New York Junior League's Community Improvement Project Completes 2021-2022 Projects

MANHATTAN, N.Y. - June 28, 2022 - PRLog -- The New York Junior League (NYJL)'s Community Improvement Project (CIP) committee is pleased to announce the completion of its projects with Abyssinian Development Corporation (ADC) and Goddard Riverside, the 2021-2022 community partners selected to receive $60,000 in supplies and in-kind services for capital improvements and a trained team of volunteers to complete the project.

"For over 120 years, our organization has been committed to improving communities through the excellent leadership of strategic partnerships and the action of skilled volunteers." NYJL President Dayna Cassidy remarked  "Our volunteers quite literally rolled up their sleeves to create reimagined spaces  for our community partners   to ensure residents have an environment that facilitates social engagement, fosters wellness, and promotes the development of independent living skills."

Beginning in early October 2021, NYJL volunteers worked to repaint and update the Community Room of Abyssinian Towers. Abyssinian Towers, located in Central Harlem, is a 99-unit residential community of ADC that offers affordable, low-income housing to more than 100 seniors and people with disabilities. The Community Room, located on the lower level of the Abyssinian Towers, serves as an area for residents to socialize, exercise and, more recently, relieve feelings of isolation or loneliness exacerbated by the pandemic.

One key feature of the CIP project was designing and painting a full-wall mural to replace the existing mural and brighten the Community Room. Being in the heart of Harlem, the ADC community felt it was important for the mural to highlight and accentuate the culture and history of Harlem. To do that, NYJL volunteers enlisted the help of Harlem native and mural artist, Marthalicia Matarrita, to create a custom-designed mural. The mural showcases Harlem through a brightly colored landscape, showing important landmarks like the Abyssinian Baptist Church alongside familiar neighborhood sights and historical figures, and acknowledging the immense diversity of the Harlem community as a whole.

Beginning in January 2022, NYJL volunteers worked to completely renovate the Community Room and Outdoor Patio of Goddard Riverside's five-story residence in Central Harlem that provides affordable, permanent supportive housing for previously homeless adults with a history of mental illness. The Community Room and Outdoor Patio, located on the first floor of the building, is the main area for residents to congregate, socialize, and hold activities and events.

NYJL volunteers and Goddard Riverside staff worked with Interior Designer Claire Druga of Dwell Possible to envision and transform the space from institutional to colorful, welcoming, and functional. Inside the room, NYJL volunteers primed and painted the walls, assembled furniture, hung art, and organized the space. The art that was hung was primarily the residents' own design, created during an art night NYJL volunteers set up and led in partnership with the residents.