By Judith Schwartzstein, Director of Public Affairs, Sarah Lawrence College

Jan. 6, 2016:  Sarah Lawrence College's Center for the Urban River at Beczak (CURB) has been awarded two grants to help further its mission to improve water quality while educating urban youth and the community about the environment.

CURB has been awarded $30,000 by the Westchester Community Foundation to complete water quality sampling research to be shared with the community and governmental agencies to help find solutions to water contamination. 

An additional $10,000 grant was awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts to support Hudson River: Through the Arts, a free family-friendly arts series for underserved families in Yonkers featuring literary, music, dance, and theater performances, hands-on art activities, and environmental education programming. Both grants were announced earlier this month.

"The Center for the Urban River is unique because it uses scientific research, education, and community outreach to achieve positive change toward a cleaner environment," said Ryan Palmer, director of the center. "We are grateful to the Westchester Community Foundation (WCF) and the National Endowment for the Arts for recognizing the importance of the work we do, and that we can make a difference."

CURB began in 2013 when Sarah Lawrence College entered an alliance with the Hudson River Valley Environmental Education Institute, which had operated the Beczak Environmental Education Center on the banks of the Hudson River in downtown Yonkers. The collaboration allowed the college to establish a research field station and facilitate faculty and student research while continuing environmental education programming about the river for school and community groups.

In addition to providing hands-on K-12 environmental education, CURB works with partners such as the Riverkeeper to perform studies to look for ways to combat sewage and other contamination of river water. 

"As the county's largest environmental funder, we believe in maintaining our commitment to protect our natural resources and address climate change," said Laura Rossi, executive director of the WCF in announcing grants to 21 nonprofit community and environmental organizations.

WCF's mission is to develop, manage, and distribute philanthropic resources and to distribute them in a way that is responsive to donor interests and community needs. The foundation actively promotes charitable giving on behalf of the area's nonprofit organizations. WCF is a division of The New York Community Trust, one of the largest community foundations in the country, with assets of approximately $2.6 billion.

Pictured here:  Student Cassidy Bernstein prepares water samples in CURB lab.

Photo courtesy Judith Schwartzstein, Director of Public Affairs, Sarah Lawrence College