West 144th St. between Broadway and Amsterdam is a densely populated block with a mixture of walk-up apartment buildings, large apartment buildings, co-ops, and a few single family brownstones. For many years, the block was the center of a very active drug trade and gang activity. However, thanks to the NYPD’s raids and block lockdowns, for a most part the bulk of this activity has moved elsewhere (although the corner of Broadway and 144 remains an issue). City-run programs such as HPD and HDFC have helped establish a stronger community as well as aided in the diversification of the block. However, there are still signs of the years of neglect. While we made great strides with our Beautification Days in 2010 and 2011 (as well as with the subsequent maintenance of these efforts), there is still a lot of work to be done. We received 30 new trees in April 2011; this means we need more supplies (netting to protect the tree beds from garbage, gardening tools, plants) to keep them up. We hope that with this grant, we will be able to continue the forward momentum to build a stronger community and make greater strides in the quality of life here in West Harlem.