Giving Voice
Fall 2018
a publication of the central new york community foundation
in this issue
Henderson is Rooted in Community page 5
Nonprofit Staff LeadUP page 8
Fire Safety in Vulnerable Communities page 9
More than $2 Million Committed to End Childhood Lead Poisoning Our kids are not alright. Syracuse is not alright. As a community, we are facing a crisis of astounding proportions, and it is affecting our children first and foremost. That is why the Central New York Community Foundation will be investing more than $2 million over four years to help end childhood lead poisoning in Syracuse. Our new LeadSafeCNY initiative will fund a variety of approaches to address the region’s alarming childhood lead poisoning rates. According to the Onondaga County Health Department, more than 11 percent of Syracuse children tested in 2017 had elevated blood lead levels. While lead paint was banned from use 40 years ago, local children are still being poisoned in their own homes. This issue hits our highest poverty neighborhoods the hardest, where most residents live in deteriorating housing and costly repairs can often exceed property values. Syracuse’s aging housing stock is much to blame. More than 90 percent of the city’s occupied units were built before lead paint was federally banned in 1978. There is no safe blood lead level in children and once its damage is done, it is irreversible. Children under the age of six and pregnant women living in homes that have chipping, flaking and peeling paint are most susceptible. Lead paint chips tend to have a sweet flavor when eaten, making them enticing to young children. Another common source of ingestion is the inhalation of dust particles in the air from the friction of painted surfaces when windows, doors and cabinets are opened and closed. Ingestion of lead has been found to reduce brain function, impacting the skills needed for academic success, physical activity and social interaction. It can lead to a higher likelihood of attention deficit disorders, absenteeism, criminal behavior, violence and suicide.
Grants Help Charities Measure Progress page 10
“The effects lead has on the mind and body undermine all community efforts to assist our young people in arriving to the classroom able and ready to learn and continue on a path to reach their fullest potential,” said Peter Dunn, Community Foundation president and CEO. “Lead poisoning is preventable, which makes this a social, economic and environmental injustice that is simply unacceptable to continue.” continued on page 3