Mural Unveiling and Smoke-Free Housing Event by Hope Community, Inc. & Partners
NEW YORK, NY – June 16, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — LISC New York City, Creative Art Works, NYC Smoke-Free, & the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will join Hope Community, Inc. to celebrate their efforts as they create healthier living environments for residents and staff. Hope Community, Inc. worked with Two Shades of Green (TSG), a collaboration to help affordable housing owners and managers create cost effective green and healthy property management practices. The results of their efforts will be the unveiling of a mural that will encourage residents to engage in physical activity through artwork. This will be followed by a smoke-free housing event that will promote clean and healthy air practices in affordable housing.
Initiatives encouraging active living and smoke-free environments in affordable housing buildings will go a long way in preventing building conditions that can exacerbate health conditions such as asthma, allergies, and obesity. We are grateful for the generous support from State Farm for this Two Shades of Green project.
“Hope Community, Inc. is excited to have collaborated with Two Shades of Green (TSG) to implement initiatives to improve the health and safety of our affordable housing residents,” said Walter M. Roberts, Executive Director at Hope Community, Inc. “We are proud to unveil our mural in the stairwell at our 129 East 123rd Street building and encourage residents to be more active and use the stairs rather than taking the elevator. Hope is also committed to making our buildings smoke free. A Smoke-Free environment promotes clean and healthy air for our residents as well as our employees.”
“LISC is committed to implementing cost-effective green and healthy housing strategies to address health disparities and improve the quality of housing for low income families in New York City,” said Colleen Flynn, Green and Healthy Neighborhoods Director at LISC New York City. “We commend Hope Community for their continued dedication to create healthier living environments for Harlem residents.”
“We at State Farm® feel good supporting LISC, knowing that they are improving communities in a comprehensive way,” said Ed Woods, State Farm’s Director of Enterprise Philanthropy. “Strong and stable neighborhoods provide a healthy business environment for State Farm and State Farm agents. State Farm is connected to the neighborhoods where we live and work.”
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, The Local Initiatives
Support Corporation (LISC), and the NYC Smoke-Free, partner to assist affordable housing owners in New York City adopt green and healthy property management practices that both reduce operating expenses and create healthier living environments for residents and staff.
“We congratulate Hope Community for their leadership in establishing smoke-free environments for their residents. Smoke free homes greatly reduce the risk of pulmonary disease for everyone, and it is especially important in helping people with asthma achieve better control”, said Roger Hayes, Assistant Commissioner for the East and Central Harlem District Public Health Office.
“We commend Hope Community, Inc. for their leadership in making their housing smoke-free,” said Lisa Spitzner, Manhattan Community Engagement Coordinator at NYC Smoke-Free. “The U.S. Surgeon General has declared that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke. The bottom line is that we know smoke-free policies keep people healthier. We’re pleased to see more and more buildings recognizing that it’s in their interest to provide a smoke-free environment.”
Creative Art Works Executive Director & CEO Brian Ricklin says, “In addition to improving public spaces, art has been proven to have a direct and positive impact on public health. Creative Art Works is honored to take part in the Healthy Living Celebration.”
About Hope Community, Inc.
Hope Community, Inc. is a community-based not-for-profit affordable housing organization. Founded in 1968, the organization also enriches the lives of the people who live and work in East Harlem and surrounding neighborhoods through cultural arts, economic development and social service alliances. For additional information, please visit www.hopeci.org/
About LISC New York City
LISC New York City is dedicated to helping low-income New York City neighborhoods become healthy communities of choice – good places to live, do business, work and raise families. LISC has thirty years of experience developing the infrastructure of community-based organizations by providing technical and financial assistance; building capacity of local institutions to respond to changing community needs; sharing best practices to maximize precious resources; and brokering collaboration among its vast network of partners—government, nonprofit, and corporate—to tackle issues on the community level. Over the last 30 years, LISC New York City has invested approximately $2.0 billion in more than 75 New York City community development corporations (CDCs) and other local groups. With our support, these organizations have developed over 33,000 affordable homes and apartments and more than 2 million sq. ft. of commercial space. www.lisc.org/nyc/
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
With more than 6,000 employees throughout the five boroughs, we’re one of the largest public health agencies in the world, serving 8 million New Yorkers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. With over 200 years of leadership in the field, we’re also one of our nation’s oldest public health agencies. The challenges we face range from obesity, diabetes, asthma and heart disease to HIV/AIDS, tobacco addiction and substance abuse. We’re tackling these issues with innovative policies and programs – and getting exceptional results. For more information, please visit www.nyc.gov/health.
About NYC Smoke-Free
The NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, a program of Public Health Solutions, works to protect the health of New Yorkers through tobacco control policy, advocacy, and education. Formerly the NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City, we partner with community members, legislators, and health advocates to support local efforts to end the devastating tobacco epidemic throughout NYC. We believe every New Yorker has the right to breathe clean, smoke-free air where they live, work and play. For more information, please visit www.NYCSmokeFree.org.
About State Farm
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 18,000 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 44 on the Fortune 500 www.statefarm.com or in Canada www.desjardinsagents.com. For more on the collaboration between State Farm and LISC, click this link.
StateFarm Canada is now Desjardins Insurance”
State Farm® Canada is now Desjardins Insurance and your local State Farm Agent will now be known as your Desjardins Agent.
Please visit desjardinsagents.com/about-us/change-from-state-farm-canada for more details.
Looking for the State Farm USA site? Visit it here: statefarm.com
About Creative Art Works
Creative Art Works improves the lives of thousands of NYC youth each year through in-school and out-of-school-time classes, community art-making events, and youth employment creating large-scale public art or multimedia projects. Working in public schools, community centers, parks and libraries, CAW provides dynamic arts and multimedia experiences for youth who otherwise lack access. Our programs build confidence, unlock a love of learning, and teach valuable technical and developmental skills while creating profound connections between our young constituents, their art and their communities. Students are never charged for participation. To support our work, become a volunteer, sponsor a program, partner with us, or commission youth-created art for your public space, please contact us at: info (at) creativeartworks (dot) org
CONTACT:
Colleen Flynn
LISC New York City
Green and Healthy Neighborhoods Director
(212) 455-9388
cflynn (at) lisc (dot) org
Nellie Plumey
Hope Community, Inc
Director of Operations
(212) 860-8821 ext. 147
nplumey (at) hopeci (dot) org
