CommunityWorks Rhode Island and the Providence Police Department will be honored Monday by MetLife Foundation. The partnership is being honored for their significant accomplishments in reducing crime and improving quality of life in the North Elmwood neighborhood of Providence.
U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman James Langevin, Mayor David Cicilline, Chief of Police Dean Esserman, Department of Corrections Director A.T. Wall and Cynthia Langlykke, Associate Director of CommunityWorks RI, will be on hand to celebrate the MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award presented by Robert Lundgren, Vice President of MetLife Auto & Home, and Barbara Fields, Executive Director of Rhode Island LISC. The ceremony will start at 10:30am at 37 Parkis Avenue, Providence. The award-winning work was spearheaded by Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services, a community development corporation which has recently merged with Elmwood Foundation to become CommunityWorks Rhode Island.
The MetLife Awards, sponsored by MetLife Foundation and administered by the national office of Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), recognize innovative partnerships between community development groups and police departments that have reduced crime and spurred housing development, economic activity and improved community services in low and moderate-income communities. CommunityWorks will receive $25,000 for its first-place finish. CommunityWorks and Providence Police Department were selected from among more than 500 applicants nationwide for the MetLife Foundation Award.
“Community groups and police departments share a common goal: creating safe, livable communities,” said Sibyl Jacobson, president of MetLife Foundation. “CommunityWorks Rhode Island and the Providence Police Department provide an exemplary model of partnership, and we are pleased to join LISC in recognizing their results and sharing their best practices with others groups across the country.”
CommunityWorks, the Providence Police Department and the Department of Corrections worked with many partners including neighborhood residents, the Providence Department of Planning and the Providence Plan to achieve a dramatic transformation in the North Elmwood neighborhood.
“We are thrilled that Community Works RI and their partners are receiving this national recognition for their outstanding community safety work,” said Barbara Fields, Executive Director of Rhode Island LISC. “This is the third year in a row that a LISC partner CDC has brought this prestigious award to Rhode Island – a remarkable track record of success that is a testament to the effectiveness of LISC’s strategy of building the partnerships that make real change happen.”
“Thanks to all our dedicated partners, including neighboring residents, we have focused our collective will to return Parkis Avenue to a peaceful, beautiful, proud residential street of affordable homes” said Cynthia Langlykke. “The transformation is amazing and ongoing. We continue to work collectively to keep Parkis Avenue a family-friendly and affordable place to live.”
About LISC: LISC is the nation’s leading community development support organization, supporting community revitalization in more than 300 urban and rural communities nationwide. In Rhode Island, LISC has provided grants, loans and equity financing to support the development of nearly 6,000 homes and apartments, and more than one million square feet of commercial and facilities space. LISC established the Community Safety Initiative in 1994 to help community organizations develop strategic alliances with police departments to combat persistent crime and attract the social and financial investments that make communities safer and more vibrant. More information about Rhode Island LISC and CSI can be found at www.rilisc.org.
About MetLife Foundation: MetLife Foundation, established by MetLife in 1976, is a long-time supporter of LISC’s community revitalization programs. In 1994, the Foundation made a $1 million leadership grant to pilot the CSI. MetLife and the Foundation have also made below-market rate loans and grants of more than $76 million to the organization. For more information about the Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.
About CommunityWorks Rhode Island: CommunityWorks RI is the newly merged community development corporation combining the talents of Greater Elmwood Neighborhood Services and Elmwood Foundation. Both CDCs have served the greater Elmwood community for the past thirty years with neighborhood revitalization, development and preservation of more than 1,000 units of affordable housing, small business and homeowner assistance and other resident services designed to promote a healthy and sustainable community. More information can be found at www.greaterelmwood.org and www.elmwoodfoundation.org .