Project C Funding Boosts Buffalo Playground Project
King Urban Life Center hosted a grand opening of its new playground, made possible with a $150,000 grant from National Grid’s Project C program.
The celebration of the playground, located at 945 Genesee St. in Buffalo, included civic and business leaders, and an announcement that King Urban Life Center is expanding its youth programs.
“A playground is more than a space for having fun,” said Dr. Henry Taylor, Chairman of the Board at King Urban Life Center. “It also gives children an opportunity to forge social skills, such as communication, imaginative play, empathy and conflict resolution, while the physical activities help promote a culture of health.”
The National Grid funding was used last year to tear down the center’s outdated playground and build a new, universally-accessible one that all children and families in the neighborhood can use and enjoy. The project received additional funding from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation and the Odd Fellow and Rebekah Benefit Fund.
“Parks and the new playground like the new one at King Urban Life Center are important because so many of them are the centers of our communities,” said National Grid Regional Director Ken Kujawa. “When we had learned about the opportunity to help, we knew that this was a natural fit, because this kind of investment - made through our Project C program –provides long-term support as well as a positive impact for the neighborhood. That’s what National Grid and Project C are all about.”
About King Urban Life Center
The King Urban Life Center provides a state-of-the-art facility in collaboration with community partners to support educational, social, and cultural programs for an underserved population. Situated within a historic 100-year-old former church, King Urban Life Center’s mission is to preserve the building it occupies while fostering radical neighborhood transformation through the delivery of free innovative, educational programs to members of all ages, with a focus on young children and families.
About National Grid
National Grid (NYSE: NGG) delivers electricity and natural gas to more than 20 million people across New York and Massachusetts. We’re committed to meeting our customers’ energy needs and supporting economic growth across the regions we serve—providing safe, reliable energy today and building the resilient networks of the future. National Grid Ventures, our commercial business, develops and operates infrastructure that delivers affordable and reliable energy to consumers. National Grid Partners, our corporate investment and innovation arm, invests in and collaborates with technology companies that are transforming the energy sector and accelerating industry-wide innovation.
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