Annual Community Report
December 2010
2011 brings new resolutions, hopes and optimism to New York City. For Chelsea Piers, 2011 brings new opportunities to reflect on its outreach efforts to the surrounding community.
Help Where It’s Needed Most
A little over one year ago, Haiti was hit by a catastrophic, 7.0 magnitude earthquake, affecting an estimated three million people. Chelsea Piers immediately began a collection drive of gently worn shoes and sneakers that would be donated to Haiti survivors through the nonprofit Soles4Souls. After days of collecting, sorting and shipping, Chelsea Piers sent over 1,200 pounds of shoes to Haiti. We are proud of our role in the local community, and happy that in this case we could involve our customers and extend our reach.
There are nearly 11,000 school-age children in the NYC homeless shelters on any given day. Many of them, without the necessary school supplies to head back to school in September. Volunteers of America hosts a drive every year – Operation Backpack – assembling full backpacks for homeless children throughout the city. For the second year in a row, Operation Backpack partnered with Chelsea Piers to provide brand new, filled backpacks for more than 7,000 children!
In March, the Sports Center hosted a Dance Aid for Haiti, raising money for the Haiti Earthquake relief efforts. Thirteen dance acts performed, including experimental, modern/contemporary, tap, Spanish, Balinese, and jazz, raising over $1,300 for relief efforts.
Pier Sixty donated their space again this year to help FeedingNYC, a Community Board 4 based charity, to assemble more than 2,000 Thanksgiving meals for families in New York City.
Pier 60 also sponsored a semester of cooking classes at the Hudson Guild Beacon Program, a free after-school program for middle school children.
The Golf Club coordinated its annual holiday coat drive this year. Members, customers, guests and employees are encouraged to donate lightly used winter coats for those in need. All coats are donated to NY Cares as part of their larger winter coat drive.
How many times have you arrived at Chelsea Piers and wondered, "How do I get to the Field House? Or Spirit Cruises? Or the public benches on the tips of the piers?" In a different form of "help" where it’s needed most, Chelsea Pies provided a public Information Office throughout the entire summer. Not only did the Information Office provide directions around the Piers but also ideas for fun things to do in the neighborhood.
Public Events for the Greater Good
Chelsea Piers is committed to giving children from all backgrounds the opportunity to learn and play through involvement in sports activities. To this end, Chelsea Piers Management supports two scholarship funds, as well as other programs, that enable disadvantaged children to participate in camps and activities at Chelsea Piers and throughout the city. This past year, Chelsea Piers donated more than $750,000 in scholarships and charitable donations.
The Chelsea Piers Scholarship Fund partnered with Dustin Keller and the Dustin Keller Foundation to host the Believe & Achieve Charity Golf Gala. The Gala was attended by members of the New York Jets including Mark Sanchez, Braylon Edwards, Jericho Cotchery and more. The event raised over $30,000 for both foundations and featured golf hitting contests, a dinner buffet, open bar and a silent auction.
Sky Rink hosted its annual free holiday skating performance, Holiday on the Hudson, featuring skating performances by children from the Sky Rink Skating School and Sky Rink's world-class professional skating staff. Guests were encouraged to bring a toy for the annual Toys for Tots drive hosted by the US Marine Corps.
Last year, the Sports Center continued Yoga on Pier 64, a summer yoga series, offering the public free yoga classes all summer. Hundreds of yogis met at the tip of Pier 64 for beautiful sunset yoga sessions. Be sure to bring your best Downward Facing Dog and join us next summer.
The Sports Center would like to extend a special thanks to all who participated and helped spread the word for the amazing "A World without Breast Cancer Zumba Class" benefiting the Greater New York City Chapter of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Over 440 people traveled from as far as Ohio, Florida and Texas to shake and shimmy on the Sports Center basketball courts from 1:30pm - 3:30pm on October 3rd. It was absolute ZUMBAMANIA! Over $11,775 was raised for a great cause.
The Sports Center and Fitness Magazine hosted a free Pre-Marathon Tune-Up event for all runners before the NYC Marathon. The Tune-Up featured guest speakers, marathon/triathlon champions, nutrition information, a mini-workout, chair massages and more. Over 100 marathoners attended and received Fitness Magazine Swag Bags!
