FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                           February 6, 2007

Release No. M-13-07

MAYOR PRESENTS $250,000 WEED AND SEED GRANT

            Mayor Mufi Hannemann today presented a $250,000 grant award to the YMCA of Honolulu to continue the community-building, crime-fighting effort known as “Weed and Seed.”

            “The City and County of Honolulu first applied to designate certain neighborhoods as Weed and Seed Communities in December 1997, when I was a City Council member,” said Hannemann. “Through the years, I pushed for continued support of this exemplary program and am pleased that the City is able to make this continued commitment to help the communities of Kalihi-Palama, Chinatown, McCully-Ala Moana, Waipahu, Ewa and Waianae.”

            The program is sponsored by the U. S. Attorney’s Office and administered by the YMCA of Honolulu to “weed” crime out of designated communities through law enforcement collaboration and resident community policing groups, then to “seed” these communities with revitalization efforts.

             Designated distressed communities are rebuilt using four strategies:

·  Law enforcement;

·  Community policing;

·  Neighborhood restoration (physical beautification and economic development initiatives); and

·  Prevention, intervention and treatment.

On hand for today’s ceremonial check presentation were U.S. Attorney Edward Kubo, whose office sponsors the Weed and Seed Program; Honolulu Police Chief Boisse Correa; Larry Bush, CEO of the YMCA of Honolulu; Maile Kanemaru; executive director of Weed and Seed Honolulu; Gale Braceros and Kahele Porter, Weed and Seed site coordinators; Honolulu Police  Department Weed and Seed Sergeants John Kauwenaole, Aaron Farias, Edgar Namoca and Brian Blancaflor; Wayne Ogasawara of the Waipahu Community Association; Mark Chandler of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and Debbie Kim Morikawa, director of the City Department of Community Services.  

 The funds are made available to the City through the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program.

-30-

Contact:

             Ernie Martin, Department of Community Services, 592-2289