YP Underwrites Citywide Community Transformations Through EcoMedia’s EducationAd in Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens
YP Treats Bronx Community to Children’s Games Music and Special Gifts
New York, NY, October 5, 2013 /3BL Media/ – PublicolorDay, an annual event designated by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, will be held on October 5, 2013. Said an enthusiastic Mayor Bloomberg, “This is a celebration of Publicolor and its volunteers for proving that simple acts can make a profound and positive impact on struggling communities.” Through CBS EcoMedia’s EducationAd, YP, North America's largest local search, media and advertising company, is funding the sponsorship of PublicolorDay and supporting school and community site transformations throughout the fall, in an effort to support our borough communities and local businesses.
As part of the PublicolorDay celebration, 200 volunteers, including YP team members, will join Publicolor students by coming together to paint and rehabilitate cafeterias in public schools and a community center located in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Queens. Publicolor students will be joined by teachers, local business employees, government officials, community leaders, and residents to transform these four sites: Brooklyn Transition Center (185 Ellery Street in Brooklyn), Urban Assembly Academy of Civic Engagement (650 Hollywood Avenue, Bronx), Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center (415 East 93rd Street, Manhattan) and P.S.M.S. 219/Paul Klapper School (144-39 Gravett Road, Queens). The festivities are from 10am until 3pm.
In the playground at Urban Assembly Academy of Civic Engagement in the Bronx, YP’s generosity will also include special booths where children can enjoy balloon animals, face painting, games, music, and other activities in the company’s branded tent. In celebration of YP’s and Publicolor’s collaboration, guests will be able to paint canvases, which will form YP’s logo when assembled and later be given to each school as a legacy gift.
A special thank you to Subway and BR Guest for sponsoring lunch, San Benedetto for donating water and Magnolia Bakery for donating yellow cupcakes for PublicolorDay.
Notable Guests Attending Include: Council Member James F. Gennaro (District 24-Queens, NY), Paul Polizzotto (President and Founder of CBS EcoMedia Inc.), Michael Shuman (Founder of 4food) and Ruth Lande Shuman (Founder +President of Publicolor).
Following the community events, Publicolor will host a private celebration for 80 key volunteers (THIS IS BY INVITATION ONLY) at the restaurant 4food. 80 guests will be able to toast to the success of the day’s events with sangria cocktails. 4food is a socially networked and socially responsible quick serve restaurant company whose mission is to 'de-junk fast food' to promote a healthier community. 4food is located at 286 Madison Avenue (at 40th street), close to Grand Central where YP has launched their advertising campaign, which features its popular YP app and cannot be missed.
Publicolor would like to thank to Benjamin Moore for donating every drop of paint used at Publicolor.
Publicolor Founder and President Ruth Lande Shuman says, “Publicolor students transform schools and community sites and in the process transform themselves. Publicolor builds vibrant communities wherever it works. Publicolor’s creative continuum of programs include teaching critical-thinking skills and creative problem solving, college prep and career exposure workshops and job readiness skills, including commercial painting to engage New York City’s youth in their education. The partnership with YP aims to bring together civic-minded community residents, including students, parents, community leaders and business volunteers. Publicolor’s work makes neighborhoods safer (schools, playgrounds, community centers), and this in turn helps local businesses thrive.”
“At YP, our mission is to help local businesses and communities grow and we are committed to being a partner in meaningful and long-lasting ways – both in and out of the office,” said David Lebow, SVP and GM of YP’s National Markets Group, based in New York City. “We’re a team of doers and being a part of PublicolorDay allows us to get things done that immediately and positively impact this local community.”
Publicolor mission is to counter inner-city public schools’ alarming low high school graduation rate by engaging disconnected youth who are most at-risk of dropping out in their education though a continuum of design-based programs and academic support. In struggling school districts, where only 63% students graduate on time, 90% of kids in Publicolor program do, and 89% of them continue on to college. Unique to Publicolor is the beautification and revitalization of public and civic spaces through the hard work of students, and the power of paint, color, and design, to engage students and the community as a whole. Publicolor transforms community sites from drab and depressing to stimulating and respectful, leaving them as rejuvenated vital resources to be enjoyed by the whole community. 10,000 new students and teachers annually attend a school that is now warm and welcoming, thanks to a Publicolor transformation.
YP’s generous support to Publicolor came about through a partnership with CBS EcoMedia’s ad program Through CBS properties, YP has launched a branding campaign from September through December 2013 across CBS Radio, Outdoor, and Interactive media in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta, promoting the latest YP app. A portion of the media buy is funding local community projects in the four markets. Their support of PublicolorDay is the first event in this national campaign. "I'm honored to spend PublicolorDay painting side by side with volunteers from YP, Publicolor students, teachers and city-wide community residents as we transform four New York City public schools together," said Paul Polizzotto, President and Founder of CBS EcoMedia Inc.
PublicolorDay’s partnership with YP is significant as it brings together a successful youth development organization targeting underserved NYC schools with a prominent business supporter YP helping underscore our long-held belief that volunteers from the community are the lifeblood of our organization.”.Says Publicolor founder Ruth Shuman, “All our kids can and must graduate. We’ve proven that it can be done. It’s our collective responsibility.” Publicolor’s applied learning model teaches commercial painting a highly useful marketable skill that many students go on to use even after the program. Local businesses are important to both YP and Publicolor, as YP’s promotes local business growth and Publicolor engages volunteers from local businesses. Publicolor addresses two of the root causes of poverty: the under-education of our students and their lack of preparedness for the workforce. YP’s relationships with small businesses underscores Publicolor’s focus on job readiness and the importance of education.
YP’s support of Publicolor’s work will continue after PublicolorDay. Some 676 students will directly benefit from the school transformation projects. There will be a total of five teams of 10-15 students working on each community site for six Saturdays per site with approximately an equal number of volunteers from local area businesses starting from October 26 through December 15th.
About Publicolor
Publicolor was founded in 1996 by Ruth Lande Shuman with the mission to counter our inner- city public schools’ alarming dropout rate by engaging young people in their education through a continuum of design- based programs and academic support. It directly addresses two of the root causes of poverty in America: the under-education of inner-city public school students and their lack of preparedness for the workforce. Unique to Publicolor—and central to its mission—is the beautification and revitalization of public and civic spaces through the hard work of our students and the power of paint, color, and design, and collaborations that engage students and the community as a whole. To date Ruth and Publicolor have transformed 158 struggling school buildings, 16 playgrounds and 186 community facilities in New York.
Some statistics about Publicolor:
- 100% - Publicolor students stayed in school last year.
- 90% of Publicolor students graduated high school last year whereas citywide as compared with, 63% of students citywide with comparable socio-economic backgrounds .
- 89% - Publicolor high school graduates continue their education through post-secondary options (4-year colleges, vocational schools, or military schools). Comparatively, only 47% of students with similar socio-economic backgrounds continue their education after high school.
- 80% - Publicolor students' college retention rate. Nationwide, this rate for first-generation college students is 35%.
- Publicolor high school graduates (3-year average): 52 of 58 tracked students, 90% graduation rate, which compares to 63% average at their schools.
- Publicolor high school graduates matriculating for college (3-year average): 44 of 52, 81% college matriculation rate, which compares to 49% average at their schools.
- 100% of high school graduates in need of assistance to fill the gap between financial aid and the real cost of college receive a scholarship from Publicolor.
For more information, please visit www.publicolor.org.
About Ruth Lande Shuman
A dynamic and passionate innovator, Ruth Lande Shuman is an award-winning industrial designer and Founder/President of Publicolor. Ruth has been deeply committed to community-based volunteer work for over thirty years, most notably as founding trustee of the Big Apple Circus, where she now serves as Trustee Emerita. She was also a board member of the Wiltwyck school’s union-free school, a board member of the Rowena Reed Kostellow Fund at Pratt Institute, and as the Mayor’s representative to the board of the Museum of Art & Design in New York City. Ruth founded Publicolor in 1996 to use color, collaboration, design, and the discipline of the commercial painting to engage at-risk students in their education, targeting the most underserved communities, most underperforming schools and most seriously disadvantaged middle and high school students. Ruth currently runs a colorful Midtown, NY office of 33 employees who believe that Publicolor not only transforms buildings, they transforms lives.
About YP is North America's largest local search, media and advertising company. Its mission is to help local businesses and communities grow. Over 75 million monthly unique visitors rely on YP to select local businesses that will help them get things done. YP's flagship consumer brands include the YP.com℠ site, one of the 40 most visited web domains in the U.S., the 4.5+ star rated YP℠ app and the YP Real Yellow Pages℠ directory. The company's wide range of print and digital advertising products is designed to address the evolving local search needs of consumers and help advertisers grow their business. $350 million of its over $1 billion in annual digital advertising revenue is attributed to mobile. The YP℠ Local Ad Network, along with other YP distribution channels, provides advertisers with an opportunity to reach nearly 95% of monthly Internet users across more than 300 affiliated online and mobile publishers. Through customized campaigns designed by expert advisors, YP provides local businesses with one of the most cost effective sources for consumer leads. YP products and services are backed by thousands of media consultants and customer service professionals in local markets across the US with relationships spanning over 600,000 businesses. An affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P., one of the world's leading private investment firms, acquired a controlling interest in YP from AT&T in 2012. Please visit http://corporate.YP.com to learn more.
About EcoMedia Inc.
At EcoMedia, we're propelled by the desire to create positive social change; that's been our mission since we founded the company in 2002. In 2010, after successfully partnering with CBS on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia became the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio, exponentially scaling our reach across television, radio, and interactive, publishing and outdoor media. Through our patent-pending Eco Ad, Wellness Ad and Education Ad programs, an innovative twist on traditional advertising, advertisers are able to support much-needed local projects that in turn creates jobs, saves taxpayer money and improves the quality of life in communities nationwide. In the process, we’re fundamentally altering the advertising landscape, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change. Please visit ecomediacbs.com, like us at facebook.com/EcoMediaCBS or follow us at Twitter.com/EcoMediaCBS.
4Food mission is to De-junk fast food™. Brings fast food that's fresh, delicious, and nutritious to all ages, lifestyles, incomes, and ethnicities. No fads, fillers, or anything artificial. 4Food is revolutionizing the culture of fast food, while always approaching what we they do and how they do it with your health, our environment, community, society, and your creativity in mind.
4food’s driving purposes are: Health -Because making the right nutrition choices is essential for your physical, mental, and spiritual well-being; The Environment - Because by reducing our impact on the environment we will benefit from it greater and longer; Community - because supporting the community we live in means good business and being social builds good community; Humanity- Because each of us every day can make a meaningful difference to others; Creativity- Because empowering creativity can lead to something extraordinary.
4food’s ingredients include vegan, gluten-free and vegan-gluten-free combos. They make everything from scratch, including the bun that holds it all together.
4food’s menu offers almost unlimited combinations. Beginning with your choice of a burger, salad or rice bowl, you can create millions of combinations to satisfy your tastes, preferences and needs.
4food’s restaurant is built from abundant and regenerative materials. Their packaging is made of 100% recyclable materials and they compost all of their food waste onsite.
4food’s food is local. They depend on local businesses to help them feed us well. Whether it's the turkey sourced form Pennsylvania farmers or the Captain Lawrence Beer that is crafted just up the Hudson River, 4food supports local farmers, brewers, and artisans.
4food’s burgers amplify your goodness. Every time someone orders a socially good burger, 4food will donates 25¢ to the good cause associated with your purpose.
4Food believes in good4all. This means doing everything with a purpose - including ordering your (W)holeburger. Beginning July 4, 2013 4food will donate 25¢ to a good cause each time you build your own (W)holeburger, give it a name, and assign it a purpose. After that, each time someone else buys your (W)holeburger, 4food will donate 25¢ to your good cause.
About 4food’s, which include: founders Adam Kidron and Michael Shuman; Bill Niman the founder of Niman Ranch, the largest purveyor of natural meats in the US with revenues of over $100 million; Dr. Woodson Merrill, founder of the Beth Israel Center for Integrated Medicine and a leading authority on wellness and nutrition; and Ed Winter, Chairman of Omnicom's "Brand Activation" Agency, Tracy Locke, and one of the foremost experts on marketing to young people in the US.
About Subway
SUBWAY® brand is the world's largest submarine sandwich chain with more than 37,000 locations around the world. We’ve become the leading choice for people seeking quick, nutritious meals that the whole family can enjoy. From the beginning, Fred has had a clear vision for the future of the SUBWAY® brand. As we continue to grow, we are guided by his passion for delighting customers by serving fresh, delicious, made-to-order sandwiches.
About BR Guest
With nearly 25 restaurants and bars, across four states, from upscale steakhouses to the biggest standalone burger joint in the country, BR Guest Hospitality is widely recognized as one of America’s premier hospitality groups. The restaurants, in New York, Atlantic City, Florida and Las Vegas, have been the backdrop of major motion pictures such as You’ve Got Mail and have played host to celebrities such as Jessica Simpson sipping margaritas at Park Avenue’s Dos Caminos and the ladies of Sex And The City lunching at the café in Union Square’s Blue Water Grill. In 2007 BR Guest became the first national multi-concept restaurant group to be certified green by the Green Restaurant Association. The company is also committed to the local community, with Hanson and his team believing strongly in the importance of giving back. With 25 years of growth and success under the belt, sights at BR Guest are set on the future, and a constant desire to be better and give fans the bigger bite they crave.
About San Benedetto
San Benedetto low mineral content water, with its unique balance of minerals and mineral salts, helps your body purify andregenerate itself on a daily basis. San Benedetto mineral water, a drink of life, every day for the whole family.
About Magnolia Bakery
In 1996, Magnolia Bakery opened its first location on a quiet street corner in the heart of New York’s West Village. From its inception, Magnolia has been cherished for its classic American baked goods, vintage decor and warm, inviting atmosphere. In 2007, Magnolia’s original owner passed her oven mitts to Steve and Tyra Abrams. Together, the Abrams’ have thoughtfully expanded the bakery from its first West Village shop to its multiple locations worldwide. Today, Magnolia can be found on Columbus Avenue, in Rockefeller Center, Bloomingdale’s flagship and Grand Central Station in New York; West Third Street in Los Angeles; Block 37 in Chicago; in The Dubai Mall (Dubai) and The Galleria in Sowwah Square (Abu Dhabi) in the United Arab Emirates; in Dar Al Salem Mall in Doha, Qatar; in the Al Hamra Tower in Kuwait City, Kuwait; and in ABC Dbayeh Mall in Beirut, Lebanon.
