Gamin, and Paulie Gee – donated pastries and pizza to the volunteers. Our local 94th Precinct also dropped by to lend a hand. Scout volunteers came from all over Brooklyn, even as far as Coney Island! More than 50 enormous bags of garbage were collected and this beloved playground was left beautifully broom swept! Sonam and these scouts are an inspiration! And here’s to hoping that local residents will join the newly revived Friends of American Playground and continue this effort!
Contact: AmericanPlaygroundFriends@gmail.com
Photo credit: Susan Anderson
