Coney Island is going gold again.
As part of a now-annual tradition, Coney Island Councilmember Mark Treyger has once again partnered with local organization Frankie’s Mission, ride owner Zamperla and families across the borough to illuminate the shorefront neighborhood’s iconic Parachute Jump gold for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month on Friday, September 23.
“This is a small but important gesture by our community to show these families that they are not alone in their fight against childhood cancer,” said Treyger, who first pushed to light the Parachute Jump gold in September of 2014 as part of The Gold World Project, founded by New Hampshire resident Tony Stoddard, who lost his five-year-old son, Cole, to Neuroblastoma.
The inaugural lighting came on the heels of officials at the Empire State Building’s refusal to light the iconic fixture gold in honor of Stoddard’s cause.
The Gold World Project, though well-received by landmarks like The Prudential Center, The Peace Bridge and Niagara Falls, has been snubbed by the New York City skyline star three years in a row now, despite the 103-story skyscraper’s willingness to light for such events as the Subway Series, the U.S. Open and even other causes like breast cancer awareness.
“There is a tremendous need for urgency,” said Bay Ridge resident and founder of Frankie’s Mission Camille Loccisano, whose son, Francesco, succumbed to childhood cancer just two weeks after his 17th birthday. “Children with cancer are not living in health and happiness, and this is not something we can allow.
“We at Frankie’s Mission feel blessed to have our community so deeply involved in raising awareness and taking action for our cause,” she went on.
The Parachute Jump isn’t the first to “go gold” this month for the cause. On Monday, September 19, Loccisano and her team joined others at the foot of Times Square to light one of the busiest strips in all of Manhattan in the name of childhood cancer awareness. In addition, storefronts throughout Bay Ridge have been donning window-size gold ribbons to show their support.
The Coney Island lighting will begin at 7 p.m. at the base of the Parachute Jump, located alongside the Riegelmann Boardwalk near West 19th Street.
For more information, contact Treyger’s office at 718-373-9673.
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