NEW YORK, Aug. 3 /CSRwire.com/ -- For the eighth year, MetLife Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) are honoring innovative partnerships between community organizations and police departments, which promote neighborhood safety and revitalization. Eleven honorees will receive awards ranging from $15,000 to $25,000 each to expand community safety initiatives. The awards, which were announced today, were selected from a record number of applicants -- more than 650 nationwide.

"Crime is a significant threat to sustained neighborhood revitalization," said Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. "We are pleased to join LISC in recognizing community organizations and police departments who have successfully met the challenge, and in sharing their best practices with other groups working to build safe, healthy communities."

Six honorees received Neighborhood Revitalization awards, recognizing interdependent achievement in crime reduction and economic development, including real estate development, business attraction, and job growth. The award-winning partnerships are:

• Lawrence CommunityWorks & Lawrence Police Department - Lawrence, Mass.
  
• Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project Local Development Corporation & New York Police Department - Brooklyn, N.Y.
  
• Homes for Independence, Inc. & City of Cocoa Police Department - Clearwater, Fla.
  
• Boaz & Ruth and Richmond Police Department - Richmond, Va.
  
• Metanoia Community Development Corporation & North Charleston Police Department - North Charleston, N.C.
  
• Uptown Consortium, Inc. & Cincinnati Police Department - Cincinnati, Ohio

Five honorees received Special Strategy awards, recognizing achievements around specific public safety and community building themes, such as youth crime prevention, senior safety and addressing crime among immigrant populations. The award recipients are:

• Aesthetics and Green Space Improvement: Operation Weed & Seed of Highland Park and Highland Park Police Department - Detroit, Mich.
  
• Diversity Inclusion & Integration: Westside Community Action Network Center, Inc. & Kansas City, Missouri Police Department - Kansas City, Mo.
  
• Gang Prevention and Youth Safety: Volunteer Center of Riverside County & Riverside Police Department - Riverside, Calif.
  
• Drug Market Disruption: One Hundred Black Men of Long Island, Nassau County District Attorney's Office & Hempstead Police Department - Hempstead, N.Y.
  
• Seniors and Safety: Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center & New York Police Department - New York, N.Y.

All of the award winners tackled difficult crime problems and achieved impressive results, even as the economic downturn created new challenges. Accomplishments included replacing crime hot spots with high-quality, affordable housing and attractive public parks. Winners also attracted businesses to inner-city, commercial districts struggling with a negative image and disinvestment, and mobilized residents to partner with police and other stakeholders to reclaim streets.

"In these times, it is critical that community groups and police work together to improve neighborhood safety," said Julia Ryan, director of the Community Safety Initiative, the national LISC program that administers the awards. "These award recipients have demonstrated that sharing resources and integrating strategies yields lasting results. We are honored to celebrate and learn from their work."

LISC is the nation's leading community development support organization. Since 1980, LISC has helped resident-led, community-based development organizations transform distressed neighborhoods into sustainable communities of choice and opportunity -- good places to live, do business, work and raise families. LISC established the Community Safety Initiative in 1994 to support strategic alliances between community developers, law enforcement and other key stakeholders in troubled neighborhoods. More information on CSI can be found at www.lisc.org/csi.

MetLife Foundation, established by MetLife in 1976, is a long-time supporter of LISC's community revitalization programs. In 1994, the Foundation made a $1 million leadership grant to pilot the Community Safety Initiative. MetLife and the Foundation have also made below-market rate loans and grants of more than $77 million to the organization. For more information about MetLife Foundation, visit www.metlife.org.

MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 by MetLife to carry on its long-standing tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. MetLife and MetLife Foundation have invested more than $15 million for Alzheimer's research and public information programs, including $10 million through the Awards for Medical Research program. Working with the Alzheimer's Association, the Foundation has supported caregiving videos, resources for the Hispanic community and the Safe Return identification program, which addresses the problem of senior wandering. The Foundation has expanded its focus on aging issues, including helping people remain physically and mentally fit and remaining engaged in the community. It also supports programs addressing issues of caregiving, intergenerational activities and volunteer opportunities. Grants support health, education, and civic and cultural programs. More information about MetLife Foundation is available at www.metlife.org.

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