Hetty Fox and the Street That Belonged to Children

For more than 30 summers, Hetty Fox helped turn Lyman Place in the Bronx into something rare: a car-free play street where children could run, laugh, and belong. Well into her 70s, she showed up each morning to set out basketball hoops, tables, and craft supplies — day after day, summer after summer — because she believed children deserved room to play. As Hetty once said, "I sometimes wonder if this city is squandering its young people by not fighting to keep neighborhood life intact. Every species creates an environment where it protects and nurtures its offspring. If you don't, then you're saying we're not really a city." Her life reminds us that neighborhood transformation doesn't always begin with large plans. Sometimes it begins with one person who keeps showing up.