On Saturday, May 17th from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM, bring your friends, family and colleagues for a fun day of community volunteering at It’s My Park! Day in Union Square Park. Join USP at the George Washington statue before launching into groups to mulch, plant spring annuals, paint outdoor furniture, and participate in other beautification activities. Sponsored by Partnership for Parks, It’s My Park! Day is a great way to get involved in your community and brighten up our beloved park. To volunteer, please RSVP by May 15th to info@unionsquarenyc.org.

Join USP and other East Side Alliance members on Thursday, May 15th at 6:00 PM for a community forum to learn about the Alliance's efforts to improve communication between community members and area methadone providers. The event will be held at NYU's Palladium Building, 3rd Floor Dining Pavilion (140 East 14th Street) and is open to the public. For more information, please contact the District Attorney's Community Affairs Unit at (212) 335-9082.

Bike Month NYC 2008 celebrates the healthy, fun, convenience and ease of cycling in NYC. Sign on today and choose from over 160 rides, classes, races, movies, art and other daily events. Whether you are one of the City's 120,000 everyday cyclists, a weekend cyclist or just thinking about bicycling to work, Bike Month has an activity for you.

Each Monday and Friday morning, young people in red jackets fill the steps of Union Square's south plaza for physical fitness and community activism. They are part of City Year, a program that asks young adults to dedicate a year of their life to improving the lives of others. USP caught up with City Year's Deputy Executive Director Tony Shaw (pictured painting above) to ask him about his favorite places in Union Square.

Place for artistic inspiration. The Union Square Dog Run always energizes and inspires me. It is also a great place for our corp members to meet and talk with the local community.

On April 3rd, nineteen Washington Irving students from USP’s Youth Advisory Program traveled to Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton to participate in mock interviews. Lawyers volunteered their time to meet with students individually to provide helpful feedback on their interviewing skills. In addition to the interviews, the Advisory Program provides participants with counseling to develop life skills, strengthen academic performance, and prepare for future educational and professional experiences. WIHS Junior Tyrone Davis said, “My experience at the CGSH mock interviews was a great opportunity for my friends and me, because saw how an interview would look and feel, which will help us get jobs in the future.”

From May 3rd - May 10th, celebrate all things wild in the Big Apple at the first ever NYC Wildflower Week, which will highlight the hundreds of native flowers and plants that call the City home. Hosted by the Torrey Botanical Society and Con Edison, this week-long event includes dozens of free activities, botanical walks, educational talks and children's events.

If you would like to make a submission for next month's e-newsletter, please email
info@unionsquarenyc.org.

The Union Square Partnership is a community-based, nonprofit organization working to foster the best possible metropolitan neighborhood for its residents, businesses and visitors. We are comprised of a local development corporation and New York City's first business improvement district, two organizations that have served as catalysts behind the area's transformation. For more information, visit our website at unionsquarenyc.org.

Starting Memorial Day weekend, go green with delicious summer Greenmarket menus at Tocqueville (1 East 15th Street, 212-647-1515). Each day, the chef creates a 3-course menu based on the freshest ingredients available in the Greenmarket. In addition, everyone who orders from the menu will receive a free re-usable tote bag for use for eco-friendly market shopping.