Who is Getting for Summer?-Written by Fatima, GiGi’s NYC Participant

Happy Summer GiGi’s Playhouse NYC!

There are a lot of wonderful holidays to celebrate in June this year. For example, World Oceans Day, Father’s Day, National Eat Your Vegetables Day, Juneteenth, National Ice Cream Cake Day, International Pineapple Day, and so many more!

World Oceans Day was celebrated on Saturday, June 8th, in order to raise awareness and encourage action to protect the ocean. People celebrate in a variety of ways, including attending events. Many organizations and communities host events on World Oceans Day, such as talks, happy hours, film screenings, and beach cleanups. This is also a popular day to visit the aquarium. You can use the World Oceans Day website event finder to find an event near you. Take action. You can make a positive impact by reducing your plastic materials such as reusing water bottles, bringing your own grocery bags to the store, and avoiding waste in your trash cans.

Saturday, June 8th, was also GiGi’s Playhouse NYC’s annual Dancing For Down Syndrome event. It was a lot of fun. There were a lot of baskets for the raffle prizes. My mom, helper Laura, and I are put them together. Even though this event has passed, you can still support GiGi’s NYC. Go to this link to make a donation: https://support.gigisplayhouse.org/gigifit-acceptance-challenge-2024/event/new-york-city-gigifit-acceptance-challenge-2024.

Father’s Day is celebrated on Sunday, June 16th this year, and a lot of people celebrate this day in different ways. For example, people send cards and gifts to their fathers, grandfathers, and other father figures. Father’s Day is celebrated to honor the important role that fathers play as the protector of the family. This Father’s Day I am planning on getting together with my family if I am not scheduled to work at Citi Field. 

National Eat Your Vegetables Day is celebrated on Monday, June 17th. You can celebrate by making vegetables a big part of your diet for the day. Here are some tips for eating more vegetables:

• Try to eat at least half a cup of each vegetable you eat or a cup of mixed vegetables.
• The USDA recommends 3–5 servings of vegetables per day, but this may vary by age and gender.
• Try making a homemade meal with your favorite vegetables, or try new dining options. You could also try recipes that feature vegetables, like cacio e pepe with mushrooms and sage or rag pasta with basil, tomato, and brie.
• Start a garden. Use the day as an opportunity to start your own vegetable and herb garden.

On this day, I am planning on eating vegetables with steaks for dinner.

Juneteenth is celebrated on Wednesday, June 19th this year. Just a quick fact: Juneteenth is a holiday that celebrates the freedom, culture, and empowerment of African Americans and commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. on June 19, 1865. Celebrations vary across America, but some common ways to celebrate include visiting a Black museum or cultural site, supporting Black organizations and individuals in your community, sharing a commitment to dismantling white supremacy, attending a nearby block party, and wishing people a Happy Juneteenth or Happy Teenth. Other popular ways to celebrate this day are through religious services, parades, educational events, and family gatherings. 

National Ice Cream Cake Day is celebrated on Thursday, June 27th this year. On this day a lot of people celebrate the occasion in their own unique way. For example, building a cake, inviting friends over for a cake decorating contest, and bringing cake to work are just a few ways to celebrate this special day. Also I am planning on making and eating fresh vanilla and chocolate ice cream cake from scratch and buying a carvel cake to celebrate the summer vacation.

International Pineapple Day is also on Thursday, June 27th. On this day I am planning on buying pineapples from the local grocery store for a snack and dessert. On this day we are encouraged to dive into the world of pineapples by enjoying it in various forms — fresh, juices, ice cream, or baked goods like the classic pineapple upside-down cake. Beyond the culinary adventures, this day also shines a light on the pineapple’s deep-rooted cultural fruit. 

I have some exciting news to share with you all. I have been accepted to The MOST Program at Molloy College in Rockville Centre. Please congratulate me on my success in my life and wish me luck.

Before I start preparing the July blog post, I want to recommend a local Chinese restaurant. JJ Garden has delicious food. When I go there my favorite things to order are barbecue honey spare ribs, dim sum dumplings, chicken and broccoli with vegetable fried rice and a shrimp egg roll, pork shrimp lo mein, fried pork dumplings, soup dumplings, shrimp with broccoli and a side of roasted pork, rice spring rolls, soup dumplings, fried seafood and vegetable dumplings, Cantonese wonton noodle soup, pork and shrimp mei fun, and some other things from the menu. JJ Garden is located at 75-21 31st Avenue Jackson Heights, NY 11370.

I want to wish everyone a good end to the school year. Enjoy your summer break.

Sending a lot of hugs and my summer love to all of you.

Love you always,

Fatima