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Puppy action in PortSide's Pandemic PopUp Park
July 28, 2020
Greetings!

Hello again. Miss you! I hope you and yours are well. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sorry for the silence. I had covid19 myself (a mild but long-running case) and have not been my most organized self after I emerged from that in mid-May. For a while there, I was super busy with logistics and fundraising to get a new, vintage engine for the ship, and we did it! We raised over $13,000 and think the engine will arrive in a week or two.

I write to ask if you have time - and willingness - to volunteer. Volunteering at PortSide is, as with so much else, affected by coronavirus:

  • More of our work is virtual, and we need help in that realm. We also have admin work that can be done remotely. There is also shipwork if you have the skills. See our webpage VOLUNTEER for a summary.
  • Our physical summer programs are designed but unconfirmed until we confirm volunteers and interns to work the plans.
  • We also need to look over the NYS regulations on re-opening. Anyone here a master of that already?
  • As payback, since people are craving socially-distanced spaces and outdoor time, we want to offer volunteers access to the ship MARY A. WHALEN and kayaks (depending on skill level). I haven’t set an hour- worked per hours give-back ratio; I’d like to hear whose interested and available first.
  • Please look over our project areas below and see if any of this works for you or anyone you know.

First a question, does your employer match hours you volunteer? We’ve learned that some firms will make a cash donation to PortSide (at a rate they set) for hours you volunteer here. Please inquire.

News! Chiclet now has her own Instagram page @ship_cat_chiclet and we created a Pandemic PopUp Park next to the ship.

Thanks for whatever you can do! Stay strong, everyone! Brooklyn strong.


Best,
Carolina Salguero 
Founder & Executive Director

What we're doing & how you can help...

Please see our webpage VOLUNTEER for a summary of work not related to programs.


Programs

  1. Daily, I live stream the sunset (now starting at 8pm) on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. I passed the 100 mark last week.
  2. Sundays around 6:15pm, the bluegrass band Kings Country plays in our Pandemic PopUp Park next to the ship.
  3. Saturday, 8/1, 7pm an avant garde jazz trio led by Chris Pitsiokos will be there. That’s a free public space, so sometimes musicians just show up. 
  4. We’ll be announcing dates for virtual events to include TankerTours of the MARY, a talk and slide show by Archipelago NewYork and more.

We could use 1 volunteer for #3 above and for some of 4 once plans are settled.

Can you help maintain the PopUp Park? That's half an hour of plant-watering a day and picking up occassional litter with a grabber tool. Folks have been really tidy.

Can anyone here shoot livestream video on the PortSide cellphone? That way I don't have to do it all the time.

Programs not-yet finalized:

  1. TankerTime by reservation for the families of two schools serving disadvantaged students PS 676 and Summit Academy, both in Red Hook.
  2. If all slots are not filled, TankerTime selected by lottery for Red Hook residents.
  3. Maybe some TankerCamp overnights for people selected by lottery.

Each of those will need 1 volunteer per session to be present during the visit and powerwash the touched surfaces afterwards.
Carolina live streaming the sunset (c) Michael Arthur @inklines
Virtual Programs for youth and adults during COVID19 era

Visit our virtual museum Red Hook Water Stories

Explore a growing collection on our blog of virtual programs from around the world selected by our Historian/Curator Peter Rothenberg
Some thoughts about handling stress of social distancing

Here's what our crew learned about handling social isolation during the 9 years that PortSide was stuck in the containerport where the ship had no public access and was not even visible from the street. 

Replicating what sustained our beleaguered crew may help you: a strong belief in what we were doing, a lively sense of humor, and compliments. Getting a compliment meant being seen and was hugely uplifting. So compliment and thank others liberally; that makes good energy flow and will bring it back to you. End your day affirming yourself and your day, what was good about it and how you handled it, even if it was just “that sandwich was great.” Falling asleep thinking about positive things makes for better dreams and a stronger tomorrow.

Stay strong. Stay safe. Digital hugs until we see you aboard the MARY again.
Staying in Touch

Missed our last newsletter? Visit the  archive .


Our liveliest social media portal is Facebook page  Mary A. Whalen  due to how long we have developed a community there. We are also on Twitter  and  Instagram   too.

PortSide NewYork is a living lab for better urban waterways. 

We connect New Yorkers to the benefits of their waterfront, and advocate for better uses of the waterfront and waterways. 

We bring the community ashore and community afloat closer together for the benefit of all. We bring WaterStories to life!
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