Major dollars are coming to City Island in an effort to enhance the culture and educate others on what makes it special.

Cheers filled the City Island Community Center on Sunday as Council Member Marjorie Velázquez signed a check to strengthen the neighborhood.

"We have a lot of community groups here, representing different aspects of the island, different industries, and more importantly, the diversity of the island," she said.

Various different community organizations and programs on City Island will receive a chunk of the $112,000. The City Island Oyster Reef is one of them.

"Our mission is to bring oyster reefs back to the Western Long Island Sound waters, to clean the waters. It also means if you bring oysters back, it increases biodiversity," said Sally Connolly, Chair of the City Island Oyster Reef.

The Oyster Reef partners with P.S. 175 to teach educational programs on marine ecology. Connolly said the money will allow students to expand their research.

"About half of it is to buy science equipment for science programs at the school, so they can look at things under microscopes. They're beginning to study microplastics in the water, and they need certain equipment to be able to do that in a methodical way," she said.

Velázquez, who spent time growing up on the island, said the money is also a way to give back to the community that helped shape her future.

"Without City Island, it wouldn't have given my dad a chance. I wouldn't be here today," she said.