Annual Community Report

December 2007

Complex-Wide

  • Computer donation: Chelsea Piers donated more than 100 computers to neighborhood schools and community organizations, including the Museum School, the Guardian Angel School, Covenant House and the Fulton Houses.
  • Bayview Correctional Facility: Chelsea Piers joined the Bayview Correctional Facility's Neighborhood Advisory Council in our continuing effort to support positive changes at community institutions.
  • Hudson Guild: In support of the Hudson Guild and its value within the Chelsea community, Chelsea Piers donated $1000 for a brick on the Guild's entranceway.
  • Chelsea Piers Passports: This year, Chelsea Piers distributed more than 4,000 complex-wide Passports, valued at more than $240,000 to charitable organizations. The passports can be redeemed for free admission to general skating at Sky Rink, a day pass to the Sports Center, a complimentary ball card at the Golf Club, one free shoe rental at 300 New York Chelsea Piers Lanes, admission to the Toddler Adventure Center, and batting cage tokens at the Field House. Charitable groups use the passports in order to raise money through silent auctions and raffles.
  • Scholarship Fund: Thanks to our many enthusiastic campers, the summer of 2007 was a fantastic time to be at Chelsea Piers. Our scholarship programs sponsored approximately 115 children from throughout New York City. As always, we were thrilled to provide lots of children with memorable summer experiences. Chelsea Piers offers scholarships throughout the year for programming at Sky Rink, the Golf Club and the Field House.

Free Events

  • Teen Sports Training Panel: In order to provide parents with the most up-to-date and scientifically based research on the subject of adolescents and sports training, Chelsea Piers BlueStreak held a free educational evening hosted by Perri Peltz of NBC News with the BlueStreak Advisory Council (Chelsea Piers BlueStreak is our new advanced sports training facility). The panel discussion included such topics as ACL injury prevention, proper nutrition, youth strength training, overuse injuries and playing sports in college. The panel discussion was followed by a question and answer session.
  • Free Skating: For the fifth year in a row, Sky Rink offered free general skating on Sundays from May through October.
  • Holiday on Hudson: Sky Rink's free (but ticketed) skating exhibition event, the eleventh annual Holiday on the Hudson, will take place on Friday, December 7, 2007 at 7pm. Holiday on the Hudson features skating performances by children from the Sky Rink Skating School and Sky Rink's world-class professional skating staff. Guests are also encouraged to bring a toy for the Toys for Tots drive.
  • Urban Run: In conjunction with Chelsea Piers sponsor, adidas, Chelsea Piers began the adidas Urban Run program. The adidas Urban Run is free of charge and open to everyone. Runners meet at the adidas Urban Run office Tuesday evenings at 7:00pm and Sunday mornings at 10:00am and are led by experienced pace runners who give splits and training tips during the run.
  • Sundeck Yoga: Throughout the summer, the Sports Center provided an instructor and hosted three morning yoga classes on the sundeck for the Friends of Hudson River Park.
  • Women's Golf Social: The Golf Club hosted a free Women's Social event in April, boasting swing tips at the driving range from some of the Golf Club's top pros and club demos by the New York Golf Center. At the end of a great evening, seven lucky winners took home raffle prizes including tickets to the Bateaux dinner cruise, Sports Center day passes, Chelsea Piers Gold Passports, Delta tickets and gift bags from the event's sponsor, Green County Tourism.
  • Family Fun Day: To kick off the spring season, the Golf Club hosted Family Fun Day, a free event where families were invited to take advantage of the driving range, get swing tips and enjoy ice cream sundaes.

The Golf Club

  • First Tee: This fall the Golf Club at Chelsea Piers celebrated its 2nd year as a fully operational teaching facility for The First Tee, a not-for-profit youth development organization that promotes character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. The Golf Club is the only First Tee facility in Manhattan. They provide space, golf instructors and teachers to run The First Tee's Life Skills program. The Life Skills program is designed to instill and nurture essential values, such as honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, and a solid work ethic in young people while they learn the game of golf. This year Chelsea Piers donated 250 hours of space and instruction; over 400 kids participated in the program. This opportunity is open to all NYC public school children, as well as students who wish to participant in the individual sign-up class.
  • Rally for the Cure: On April 24, 2007, the Golf Club partnered with Rally for the Cure, the nation's largest cause-oriented women's golf program. With a donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, guests enjoyed breakfast, open hitting and an Early Bird Golf 101 clinic taught by Golf Club teaching professional, Allan Renz.
  • Ronald McDonald House: In August, the Golf Club opened its doors, and donated an entire tier of hitting stalls to host a group from the Ronald McDonald House. Thirty-five guests came down for an afternoon filled with cheerful conversation, smiles, snacks and of course, golf.

Sky Rink

  • Sail into Spring: Chelsea Piers hosted its annual Sail into Spring fundraising dinner in May to support the Sky Rink Youth Scholarship fund and its quest to enable more children to participate in ice hockey and figure skating programs.
  • Chelsea Challenge: Sky Rink sponsored the 2007 Chelsea Challenge, an event hosted by the New York City Gay Hockey Association that attracts ice hockey players from the US, Canada and Europe.
  • Dream Savers: In May 2007, Chelsea Piers completed its two-year Dream Savers free financial literacy program in conjunction with the Ameriquest Mortgage Company. More than 300 children and chaperones enjoyed fun-filled afternoons of ice-skating and pizza.

The Field House

  • Manhattan Village School: The Field House is currently working with Manhattan Village School to supplement the students' physical education program.
  • Room to Grow: Beginning this year, all Field House birthday parties will be offered the option of donating books or toys to Room to Grow in lieu of presents. Room to Grow is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of babies born into poverty throughout their critical first three years of development.
  • New Heights: The Field House worked with New Heights, a non-profit organization in Harlem that combines sports and academics to empower children to be successful in high school, college and life, to run a basketball tournament for the children in the program.

The Sports Center

  • Hudson Guild: In October, the Sports Center donated two large screen television sets to the Hudson Guild.
  • Sports Center Mile: On May 4, 2007, the Sports Center hosted the first-ever Sports Center 1-mile competition. The competition was free of charge and open to non-members.
  • Engine 34/Ladder 21: This spring, the Sports Center donated couches and gym equipment to Engine 34/Ladder 21 in Hell's Kitchen.

Pier Sixty and the Lighthouse Event Centers

  • Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center: For the fifth year in a row, Pier Sixty and the Lighthouse donated more than 300 meals to the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center for its annual Garden Party.
  • FeedingNYC: Pier Sixty donated their space to help FeedingNYC, a Community Board 4 based charity, to assemble more than 1,500 Thanksgiving meals for families in New York City. Women in Need, the Jewish Federation of New York, Catholic Charities, Domestic Violence Program and City Harvest distribute the meals to designated families in need.
  • Greater New York Hospital Group: For the fifth year in a row Pier Sixty will prepare fifty cooked turkeys for the Greater New York Hospital Group to distribute during the holiday season.
  • 10th Precinct: This year Pier Sixty sent quarterly platters of cookies to the 10th Precinct in appreciation of their continued hard work in the neighborhood.
  • Engine 37/Ladder 40: Pier Sixty will be catering a buffet Christmas dinner complete with fish, chicken, beef and sides for the Engine 37/Ladder 40 firehouse on 125th Street and Broadway in Harlem.
  • Delancey Street Foundation: For the third year in row Pier Sixty has provided Delancey Street Foundation, the country's leading residential self-help organization for former substance abusers, ex-convicts, homeless and others, with pies and cakes for their annual summer picnic.