Hartley House and New York Junior League 

Hartley House To Unveil New York Junior League's 2015-2016 Community Improvement Project

New York, NY – May 10, 2016 – On Monday, May 16, 2016 from 6:30pm – 8:30pm, Hartley House will host a ribbon cutting at its historic settlement house in Hell’s Kitchen to unveil the completed 2015-2016 New York Junior League (NYJL) Community Improvement Project. The ribbon cutting will be the culmination of a year-long partnership between Hartley House and the NYJL to renovate three badly outdated program spaces that serve youth and adult learners, recent immigrants, and art students of all ages. The NYJL and its cadre of women volunteers have worked tirelessly to transform these rooms and their obsolete furnishings, utilities, and technology into functional, productive, state-of-the-art, and energy efficient learning spaces.

Hartley House, a community service organization located in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen, is one of the only settlement houses in NYC that remains in its original, 120 year old facility comprised of four interconnected brownstones. The size and scope of the renovation project prohibited the organization from embarking on the improvements on its own, and is deeply grateful to the NYJL for taking on the project and ensuring all of Hartley House’s program participants have the tools they need to study and create to their full potential. During the project, Hartley House and the NYJL discovered a long history of partnership: the NYJL first worked with Hartley House in 1905-1906 as part of Settlement Work, and in the 1920s, Hartley House was 1 of 4 settlements where the NYJL focused its support. The partnership was revived in the 1960s when Hartley House sponsored an after school childhood literacy program. Hartley House is grateful for this renewed partnership in the 21st century, and looks forward to benefiting from the wide range and scope of services and programming offered by the NYJL’s more than 2,600 women volunteers.

Hartley House recently honored the NYJL with the Philanthropic Excellence Award for their capital investment and dedicated volunteer work at their 6th Annual Spring Benefit on April 26, 2016. Erika Stallings, Associate at Kelly Drye and member of both the NYJL and the Hartley House Spring Benefit Committee, said “The New York Junior League and its volunteers are always willing to roll up their sleeves and do the less than glamorous but critical jobs no one else can or will: like calling patients to remind them to schedule breast exams, preparing women for re-integration after being released from prison, and renovating the spaces that serve as hubs not only for services, but for community building, like Hartley House and its historic brownstone.”

In her acceptance remarks, NYJL President Stacey Lawrence Lee stated, “we were in awe of the terrific team and inspiring project. . . We have mutually benefited from all of the different ways we have been able to partner. [This] is truly a labor of love on the part of the New York Junior League.”

About Hartley House:

Founded in 1897, Hartley House exists to serve school-age children, youth, and seniors in Hell’s Kitchen by enriching their lives, expanding their opportunities, and building a sense of community.

About the New York Junior League:

The New York Junior League (NYJL) is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable.