Newburgh wins $19,000 Green Space Grant

Posted 4/28/21

The City of Newburgh has teamed up with two community-focused nonprofits, Outdoor Promise and the Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy, to win a $19,000 TD Green Space Grant from TD Bank Group (TD) and …

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Newburgh wins $19,000 Green Space Grant

Posted

The City of Newburgh has teamed up with two community-focused nonprofits, Outdoor Promise and the Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy, to win a $19,000 TD Green Space Grant from TD Bank Group (TD) and the Arbor Day Foundation (ADF) to support an innovative Environmental Justice Fellowship Program. The money will provide stipends for four Newburghers of color aged 19 to 24 for a 28-week period of learning and teaching about the benefits of trees in urban areas. The program will culminate with the planting of 16 trees throughout the city.

Details and applications are available in English and Spanish at: https://tinyurl.com/ejfellow.

The deadline for applying is Friday, April 30.

Newburgh was one of just 10 cities nationwide selected to receive this grant.

“Green spaces provide long-lasting environmental benefits, but also create more vibrant, livable cities by offering social, health and economic benefits for residents,” said Shelly Sylva, head of US Social Impact at TD Bank. “TD is proud to work with the Arbor Day Foundation to support this innovative program in Newburgh.”

“Our goal is to help communities not only enrich environments but also enrich lives,” said Dan Lambe, President of the ADF. “We are supporting Newburgh’s effort to build awareness about the benefits of trees, educate residents on proper tree care, and lay the groundwork for a greener future.”

“People of color in Newburgh suffer high poverty rates, health disparities and a history of unequal opportunities in almost all categories, including safe access to green space. They are underserved by trees, which clean our air, soil and water, moderate our temperatures and calm our psyches. For these injustices to be redressed, change must be led by these disenfranchised communities,” said Kathy Lawrence, volunteer Board chair of the GNPC.

Ronald Zorrilla, executive director of Outdoor Promise, said, “The true benefit of this program will be to support and inspire a cohort of Black and Latinx fellows to work in their own neighborhoods and citywide on the benefits of trees, honing their environmental justice and community organizing skills and taking on leadership roles for positive change in Newburgh.”

Genie Abrams, a volunteer with the CAC, added, “This unique project was spurred by our two great partners, the GNPC and OP. We are grateful to them for the time and creativity they have brought to our mutual goal of environmental justice for Newburgh’s people of color.” Abrams continued, “we are proud partners of the Arbor Day Foundation and thrilled that this program is made possible by partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation and TD Bank.”

TD provides funding for the grants, which are awarded annually for tree planting, maintenance costs and educational activities. The program is administered by the ADF. TD Green Space Grants are made possible as part of the TD Ready Commitment, TD’s global corporate citizenship platform, aimed at opening doors to a more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow.

For more information, visit arborday.org/programs/tdgreenspacegrants.

Founded in 1972, the Arbor Day Foundation is the largest nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees, with more than one million members, supporters and partners. Their vision is to help others understand and use trees as a solution to many global issues we face today, including air quality, water quality, climate change, deforestation, poverty and hunger.