Randall’s Island Park Alliance

During this time of uncertainty, it is more critical than ever to support the core mission of RIPA – to provide safe, outdoor activities for our community and to sustain, maintain, and develop programs for the Park that support the wellbeing of all New Yorkers.

NEW YORK (PRWEB) March 18, 2021

On Wednesday, March 10, the Randall’s Island Park Alliance (RIPA) hosted its 2021 Virtual Gala, raising over $1 million. The event, honored founding RIPA President Aimee Boden and Manhattan Soccer Club Head Coach Ray Selvadurai.

The newly virtual event was live streamed for all attendees and is now publicly available at https://gala.randallsisland.org/

Deborah Maher, President of RIPA said, “The COVID 19 pandemic has disrupted so many aspects of our lives and we thought it was important to hold our Gala as we normally would, albeit in a new ‘virtual’ format. In this unique year, we were thrilled to honor both Aimee and Ray for their leadership and their commitment to our community.

Ms. Maher added, “Their support, along with the generous support of our donors, Board of Trustees, as well as our local business and community partners, allows Randall’s Island to continue to be a fresh air oasis for so many visitors. During this time of uncertainty, it is more critical than ever to support the core mission of RIPA – to provide safe, outdoor activities for our community and to sustain, maintain, and develop programs for the Park that support the wellbeing of all New Yorkers.”

As RIPA’s first President starting in 1992, Aimee Boden was a tireless leader for over 30 years who spearheaded the restoration and transformation of Randall’s Island Park into New York’s premier destination for sports and recreation that it is today. Over the last twenty years at Manhattan Soccer Club, Ray Selvadurai has built a nurturing home for youth soccer players and their families, partnering with RIPA to provide open spaces to overcome the limitations of competitive athletics in a crowded urban environment.

Aimee Boden said, “I want to thank you all, especially the Board leadership, for providing this amazing career-long opportunity at RIPA. I leave with pride in all we have achieved. I’ve gained knowledge in areas as diverse as turf management, high voltage electrical substations, wetlands ecology, and more. It has been a jigsaw puzzle of new pieces to learn every day and it has been enormously satisfying to have such an impact and to experience the tangible results of this work.”

Ray Selvadurai said, “We are a large club and compared to some of the other clubs in New York City, we provide a lot more opportunities for kids – specifically more teams and more training space. Randall’s Island provides us that space and we use that to put together great soccer matches and even host a tournament. It’s nice when all of the players and their families can come to one place to watch a match. That’s how you develop a community. We simply could not be a club without Randall’s Island.”

The RIPA 2021 Virtual Gala was Co-Chaired by Lucy Fato, Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Global Head of Communications of AIG, and Justin G. Hamill, Partner at Latham and Watkins, LLP. Vice Chairs included Rodney Cohen, Brenda DiLuigi, Sandra Frenz, Justin H. Green, Mark I. Greene, Leslie Myers, Carol Perry and Sherri Williams. The Gala Committee included Melissa Boxer, Lori Hawkins and Jenny Slayton-Green.

About the Randall’s Island Park Alliance:

The Randall’s Island Park Alliance (RIPA), founded in 1992, is a public-private partnership with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation that seeks to realize the unique potential of 330 waterfront parkland acres anchoring Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens. RIPA works with the City and local communities to provide an innovative and exciting destination through a wide range of sports venues, cultural events, and environmental exploration. As the dedicated steward of Randall’s Island Park, the Alliance sustains, maintains, develops and programs the Park to support the well-being of all New Yorkers. The Park offers miles of waterfront pathways, almost nine acres of wetlands, an urban farm, a track & field stadium, a 20-court tennis center, and over 60 new playing fields, as well as the Harlem River Event Site. For more information, please visit randallsisland.org.

Media Contact for Randall’s Island Park Alliance:

Jennifer Wainwright
Randall’s Island Park Alliance
Jennifer.wainwright@randallsisland.org

Melissa Sheer
Kent Place Communications, LLC
melissa@kentplacellc.com 917-690-2199

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