Fulton Block Builder Pride Grants Fund Innovative Ideas

by Contributor | October 5, 2020 11:31 am

FULTON – Fulton Block Builder (FBB) Pride Grants have sparked imaginative thinking throughout the city; from painted rocks to painted sidewalks to painted houses and beyond.

One innovative idea came from Penny Halstead, who has committed to painting over 200 rocks for each of this year’s FBB Block Challenge participants.

“I painted a few for a presentation last year and thought it would be cool to paint one for everyone involved in FBB this year,” Halstead said. “They are done in such away that they are weatherproof, so it is a nice way to show FBB participation for years to come. The name of my Pride Grant is “My Town Rocks” so that is on one side and the FBB logo is on the other.”

As many will remember, earlier this summer Fulton held its first Chalk the Walk contest. This Pride Grant was spearheaded by Tonya Crisafulli.

“Almost s70 homes, three senior centers, one CNY Art Center Board of Directors, one church group, and 12 judges each traveling almost 40 miles of Fulton streets for four to six hours participated in the first annual Fulton Chalk the Walk,” Crisafulli said. “We saw many, many words of inspiration and strength, togetherness and encouragement, and we met families who have loved ones on the front lines working and helping their neighbors through the pandemic.”

FBB provided the judges t-shirts, prizes for the winners and chalk for the participants.

Another example of Pride Grant innovation came when two Blocks working together decided to help their elderly neighbor, Ellen, paint her house and install new windows. They all pitched in to scrape, repair, and paint, and then went to the Fulton Community Development Agency (CDA) to help Ellen secure funds to replace her windows. Thanks to FBB’s involvement, her application was moved to the top of the CDA list. Ellen’s smile just plain won’t go away.

Light Up Fulton is another Pride Grant initiative. Homeowners throughout the city have turned on their outside lights to send a welcoming glow across their neighborhood. FBB has helped with new light fixtures, lamp posts and even provided the LED lighting for the new gazebo in Voorhees Park.

“This was a wonderful collaborative effort between FBB, the Lions Club and the city,” said Linda Eagan, FBB director. “This kind of partnership is exactly what I was hoping would come out of Pride Grants. FBB is working on another collaboration with Friends of Fulton Parks, the city and Patrick Circle residents to install a new slide in Patrick Park. There seems to be no end to the creativity and collaboration Pride Grants can bring about.”

Pride Grants require coordination with neighborhoods, as at least five neighbors must apply together for the grant. Oftentimes, residents who got to know each other through a Block Challenge Grant will subsequently apply for a Pride Grant to further enhance their neighborhood.

Pride Grants offer a wide range of grants (between $100 and $3,000) to support projects and activities that sow the seeds of revitalization by engaging residents in the resurgence of their neighborhoods.

More information about Pride Grants and applications can be found here[1], and on Facebook here[2].

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