Please join us at our ANNUAL STREET FAIR - on Sunday, July 19th, 2026, on Broadway between 97th and 106th Streets.
We work closely with the gardeners of JULIA GABRIEL’S PEOPLE'S GARDEN - formerly known as the West 111th Street People’s Garden - at the corner of Amsterdam. Children from nearby Manhattan Valley schools have planted daffodils every year and received educational content by a consultant from GrowNYC, a nonprofit devoted to improving New York City's quality of life through environmental programs. Check them out at www.GrowNYC.org.
Our latest initiative is MANHATTAN VALLEY TREES - there are over 150 trees missing in Manhattan Valley, and VRLDC is working with the NYC Tree Trust and local elected officials to organize an effort to replace the missing trees. We worked with the local Columbus Amsterdam Business Improvement District to secure a $76,000 grant to plant trees and install tree guards throughout Manhattan Valley.
We are supporting the FRIENDS OF THE METRO THEATER to bring back to life this largely abandoned theater located between 99th and 100th Streets on Broadway. We are delighted to see that it is in the process of being reborn as the Uptown Film Center in 2028.
VRLDC is also the nonprofit sponsor of FRIENDS OF ANIBAL AVILES PLAYGROUND, which has recently undergone a complete reconstruction and as of March 2026 is now officially open!