Our Charitable Giving Committee Donates Funds to Johnson Park Center
For the seventh year, our Resident Council’s Charitable Giving Committee has gotten together to choose the recipient of our annual charity fund drive. With the participation from over 70% of our residents here at Preswick Glen, the Charitable Giving Committee was able to donate an extremely helpful $6,000 to Utica’s Johnson Park Center.
Located in the Cornhill section of Utica, the Johnson Park Center creates community development strategies to revitalize the area they call home. Bringing affordable low-income, safe and supportive housing to those who need it most, Johnson Park Center has turned a once crime-ridden and violent section of the city into a beautiful, clean, and safe place where the homeless and needy can get help. Their mission really resonated with our Resident Council.
“We’re proud the Council chose Johnson Park Center as this year’s recipient,” Gary Holeck, Executive Director of Preswick Glen, said. “The Center provides supportive and empowering services to the lifeblood of the community – the people who live there – and in turn develops a strong, safe, and wonderful community with strong bonds. That is something our residents can really relate to and get on board to support.”
Chairperson of the Charitable Giving Committee, Robin Kinnel, further explained, “Johnson Park Center had a need that we really wanted to help with. The record of what they’ve done over the past several years, and their ideas for what they want to continue to do, is pretty spectacular.”
Everyone on the Committee agreed! Residents on this year’s Committee include Kay Sinclair, John and Barbara Klein, Virginia VanSlyke, Larry Calabrese, and Parry Bowen.
Reverend Ursula Meier, COO of Johnson Park Center, who was on hand at our ceremony to receive the donation from our residents said, “We are just blown away and ecstatic for the donation from Preswick Glen’s Resident Council. This will positively affect children for years to come. With the donation, we are going to make 2,000 bags filled with paper, pens, crayons, scissors, notebooks – everything that is needed so the children have a good start. Thank you very much to Preswick Glen’s Resident Council!”