Who We Are

ARROW, the  group that began as Astoria Residents Recycling Our Wastes in 1991 has the same goals for 2008 -  to search out local environmental problems in Western Queens and to take action to initiate and establish long and short term hands-on projects with local and widespread positive impact.   Our projects build alliances and partnerships between individuals, environmental groups, and a variety of NYC agencies.

ARROW volunteers come from a variety of backgrounds and experience, but they have one thing in common - the willingness to "jump in" and donate a little or a lot of their time to benefit the environment and our Western Queens community.  They help out with tasks as diverse as; spending an hour cleaning up the banks of the East River or planting bulbs; researching furniture reuse or stacking old computers; advocating for more recycling  to the NYC Council or teaching Girl Scouts how to waste less in their homes and schools.

 "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world:  indeed it is the only thing that ever has."       - Margaret Mead

 

  A few people with a desire to create less waste and recycle in Western Queens came together and stated a curbside drop-off recycling  center in Astoria.  Astoria Residents Recycling Our Wastes was born. After that initial project, the same group of volunteers  sought out new environmental challenges and founded the community garden, the first of several projects  to clean and preserve open space In Western Queens.
Our name was then updated to Astoria Reclaiming Our World - ARROW - which is our name today.

   Learn About ARROW Projects    

   ARROW Board of Directors

Clare Doyle, President, is a native of Dublin, Ireland, and has a B.A. from University College, Dublin and an M.A. from Leicester University, England. She has lived in Astoria since 1989 and is currently working at the H.W. Wilson publishing company.
A volunteer with ARROW since 1992, Clare was the group's Secretary from 1996 to 2005. when she was elected President of ARROW.  Clare also serves on the New York City Solid Waste Advisory Board and is on the steering committee of The Waterfront Parks Alliance.   
Most recently she was honored with the 2007 Emerald Award, given by the Queens Coalition for Parks for her tireless volunteer efforts on behalf of NYC Parks.

Sandra Robishaw, Vice President and Webmaster, joined ARROW's recycling efforts in 1990, and was instrumental in the development of ARROW Park and Garden. She served as ARROW President from 1997-2005 and has twice received the NYC Parks and Recreation Emerald Award.  A passion for gardening and waste prevention led Sandra to pursue her Master Composter Certification at the Queens Botanical Gardens in 2002.  She was Project Coordinator for Waste Prevention and Recycling Services of Council on the Environment of NYC in 2003, collecting used NYC Department of Education textbooks and arranging for them to be used in schools in developing countries. 
 Besides her volunteer work with ARROW, Sandra is a painter and is a parent of two teenagers. 

Dorothy Morehead, Secretary, was one of the founders of ARROW. She has a B.A. in Urban Studies with a minor in Environmental Sciences from Queens College. Dorothy, a real estate broker in Sunnyside, is also Panels Administrator for the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution. She  is also President of the Sunnyside Foundation for Community Planning & Preservation. Dorothy chairs the Environmental Committee of Community Board 2 and is on the Queens Solid Waste Advisory Board. She was president of the Parents Association of City-As-School in Manhattan and served on the board of directors of the Greater Astoria Historical Society. In 1998 she received from Queens Borough President Claire Shulman the Rosemary Gunning Award for community service.
Chris Tokar, Treasurer, was an Astoria resident from 1989 to 1999 and, although she currently lives in Brooklyn, she is proud to continue her involvement with ARROW which began in 1990.  Chris has secured a large number of grants for ARROW, including $90,000 from DSNY in 2003 and $55,000 from NYC Councilman Walter McCaffrey discretionary funding to provide a full service computer facility for the ARROW Community Center.
Chris has worked as a fundraiser in the non-profit sector for 15 years, and is  currently employed as the Development Manager for Early Music Foundation. Chris holds her B.A and M.F.A. in writing, and is the founding co-editor of the literary magazine Insurance.
Rachel Pratt, Board Advisor, was one of the founders of ARROW. She served as President from 1991 to 1996. She is the Chief Executive Officer of the Adoption Exchange Association.  Prior to this, Rachel was Director of the Office of Parent Recuitment and Expedited Permanency at the NYC Administration of Children's Services.  She has worked in management and fundraising in a variety of City agencies and non-profit organizations and was an adjunct professor at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School.  She holds an M.S. in Non-Profit Management and Urban Policy from New School University.  She has served on the Board of Directors of Arden Party theatre company, the Queens Solid Waste Advisory Board, and the Citywide Recycling Advisory Board. Rachel is also an avid  potter and has taught ceramic workshops at the ARROW garden.
Linus Ly, Board Advisor, was ARROW's database administrator and webmaster until 2006.  Born and raised in Viet Nam, he lived in Long Island City for many years but has been a resident of Bensonhurst, Brooklyn since 1997.  He has a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from The Cooper Union, where he co-founded the recycling group The Cooper Green.  His other volunteering experiences include Central Park L.I.V.E. (weekly cleanup of Central Park) and Everybody Wins (reading program with school children during lunch time).  He works as a network account administrator for a major financial company and draws weekly cartoons covering current events, office politics, and technology news to entertain his colleagues.