Youth Venture

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local Teen Launches Twin Cities Park Restoration Campaign at Powderhorn Park
Earns $940 from national non-profit for good cause

Minneapolis, MN, August 02, 2007 – Twin Cities Park Restoration Campaign was launched today at Powderhorn Park with a warm community welcome. Emily Cruz, Michael Rodriguez, and Maria Silva, Juniors at South High in Minneapolis, are heading up the bi-monthly park clean up campaign. Leading a team of twenty-five youth volunteers, Cruz, Rodrigues, and Silva are kicking off the launch of their Venture with a weeklong celebration of local Minneapolis parks, thanks in part to planning support and a $940 grant from the national non-profit, Youth Venture.

The team was fueled to create Twin Cities Parks Restoration Campaign project after they noticed that the parks in their community were unused as a result of trash and neighborhood violence. They created the Twin Cities Park Restoration Campaign to bring people back to the parks. The team of volunteers meets twice a month for five hours to remove graffiti, plant flowers, and install hoops on the basketball rims.

Recently, Youth Venture, a nation non-profit organization, awarded the team $940. This funding has allowed Twin Cities Parks Restoration Campaign to kick off their campaign with a community concert and fair to build awareness. Food, music, and educational lectures are scheduled to take place from 12:00-5:00 P.M. August 12th through 16th in Powderhorn Park.

Kathy Langley, Silva's English teacher, states "A young person who is passionate can really make changes in his or her community. Maria, Emily, and Michael have proven this. We are very proud of their leadership and commitment."

Twin Cities Parks Restoration Campaign (TCPRC) seeks to provide positive community space in the Twin Cities metro area through events, park restoration projects, and education.

For more information contact:
Maria Silva
Twin Cities Parks Restoration Campaign
Phone: 512-123-4567
E-mail: msilva@tcparksrest.com

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© Youth Venture, 2007. All rights reserved.