The 2023 recipient of the Betty Campbell-Adams most valuable merchant award is the veteran-owned-and-veteran-operated Tree Army and their principals Nicholas and Joelle Lynch.
Just after the crack of dawn, a few dozen late-teens and twenty-somethings stumble from modest cabins into the cafeteria for coffee and a hot breakfast. Group by group, they bus their trays and head out—first to slather on bug spray and sunscreen, and then to pick up their supplies for the day: knee-high rain boots, starter plants and a fresh pair of gloves. Their job this week is planting mangrove trees, whose stubborn, tangly roots are already helping protect these vulnerable shorelines agains
Like the late Betty Campbell-Adams, the namesake of the Community Board 8 annual most valuable merchant award, this year’s honorees have followed with the same work ethic.
Restaurants in greater Riverdale, Kingsbridge and throughout the five boroughs can maintain their sidewalk cafes thanks to a City Council vote Aug. 3 to make them permanent. Mayor Eric Adams signed the bill on Wednesday.