Mayor Shannon Martin, City of Port St. Lucie | City of Port St. Lucie website
Mayor Shannon Martin, City of Port St. Lucie | City of Port St. Lucie website
A new initiative is set to provide the Whispering Pines neighborhood residents with mini-grants aimed at making significant community improvements. The City will launch this program during a Valentine's Day Neighborhood Skate Party.
The Love Your Block program, established in collaboration with the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University, aims to bring together city leaders and residents to revitalize neighborhoods block by block. In May 2024, the City announced it had secured $100,000 in funding for this initiative, being one of 16 cities chosen nationwide that year.
The program supports projects focused on improvement efforts such as combating litter, beautifying communities, activating vacant lots, and fostering neighborhood pride. Eligible applicants can apply for mini-grants of up to $1,500 for various projects like creating community gardens or shaded areas, landscaping, minor repairs or painting.
The Love Your Block launch and application opening will include a kickoff event at Skate City in the Whispering Pines neighborhood located at 800 SW Darwin Blvd. in Port St. Lucie. The event will take place from 4-7 p.m., featuring family activities, music, giveaways, free hot cocoa and cookies provided by the Boys & Girls Club of St. Lucie County. Information about the Love Your Block program will also be available. Attendees are encouraged to bring roller or in-line skates for use on the newly refurbished skating area.
“The City of Port St. Lucie is honored to be one of 16 cities selected to bring this innovative program to the Whispering Pines neighborhood,” said Mayor Shannon Martin. “Through support from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins, the City is able to offer resources to empower residents to bring positive change to their neighborhoods while the City team learns new techniques to better support them in ways that can replicated in other neighborhoods.”
Applications for Love Your Block grants will open on Friday, February 14, 2025. Interested parties must submit their applications electronically via an online form available at CityofPSL.com/LoveYourBlock by 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, 2025. For assistance with digital submissions, individuals can email LoveYourBlock@cityofpsl.com to arrange an appointment.
An information session detailing eligibility criteria and grant requirements is scheduled virtually for Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 6 p.m., which will also be recorded and made accessible online without requiring registration.
Further details about the Love Your Block Program are available at CityofPSL.com/LoveYourBlock.
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