City of Milwaukee kicks-off summer of city improvement projects

$20,000 grant from Lowe’s helps build stronger neighborhoods

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett today announced the Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation, an arm of the Milwaukee Department of City Development, received a $20,000 grant from the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation to support summer community improvement projects in Targeted Investment Neighborhoods.

To kick-off the project, Mayor Barrett, Ald. Joe Davis, Will Allen of Growing Power and representatives from Lowe’s joined residents of the Grasslyn Manor Neighborhood to assemble 25 raised-bed community gardens. Once complete, residents plan to work together to continue cultivating the community vegetable gardens and creating signature front porch planters to unite the neighborhood.

“We are working with residents, businesses and generous partners to build a stronger Milwaukee,” said Mayor Barrett. “With a little sweat equity and help from Lowe’s, we are bringing families together to improve the health of their neighborhoods and grow and develop close-working relationships between residents.”

The grant from Lowe’s will also fund two additional neighborhood projects. In the Woodlands Neighborhood, the grant will be used as seed money to launch a new program to beautify and add green space to the former dense complex of multi-family housing. In the Metcalfe Park Neighborhood, the grant will support Habitat for Humanity homeowners on two blocks of N. 33rd Street who are taking charge of their neighborhood by leading curb appeal projects with the goal of engaging neighbors to work together to strengthen the area and boost community pride.

“Lowe’s is committed to recognizing and supporting efforts that enrich the lives of our neighbors and customers,” said Larry D. Stone, chairman of Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “By supporting the City of Milwaukee through the Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation, we are contributing to a cause that’s important to our customers and employees and helping build a stronger foundation for their communities.”

Other partners in the city’s neighborhood projects initiative, either through the Targeted Investment Neighborhoods program or the Healthy Neighborhoods Program, include the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and Starbucks. For more information about the City of Milwaukee’s neighborhood programs, visit www.mkedcd.org/housing/nidc.

ABOUT LOWE’S
Lowe’s is a proud supporter of Habitat for Humanity International, American Red Cross, United Way of America, and the Home Safety Council, in addition to numerous non-profit organizations and programs that help communities across the country. In 2008, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $25 million to support community and education projects in the United States and Canada. Lowe’s also encourages volunteerism through the Lowe’s Heroes program, a company-wide employee volunteer initiative. Lowe’s is a FORTUNE® 50 company with fiscal year 2008 sales of $48.2 billion and has more than 1,650 stores in the United States and Canada. For more information, visit Lowes.com/community.