Meet the People Preserving NYC’s Beloved Backyard

Central Park has been New York City’s backyard for 165 years. With more than 42 million annual visitors—almost as many visitors as the top 3 national parks combined—the park is one of the most frequented sites in New York. The renowned cultural landmark is a quintessential gathering place for locals and visitors alike.

But keeping the park a welcoming destination in the heart of Manhattan is an enormous task. That’s where the Central Park Conservancy comes in. As the park’s sole caretaker, this nonprofit organization works year-round to maintain every inch of the urban oasis, ensuring its varied landscapes, historic structures, and imaginative play spaces are healthy, clean, and beautiful.

Its 300-plus employees can’t do it alone, though. The Conservancy depends on everyday New Yorkers to step up and help preserve Central Park as a public treasure.

From donating to volunteering, there are many ways to join the Conservancy’s community—and receive an enriching experience in return. Here’s a look at how getting involved with the Central Park Conservancy has changed the lives of three New Yorkers and helped make the park an iconic greenspace. And if you’re feeling inspired, get in touch with the Conservancy to learn more about how you can become a steward of Central Park.

Giving Back to Yourself Through Volunteering

As a long-time volunteer with the Central Park Conservancy, Martha Dao has undoubtedly made an impact on the park. She regularly takes on shifts as a greeter, offering visitors directions to points of interest and guidance on making the most of their time in the park. She has set up for major community events that the Conservancy annually hosts, like the free Great Jazz on the Great Hill. And as a landscape volunteer, she has lent a hand in all four seasons, from mulching in the fall to planting in the spring.

As much as Dao’s volunteer work has affected the park, it has also enhanced her own life, as well. She takes great pride in seeing how her volunteer work alongside the Conservancy’s landscaping team pays off.

“When you work on a specific site, you can go back to it [throughout the year] and experience that feeling of ‘Wow, I helped make it that beautiful,’” said Dao, 53. “The satisfaction that you helped the park look the way it does is priceless. I believe that NYC is the center of the world, and Central Park is the center of NYC. This is why more than ever, we need to take care of Central Park.”

Volunteering has also been a source of close bonds for Dao. In fact, her first-ever volunteer shift ten years ago happened to be with Serena Candiani, who would eventually become her wife. The two of them had already been dating, but they really connected while raking leaves on the park’s perimeter near the Guggenheim Museum. They’ve been together—and sharing their love of the park—ever since. It’s the most significant of many tight relationships Dao has formed through her efforts giving back to the park.

“The friends you make through volunteering become your Central Park family,” she said. “They’re good-hearted people.”

After nearly a decade of volunteering with the Conservancy, Dao has no plans to slow down any time soon. She thinks every New Yorker should get involved—not just to help the park, but to reap the deep personal rewards that come from the experience.

“Volunteering in the park is giving back to yourself,” she said. “You meet so many amazing people and it fills up your soul.”

Getting Involved as a Young Professional

Central Park is a treasure chest of beloved memories for Rebecca Malizia.

Growing up in New Jersey, Malizia would head into the city with her mom and grandma—“very proud born and bred New Yorkers,” she notes—to play kickball in the park and eat lunch at Tavern on the Green. When she relocated to the Upper East Side from Baltimore in 2017 and started working in the healthcare industry, she spent all her free time in the park, often stopping to take photos and listen to musicians at Bethesda Terrace. She even got engaged on Oak Bridge in 2019.

So naturally, she wanted to give back to the place that was so close to her heart. But as someone fresh out of graduate school, Malizia wasn’t sure she had the financial resources to contribute to the Central Park Conservancy in a meaningful way—until she found the Greensward Circle, a network of passionate young professionals ages 21 through 39 who help support the work of the Conservancy.

It was exactly what she was looking for.

“What’s beautiful about the Greensward Circle, and the Conservancy as a whole, are the many ways they help you connect with the park, by organizing volunteer days, jazz events in the summer, and tours to learn about the park’s history,” said the 29-year-old, who was recently named co-chair of the membership group.

Since joining the Greensward Circle six years ago, Malizia has helped support the park through donations, fundraisers, and volunteering. Participating in the group has also made a big difference in Malizia’s life, too.

“Through the Greensward Circle, I’ve made friends with a group of likeminded people who are dedicated to protecting nature and have a love for greenspaces in a city where they’re hard to find,” she said.

The community she has discovered through Greensward reflects how she feels about the park as a whole—and why she plans to stay involved with the Conservancy even after she ages out of the young professionals group.

“I always like to think that Central Park is the ultimate connector for all New Yorkers,” Malizia said. “It’s this place that can be larger than life for some people who dream about coming to New York and taking a stroll down [a famous location like] the Mall. But it can be this very personal, very intimate experience, too.”

Transforming a Destination Into a Daily Experience

Even though Central Park was just a subway ride away, visiting always felt like a big deal to Jonathan Abreu as a kid growing up in the Bronx.

“We only went on school trips. It was more like going to Disney World,” said Abreu.

Still living in the Bronx, the 42-year-old’s relationship with the park changed substantially in October 2020 when he joined the Central Park Conservancy as director of park maintenance.

“As a kid from the Bronx, I never imagined that I’d have an opportunity to work at one of the most well-known parks in the world, so I took the leap. It was a destination before, but now I get to go there every day,” said Abreu.

It’s a big job. He manages the teams that keep the bathrooms clean, overpasses free of icicles, and pathways lit at night, among other important duties. On a summer day when people flock to landscapes like Sheep Meadow and the Great Lawn, Abreu’s team is responsible for cleaning up all the trash that these thousands of people create, as well as closing the lawns at dusk when maintenance staff continue their work. He also relies on the help of volunteers to make sure even the most remote parts of Central Park are maintained just as well as the highly populated areas. He begins his work days at his favorite spot near 81st Street. “I take a deep breath and walk into this beautiful, tranquil place, where all I see is green,” Abreu said. “We wouldn’t be able to do as much as we do without volunteers and the team that manages volunteer programs.”

Still, it seems like there’s always something to be done in Central Park, and what keeps Abreu motivated is thinking about the positive impact his efforts have on the people who visit the park every day.

“It’s lovely to take care of the landmark park, but taking care of the people here is the number one thing for me,” said Abreu. “I remind my staff to think about their family members coming to this place, and what kind of experience they would want them to have.”

As the people behind the park’s care, the Central Park Conservancy is dedicated to preserving Central Park as a sanctuary for all New Yorkers. But they depend on the help of donors and volunteers to protect this essential public space. Together—staff, volunteers, and donors—create the backyard that New Yorkers know and love. Learn about ways to support the park through the Central Park Conservancy.