Off the Block
2024 Proposed Events
URBAN AND RURAL FARM PROGRAM
We believe in empowering children from underserved communities by curating experiential events, food, and services to The Robert A Taft Houses Residential Association and getting their kids Off the Block. We Help Our Children Dream of a Better Future.
OFF THE BLOCK STOCK PICKING GAME
This Spring, the kids of The Taft Houses will explore the fundamentals of personal finance and investing, while practicing content and skills in math, English Language Arts, economics, social studies, and other subjects.
“FRESH KICKS” SNEAKER DESIGN COMPETITION
What do kids like more than sneakers? How about the ability to design their own? The kids from The Taft Houses will get an introduction to CAD software promoting critical thinking, problem solving, math and creativity. Our future designers with the winning submissions (by age group) will see their design come to life with a prototype generated with a 3D printer.
NYC OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ONGOING SAFETY SERIES
In conjunction with the NYC Office of Emergency Management, the kids and families of the Taft Houses will learn about everything from Fire Safety to Extreme Weather Prevention to Energy Conservation through a series of education and experiential events.
HARLEM MEETS WEST POINT
Off The Block will be partnering with the United States Military Academy at West Point to create a program where the children of Taft will be able to tour the USMA with assigned Cadets. They will participate in a STEM activity surrounding bridge building in conjunction with the USACE. The afternoon will culminate with the children participating in a scavenger hunt on the Academy’s grounds.
PAJAMA PROGRAM EVENT MARCH 2024
Getting a good night’s sleep on a regular basis is not a given for all children. Reading to your children before bed can also vastly expand a child's vocabulary and foster a lifelong love of storytelling and reading. Helping parents and young children learn the value of getting a good night's sleep brought us into partnership with the Pajama Program. Special guest and renowned author Tanya Wright shared a reading of one of her books with the attending families, aligning perfectly with the event's focus on bedtime routines and family connections. The event not only underscores the commitment of both organizations to promoting healthy sleep but also signifies a united effort to address the specific needs of children and families facing adversity.
COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM
College can change the trajectory of any child's life, which is why when there is an opportunity to partner with an organization that is educating parents about upfront scholarships that are available to every public school child, beginning with kindergarten, Off the Block jumped at the opportunity to add it to our financial literacy program. The NYC Kids RISE Save for College Program provides families, schools, and communities with a way to work together to save for their children’s futures. It’s a scholarship and savings program designed to make college and career training more accessible and achievable for all NYC public school students, starting in kindergarten—regardless of their family’s income or immigration status.
HARLEM ROOTS TREE PLANTING
Planting trees fosters a sense of community and civic pride, especially in underserved communities. This Spring, we will bring the kids of Taft Houses to the countryside and have them plant their very own tree, introducing them to the wonder of horticulture and expanding their horizons. We will make a return trip to the tree farm in the Fall so they can chart their trees' progress. Our goal is to make Harlem Roots an annual program, allowing the kids to revisit their trees over time.
Off the Block
2024 Proposed Events
“FALL” IN LOVE WITH HOLIDAY HILL
APPLES AND PUMPKINS AT ORT FARMS
BOO AT THE ZOO!
PICKLEBALL COMES TO HARLEM!
HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON LAUNCH!
2023
Off the Block
Events
*Budget includes the following expenses: Transportation, Tickets, Marketing and Promotion, Multimedia, Food and Beverage, Project Management etc.
JUNE 2023 - AUGUST 2023
PICKLEBALL COMES TO HARLEM!
Through a partnership with City Pickle, Solutions Now was able to offer the children of Taft free pickleball lessons throughout the summer. Pickleball is unique in that it is suitable for all ages and reinforces conscious inclusion and character building while promoting physical, social, emotional, and mental wellness in children.
JULY 2023
HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON LAUNCH!
Through a partnership with CCNY, Solutions Now teamed up with Launch with Us, which has a High-Altitude Ballooning Program that stimulates student interest in STEM by having them engineer a 1600g balloon launch and develop experiments on how objects will survive on the surface of Mars. High-altitude balloons take the student’s experiments to the upper stratosphere, 22 miles above the earth, where the atmospheric conditions are analogous to the surface of Mars.
SEPTEMBER 2023
“FALL” IN LOVE WITH HOLIDAY HILL
Holiday Hill is a 200-acre private farm in central Connecticut where our Taft families are invited to spend the day swimming, kayaking, playing and most important being with and getting to know their neighbors outside of the confines of the Taft houses. The children did everything from face painting to competing in pie-eating contests. It does a wonderful job of bringing the Taft community of parents and children together for a memorable annual event that kicks off our Fall program.
JUNE 2023 - AUGUST 2023
PICKLEBALL COMES TO HARLEM!
Through a partnership with City Pickle, Solutions Now was able to offer the children of Taft free pickleball lessons throughout the summer. Pickleball is unique in that it is suitable for all ages and reinforces conscious inclusion and character building while promoting physical, social, emotional, and mental wellness in children.
JULY 2023
HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON LAUNCH!
Through a partnership with CCNY, Solutions Now teamed up with Launch with Us, which has a High-Altitude Ballooning Program that stimulates student interest in STEM by having them engineer a 1600g balloon launch and develop experiments on how objects will survive on the surface of Mars. High-altitude balloons take the student’s experiments to the upper stratosphere, 22 miles above the earth, where the atmospheric conditions are analogous to the surface of Mars.