“I am sure that we made a great impact on three of the main parks we focused our work towards. I believe that I have proved myself to be a leader and a mentor to many young students who want to be a part of this great organization… I love the work being put in day in and day out.”

-Timur, an 18-year old Bronx student who returned for his third summer with BiB in 2020.

“Even though I have a great interest in our environment, I overlooked the importance of our parks… Our parks are not one dimensional they offer a multitude of benefits to us and our environment. The main lesson I was taught this summer is that while we fight for protection and regeneration of global environmental factor, we should not forget our parks as they contribute to the larger picture.”

-Jonattan, PLACE Mentor 2019

“The biggest success would have to be the first project we ran. It was less than two weeks into the program, and while I felt the students weren't ready to handle running the project by themselves, I was wrong. The students handled the whole day on their own with minimal help from me. I truly was proud of my students that day.”

-Lance, PLACE Mentor 2014

"One student started the program as quiet and unenthusiastic. It often took extra effort to encourage him to do the work. However, during our first, large volunteer project at Claremont Park with PWC, he came out of his shell and seemed to really enjoy himself and the volunteers. After this first project, he came to work with a positive attitude and a good work ethic, ultimately being one of the most innovative workers in the group."

- Aileen Reynolds, Summer Program Supervisor, 2013