{"id":141892,"date":"2025-04-22T23:07:49","date_gmt":"2025-04-23T03:07:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=141892"},"modified":"2025-04-22T23:10:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T03:10:03","slug":"allentown-announces-awardees-for-community-led-neighborhood-revitalization-grants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=141892","title":{"rendered":"Allentown Announces Awardees for Community-Led Neighborhood Revitalization Grants"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 22, 2025 \u2013 Today, the City of Allentown announced the first round of mini-grant winners for the\u00a0Love Your Block<\/em>\u00a0program, a resident-led initiative focused on revitalizing neighborhoods through small-scale projects that create lasting community impact. In partnership with the Leonard Parker Pool Institute for Health and the Cohesion Network, the City of Allentown received 13 applications from residents and community groups proposing creative solutions to address local challenges and work together with city government to improve neighborhoods and public spaces.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Love Your Block<\/em>\u00a0program, powered by the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, brings city leaders and residents together to build stronger neighborhoods, one block at a time. The five selected projects reflect a strong commitment to community pride, neighborhood beautification, and civic engagement, aligning with Allentown\u2019s priorities around public health, equitable revitalization, and strengthening neighborhood-level connections.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs Allentown continues to invest in resident-driven solutions,\u00a0Love Your Block<\/em>\u00a0plays a vital role in fostering collaboration between local government and community members,\u201d said Mayor Matt Tuerk. \u201cBy providing mini-grants and hands-on support, the program helps residents transform public spaces, strengthen neighborhood connections, and build a greater sense of ownership and pride in their communities. I extend congratulations to all the award recipients and express gratitude to the city\u2019s partners, our residents, and the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins for making this initiative possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

The following selected projects will receive $500\u2013$5,000 in funding and resources to bring their ideas to life:<\/p>\n

Franklin Park Community Garden \u2013 Ripple Church | Franklin Park<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ripple Church and neighborhood youth have cultivated this community teaching garden since 2013, growing vegetables and herbs that celebrate the cultures of the community. With Love Your Block support, the team will expand composting education, repair fencing, install benches, and revamp their garden signage to support ongoing engagement and beautification.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Garden City Green Space Revitalization \u2013 The Holy District | Center City<\/strong><\/p>\n

This project transforms an overgrown greenspace on Liberty Street into a safe, accessible, and welcoming pocket park. Plans include installing fencing, leveling the ground, landscaping pathways, and creating an accessible flower garden to encourage neighborhood pride, youth recreation, and intergenerational connection. This phase lays the foundation for long-term programming that promotes health, wellness, and community bonding.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Pick and Play \u2013 Mark Woods | Franklin Park<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pick and Play is a high-energy, youth-centered community cleanup day launching from Franklin Park. With music, food, and friendly competitions, this project will encourage neighborhood participation through team-led litter pickup and beautification efforts across a five-block area. With future support, the project aims to evolve into a recurring volunteer-led activation that fosters long-term pride and presence in public spaces.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The Village Community Block on Linden \u2013 Queen City Realty & Ripple Community Inc. | Center City<\/strong><\/p>\n

This project focuses on cooling and beautifying the south-facing 1300 block of Linden Street. In partnership with Promise Neighborhoods, volunteers will help install new shade trees, evaluate opportunities for new tree beds, and install a community bike rack to serve pedestrians and visitors. Trash receptacles will also be relocated to reduce litter and improve the streetscape. These improvements aim to make the block more sustainable and welcoming for both residents and the public.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Birds, Bees, and Blooms: Phase 2 \u2013 West Park Civic Association | West Park<\/strong><\/p>\n

Building on a successful pollinator garden on the north side of the West Park Bandshell, this project will transform the cleared southern garden bed into a thriving teaching space. Volunteers, students, and community partners will plant native pollinator species and offer environmental education experiences for residents of all ages. The Love Your Block grant will support soil preparation, planting materials, and refreshments for volunteers, with the goal of deepening community stewardship and sustainability in this historic urban green space.<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

In addition to these five mini-grant projects, Love Your Block is also piloting a rolling Porch Makeover Program aimed at revitalizing residential blocks one porch at a time. The program helps residents make small but meaningful improvements\u2014like painting, adding flowerpots, installing house numbers, or setting out porch furniture\u2014to create more welcoming, connected neighborhoods.<\/p>\n

The first makeover day is scheduled for May on 15th Street, and residents from other blocks in the Franklin Park neighborhood can express interest through a\u00a0short online form<\/a>. This initiative builds on the spirit of Love Your Block by investing in the places where neighbors gather, connect, and build community from the ground up.<\/p>\n

Residents interested in learning more about the\u00a0Love Your Block<\/em>\u00a0program in Allentown or volunteering to support local projects can visit\u00a0allentownpa.gov\/loveyourblock<\/a>.<\/p>\n

About the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University<\/strong><\/p>\n

The\u00a0Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University<\/a>\u00a0works to advance public sector innovation across the globe by marrying cutting-edge practice with world-class research to transform the culture of government, deliver exceptional results for residents, and inspire trust in public service. Launched in 2021 in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and Johns Hopkins University, the Center supports programs that equip local governments to unlock the insight, talent, and energy of their residents in cities across the globe. For more information, please visit\u00a0publicinnovation.jhu.edu<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0or follow us on\u00a0LinkedIn<\/a>,\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, and\u00a0X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nGenesis Ortega
\nhttp:\/\/www.AllentownPA.gov<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

April 22, 2025 \u2013 Today, the City of Allentown announced the first round of mini-grant winners for the\u00a0Love Your Block\u00a0program, a resident-led initiative focused on revitalizing neighborhoods through small-scale projects … Continue reading Allentown Announces Awardees for Community-Led Neighborhood Revitalization Grants<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":114714,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5716,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-allentown","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/allentown-pa.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141892"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=141892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/114714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=141892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=141892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=141892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}