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CONTACT: Cynthia Wong
(212) 213-6443
cwong@unionsquareawards.org

12 NEW YORK CITY GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS RECEIVE $600,000 IN AWARDS
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Community leaders to be honored at upcoming Union Square Awards ceremony.
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December 2006

Twelve organizations will be honored as recipients of the annual Union Square Award on Friday, December 8th. Each award carries a $50,000 grant to the organization and recognizes its exceptional efforts to address critical social issues facing New Yorkers that have otherwise been overlooked, neglected or inadequately addressed. “Despite minimal resources, these organizations improve peoples’ lives and make extraordinary contributions to local neighborhoods and to the educational, economic and cultural life of New York City,” says Executive Director Iris Morales.

Named after the park on 14th Street where New Yorkers have organized and spoken out about major social issues since the nineteenth century, the Union Square Awards program was created to recognize and encourage initiative in serving New York City communities. They realize an anonymous donor’s dream of honoring New Yorkers who have taken action to improve people’s lives and advocate for social change. Since its inception, the Union Square Awards has granted more than $9.5 million to organizations that have not received either substantial funding or public accolade.

This year’s awardees work on a range of issues from HIV/AIDS to community economic development - and span across neighborhoods from Red Hook to Richmond Hill. They join another 142 organizations that have received the honor since the Union Square Awards was founded in 1998.

The following organizations will be honored at a special ceremony on December 8th at the Church of St. John the Divine, Synod Hall at 110th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan. For more information about this year’s award recipients, click here.

BRONX

• CRER (Cultural Renaissance for Economic Revitalization) offers financial literacy education and services to people in prisons and low-income communities. Awilda Velez, Founder.

• Misión San Juan Bautista (the Mission) provides HIV/AIDS prevention information, youth programs, and English-as-a-Second-Language classes to improve community well-being. Reverend Maria Santiviago, Executive Director.
  

BROOKLYN

• Added Value operates an urban farm and farmers’ market that develops local youth leadership and promotes sustainable community economic development in Red Hook. Ian Marvy & Michael Hurwitz, Co-Founders.

• Adelante Alliance provides educational, cultural and other programs to empower Sunset Park’s Mexican and Latino communities. Karla Quiñonez-Ruggiero, Founder.

• Bed Stuy’s Project Re-Generation provides educational programs, volunteer experience, and other opportunities for young people in Bedford Stuyvesant. Barnabas Shakur, Founder.

• Girls for Gender Equity provides sports and educational programs for girls and women, and works with school personnel, parents, and students to end gender discrimination. Joanne Smith, Founder.

• Sadie Nash Leadership Project promotes leadership, service and activism among low-income young women of color through academic coursework, role-modeling, service-based learning, and social justice projects. Cecilia Clarke, Founder.

• Yemeni American Association offers educational and cultural programs, health workshops, and social service referrals to assist and advance the Yemeni community. Abdul Salam Mubarez, Kaled Alamarie, Debbie Almontaser & Fouad Althaibani, Co-Founders.

MANHATTAN

• CHANGER (Communities, Homeowners & Neighbors Gaining Economic Rights) educates and mobilizes families across New York City to combat abusive mortgage lending practices.

• Movimiento por Justicia del Barrio/Movement for Justice in El Barrio is an immigrant-led, multi-issue organization that mobilizes for improved housing conditions and other community concerns in East Harlem. Juan Haro, Director.

• Prison Families Community Forum is a network of support, education, advocacy, and action for families affection by the incarceration of their loved ones. Kym Clark, Founder.

QUEENS

• United Sikhs fosters civic participation and provides social, educational, legal, and health services to immigrant communities. Hardayal Singh & Mankanwal Singh, Founding Members.

The Union Square Awards is a project of the Tides Center whose mission is to actively promote change toward a healthy society – one founded on principles of social justice, equal economic opportunity, a robust democratic process, and environmental sustainability.