This summer we partnered with the New York State Health Foundation to create the Healthy Neighborhoods Challenge, which promotes community health and wellness in nine neighborhoods and cities in New York — spanning 16 zip codes — including East Harlem, Hunts Point, Brownsville, Lower East Side, Mott Haven, Claremont and Clinton County.
Through this first round of match funds, residents raised a total of $115,073 to launch initiatives to make their neighborhoods healthier. Each project received a dedicated amount of match funds based on their original fundraising goals — ultimately, over $50,609 of match funds from NYS Health Foundation supported these leaders in their work. This means that ioby Leaders and their neighbors raised a total of $64,464 of citizen philanthropy to support their projects. Otherwise said, for every dollar received from match funds, ioby leaders raised $1.27 from their neighbors. BOOM.
Twenty-three ioby projects participated in the Healthy Neighborhoods Challenge — these projects all have the goal of creating a culture of health by making their neighborhoods greener or safer; improving local access to affordable healthy food; promoting walking, biking, or other exercise; educating neighbors about lifestyle changes, and more.
“I do expect it to go further….My project begins with exercise; it doesn’t stop there.”
– Renee Matthews, Turn it Up Tuesdays
Here are some of these awesome projects:
Harlem, NY:
- A group of parents are banding together to build a kitchen classroom to prepare the food from their school garden.
Champlain, NY:
- Staff at an addiction center have discovered the mental health benefits of yoga, and are eager to share the practice with those who suffer from addiction.
South Bronx, NY:
- Neighbors at the Kelly Street Garden are launching a program dedicated to sharing knowledge and wisdom of urban gardening and community building.
- This 5k event is more than just a race. It connects residents with South Bronx Greenway, a network of green streets, bike lanes, and waterfront parks.