Two City Parks Receive A Lot Of Green

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Two City Parks Receive A Lot Of Green
05/22/2008 10:47 PM
By: NY1 News

Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced the largest private donation to New York greenery in city history on Thursday.

Shelby White's Leon Levy Foundation donated $15 million to create a native plant garden at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.

Another $10 million will go to restoring 26 acres at Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

"Not only do these spaces feed our spirits, they are also and important part of our local economy, helping us attract millions of visitors to our city each year," said Bloomberg.

"I grew up a block from the park. It was my backyard,” said White. “I went horseback riding here, and bird watching here with my fifth-grade teacher Miss Sawuer when I was a student at P.S. 139. I went rowing with my boyfriend from Walt Whitman Junior High School. And, sorry Mike, I smoked my first cigarette in this park."

White created the Leon Levy Foundation in honor of her late husband to give back to the city.