ORA Awards $200,000 to Oswego Neighborhoods

OSWEGO – The Oswego Renaissance Association held its fourth annual “Awards Reception” June 2 and formally awarded 15 Oswego city neighborhoods, representing more than 150 homes, the “Renaissance Block Challenge Grant” totaling more than $160,000.

Additionally the ORA awarded 16 “Neighborhood Pride Grants” to 16 different resident groups, totaling more than $30,000.

Another 20 homes that are being re-painted in historic colors were awarded “Paint Oswego Grants” totaling $20,000.

This year was a record breaking year with close to 300 home owners who applied for the “Block Challenge Grant.”

The ORA, with its available funding, was able to fund a little more than half of the applications.

The ORA’s grant money is all completely private dollars and is provided by The Richard S. Shineman Foundation, PathFinder Bank, Exelon Generation, Breakwall Asset Management, LLC and the Oswego Lion’s Club with in-kind support from SUNY Oswego, city of Oswego and StepOne Creative.

The ORA is a completely volunteer organization.

Mayor Billy Barlow was in attendance and addressed the crowd of approximately 300 attendees crediting the ORA as the spark that started “Oswego’s Renaissance.”

Mayor Barlow went on to thank and credit the home owners from throughout the city who have and are participating in the ORA’s programs and investing in their neighborhoods both financially and socially for their contributions to the success the city of Oswego is experiencing.

Executive director and ORA co-founder Paul Stewart emphasized that the ORA’s success is because neighbors get involved to make their neighborhoods better.

He explained that the “grant money” is used as a “carrot” to facilitate neighbors to work together as a group to revitalize their neighborhoods.

The most successful blocks continue year over year.

Steven Phillips, ORA co-founder highlighted the work of the “core” Resident Leaders who recruit, organize and lead their neighborhoods through the ORA’s “Healthy Neighborhood” approach.

This group of Resident Leaders includes Karen Doten, Casey Towne, Catharine Early, Tanya Miller, Cindy and Tim Pauldine, Lisa Glidden, Kelly Mosher, Lorrie Molinari, Janet Anderson, John Fitzgibbons and Mark Tesoriero.

Resident Leaders and founding members Doten, Towne and Early have been involved since the very beginning and were instrumental in helping establish the ORA.

In just three years the ORA has been able to leverage more than 1.5 million dollars in private investments in 4 targeted neighborhoods throughout the city of Oswego. By the end of this award year, October 30, 2017, that total should exceed two million dollars. The ORA sees a three to fourfold return on its grant dollars.

All ORA grants are “resident driven” and participation comes from the neighborhood.

You can begin that change in your neighborhood by stepping up to the plate and becoming a “Resident Leader.”

For additional information about the ORA visit  www.OswegoNYonline.com or visit their FaceBook page.

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