Today’s guest post comes from Jeff Simmons, Vice President of the Alliance for Downtown New York.

Each fall, the Alliance for Downtown New York replaces geraniums with tulips at one of a Manhattan landmark, Bowling Green Park.  Just a few days ago, a team of volunteers uprooted more than 4,000 geraniums from the park – the first public park in the city – and distributed them to a throng of visitors, residents and workers.

And today, the Downtown Alliance will be returning to the park to plant tulips and to prepare for spring.

It’s part of a year-long endeavor to make sure that we help green Lower Manhattan in a sustainable way. And, we involve the community to keep the planting cycle going at the park.

At the same time, it’s wonderful to watch people drop by the park at both of these events to grab a pot and a trowel, and get a little dirt under their fingernails.

We are proud to be part of the national Make A Difference Day, joining with USA WEEKEND Magazine, the NBA and NBA Players Association and countless groups across the nation to help give back to the communities in which we live and work.

Our goal is to bring neighbors together for a fun and lively event that helps improve our neighborhood. More than 55,000 people now live in Lower Manhattan, astronomical growth from close to a decade ago, when the population was less than half of that number.

It’s many of those families who came out in springtime to help us plant two blocks-worth of plants at Wall Street Park as part of our Going Green Downtown initiative.

We’re expecting everyone to pitch in. Fall Community Planting Day gets support from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, Partnerships for Parks, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, New York City Council Member Margaret Chin, Community Board 1, Whole Foods Market and Crumbs Bake Shop.

Crumbs is donating pumpkin cupcakes and Whole Foods is providing juice and even cupcakes for kids to decorate. And, the Department of Parks & Recreation brings the planting tools.

We won’t turn anyone away.  So New York volunteers can read about the event here and come on out and join us.

And, as we’ve learned in the past, barring a hurricane the event goes on rain or shine. In fact, one year, the weather turned horrible and yet we still watched as dozens of neighbors – both longtime Lower Manhattan residents and newcomers to the neighborhood – showed up in raincoats and dug right in. That’s the spirit.

Jeff Simmons is Vice President for Communications at the Alliance for Downtown New York.  He is an award-winning journalist with extensive experience in media and government communications.

Have a great Make A Difference Day!