Keep America Beautiful, Inc. today announced the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe, Calif.; Crime Prevention & Control Commission, Denver, Colo.; City of Milwaukee (Wis.) Dept. of Neighborhood Services; and Keep San Antonio (Texas) Beautiful are recipients of $2,500 graffiti prevention grants through the 2009 Graffiti Hurts(R) National Grant Program. The Graffiti Hurts(R) Grant Program was initiated in 2007 to help communities enhance local graffiti prevention activities.

"The grant recipients all provide wonderful examples of local governments, law enforcement, civic groups and local business collaborating to rid their communities of graffiti vandalism," said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Matt McKenna. "Keep America Beautiful thanks The Sherwin-Williams Company for helping us to inspire communities nationwide to focus on graffiti prevention education and initiatives through the Graffiti Hurts program."

Graffiti Hurts(R) was developed in 1996 through a partnership between Keep America Beautiful, the nation's largest nonprofit education and community improvement organization, and The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE: SHW), maker of Krylon paint, to respond to the blight of graffiti vandalism in communities nationwide. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, graffiti contributes to lost revenue associated with reduced ridership on transit systems, reduced retail sales, and declines in property value.

The proposed programs include the Boys & Girls Club of Lake Tahoe's "Unity Project," which helps youth express their art within the framework of city laws. It will use grant funds to help youth learn from local law enforcement and other officials, understand how to gain approval for public art, and organize graffiti cleanups. Youth will also provide graffiti prevention education to peers and younger children.

The Crime Prevention & Control Commission in Denver will provide diversionary art and leadership skills to local youth as a substitute to graffiti vandalism. Students will be taught marketable art skills and the placement of their murals. Students will also receive Graffiti Hurts(R) curriculum through an after-school program.

The City of Milwaukee Dept. of Neighborhood Services will implement a graffiti intervention program. The goal is for youth to educate their peers through radio commercials they create. These PSAs will be developed through a city-sponsored contest for a 30-second anti-graffiti commercial. The winning PSA will run on radio and on the Web.

Finally, Keep San Antonio Beautiful will add a Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design component as part of their overall anti-graffiti program. The program, call Place Light Upon Graffiti (or PLUG), will disseminate solar-powered motion detectors to businesses and homeowners who have chronic graffiti. Ten applicants will receive energy efficient lighting to improve safety and discourage graffiti vandalism.

"Sherwin-Williams is committed to supporting inventive approaches to putting a stop to the proliferation of graffiti vandalism," said Harvey Sass, president and general manager, Diversified Brands Division, The Sherwin-Williams Company. "Graffiti Hurts is serving communities that are seeking new solutions to this national problem. We salute the 2009 grant program recipients for proposing forward-thinking solutions."

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc. and Graffiti Hurts(R)

Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in 1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of nearly 1,000 affiliate and participating organizations, Keep America Beautiful forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. For additional information, visit www.kab.org. For more information about Graffiti Hurts(R) and its resources to help communities prevent graffiti, visit www.graffitihurts.org or contact graffitihurts@kab.org

Keep America Beautiful

Keep America Beautiful

Keep America Beautiful is the nation’s leading nonprofit that brings people together to build and sustain vibrant communities. With a powerful national network of community-based affiliates, we work with millions of volunteers who take action in their communities to transform public spaces into beautiful places. Through our programs and public-private partnerships, we engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment.

For more information, visit kab.org, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, discover us on Pinterest, or view us on YouTube.

More from Keep America Beautiful