RXR, a leading real estate owner, operator and the master developer for downtown New Rochelle, today announced it is awarding $185,000 to six youth-focused community organizations in New Rochelle. The grants are the first to be issued as part of RXR’s $500,000 grant program dedicated to the health, well-being, and safety of New Rochelle’s children and families.
First-round recipients include Environmental Leaders of Color; Lifting Up Westchester; New Rochelle Boys & Girls Club; New Rochelle Municipal
Housing Authority; Songcatchers; and United Community Center of Westchester.
Launched in the spring of 2022, the $500,000 grant program follows RXR’s previous contribution of more than $1 million in COVID relief funding to various non-profit organizations in New Rochelle and the surrounding region over the past two years. Grants up to $25,000 were awarded as supplemental funding to existing programs, while applicants for grants above $25,000 were encouraged to partner with other non-profit organizations in New Rochelle to either establish or expand innovative programing that targets a specific need or population.
RXR’s first round of youth programming grants includes:
• $50,000 for a healthcare and sports career pathway program offered by Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle in partnership with Montefiore Hospital and the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce.
• $50,000 for a science and environmental education program at the Bracey Apartments, run by Environmental Leaders of Color in partnership with the New Rochelle Municipal Housing Authority.
• $25,000 for an early childhood music program from Songcatchers.
• $25,000 for a program to teach New Rochelle high schoolers photography, film and audio production at the United Community Center of Westchester.
• $25,000 for a youth empowerment program hosted by the New Rochelle Municipal Housing Authority.
• $10,000 to fund meals for children of low-income families at a summer camp run by Lifting Up Westchester.
Applications for the remaining funds will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and grants will be issued until the funding is exhausted. To review the full criteria and apply for remaining funds, please visit RXRCommunityFund.com.
“Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle with its partners—New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce and Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital—is grateful to receive a $50,000 grant from RXR to help our youth discover pathways to success in career fields offering the greatest potential for growth,” said Becky Mazzanobile, CEO of Boys & Girls Club of New Rochelle. “RXR will help us expose our youth, particularly those in need, to career opportunities and paths they likely don’t know exist, educating them about various entry points into exciting sectors, such as healthcare and sports, through live simulations, collaborative sessions,
and speaker series.”
“Summertime can be risky for children experiencing homelessness and poverty when they don’t have access to school meals,” said Anahaita Kotval, Chief Executive Officer at Lifting Up Westchester. “For many of our campers, camp meals are the most substantial and healthy meal they have all day. Thanks to RXR’s generosity our campers have nutritious meals and snacks throughout the day and the impact on their energy levels, ability to focus, and overall wellbeing has been wonderful to see. We could not be more grateful to RXR for responding so quickly when they heard the need in our community.”
“We are grateful to RXR for supporting our Seeing Beyond the Horizon Youth Program, an afterschool workshop where our NewRoc’s teens will learn professional photography and video production,” said Jackeline Agudelo, executive director of the United Community Center of Westchester, Inc. “RXR helps the young people of New Rochelle to have a better future by empowering them. It is a gesture of hope for a community that is growing!”
Angela Davis-Farrish, executive director of the New Rochelle Municipal Housing Authority said “The most important investment anyone can make is in the next generation of future leaders, and RXR you have done just that! The Housing Authority salutes RXR for believing and investing in our children through this magnificent grant opportunity. Thank you for your continued commitment to the youth of New Rochelle. You are not only positively changing the landscape of our City one block at a time, you are changing the lives of children and their families living in public housing with this opportunity!”
“We are very grateful to RXR for helping us achieve our mission,” said Angela Belsole, interim director of Songcatchers, Inc. “This generous grant will give more of our after-school and early childhood music students access to much-needed scholarships and good instruments to play on. Our goal is to provide excellent musical instruction that will bring joy and a sense of achievement, self-esteem, and confidence into the lives of all children in New Rochelle, while giving them a safe place to learn and make new friends.”
“Environmental Leaders of Color (ELOC) is grateful to the RXR Building Community Fund for their generous support of our Student Summer Energy & Environmental Program for Teens,” said Environmental Leaders of Color co-founder Dr. Diana William. “RXR’s generosity not only ensures the city’s underserved youth will have the opportunity to prepare for climate change and pursue careers in clean energy and environmental sciences; it also serves as a model of corporate leadership that we hope will inspire others in the corporate community to follow suit and do more to tackle the serious social challenges that confront American society.”
“Like so many communities, New Rochelle’s youth and their families were immensely impacted by the loss of critical programs and services during the pandemic,” said Joe Graziose, Jr., senior vice president of Residential Development at RXR. “RXR’s commitment is deeply rooted within the community, and these local organizations have demonstrated their dedication to the youth of this City. We are proud to help support their community-driven work to ensure children and young adults thrive in the new normal.”
As New Rochelle became the nation’s COVID epicenter in 2020, RXR quickly established COVID Relief Fund with $1 million in seed funding from RXR to help the city’s residents, businesses, and nonprofits. Working in partnership with the City of New Rochelle and other private partners, including the Louis R. Cappelli Foundation, the fund has disbursed over $1 million in grants to the community to date. Grants were awarded to combat food insecurity, provide
childcare for essential workers, support telehealth services, help small businesses stay open, bridge the digital divide by providing students with broadband access and iPads, ensure after-school programs remain operational, and provide funding for vaccine incentives.
In 2014, the City of New Rochelle selected RXR, in collaboration with its joint venture partner, Renaissance Downtowns, as the master developer for its downtown, which had untapped potential to transform into a vibrant, active business and cultural district. In the years since, RXR has been a dedicated community partner in New Rochelle, prioritizing hiring local and MWBE employees on its development projects.
