Explanation
This ordinance authorizes the Director of the Department of Recreation and Parks to enter into contract with The Harmony Project in support of programming for at-risk youth.
The Harmony Project is a non-profit organization created to connect communities across social divides through art, education, and volunteerism. The organization provides opportunities for individuals of different cultures, religions, ages, affiliations, and orientations to work together, with the intention of fostering a stronger, more inclusive community.
The Harmony Project shares its name and purpose with its 220-plus member choir (and additional 300+ voices in afterschool, shelter, and prison programs) which blends diversity, philanthropy and music. The arts programs are open to anyone, and have attracted diverse participants from throughout central Ohio. Since its founding, The Harmony Project has been successful in meeting its mission and has made exceptional contributions to the Columbus community through hands-on volunteerism, and through charitable fundraising. Among these contributions, The Harmony Project, through performances and fundraising efforts, cleaned and refurbished Blackburn Recreation Center for After-School All-Stars, cleaned and mulched beds and playgrounds for Beatty Recreation Center, collected 4000+ toys and gift cards for children and teens in Central Ohio, collected 500+ bicycles for children and teens of Franklin County Children Services, adopted families through Center for Healthy Families and answered wish lists, cleaned Livingston Avenue, created public art murals on the South Side and in Franklinton, built teen study stations for Boys and Girls Club in Franklinton, planted 500+ trees, and was awarded the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s Artistic Excellence Award for its One Neighborhood Project.
Partnerships already in place include The Columbus Foundation, AEP, Huntington Bank, Fifth Third Bank, LBrands, and several private foundations. Addi...
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