MENG ANNOUNCES $800,000 IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR LIFE CAMP’S COMMUNITY-BASED VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAMS IN QUEENS

QUEENS, NY - U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) announced $800,000 in federal funding she secured for LIFE Camp'sviolence intervention programs in Queens.

Founded in April 2002, LIFE Camp, Inc. (Love Ignites Freedom through Education) is a leading nonprofit, grassroots violence prevention and intervention organization that focuses on combatting local gun violence, and this crucial money will help enable the group to expand its operations from south Queens to Meng's congressional district which encompasses west, central, and northeast sections of the borough.

Meng joined LIFE Camp Founder and CEO Erica Ford to make the announcement which took place this past week in front of the Bland Houses in Flushing. Also attending were other officials and staff from LIFE Camp, residents and leaders from the Bland and Pomonok Houses, Councilwoman Sandra Ung, representatives from Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Assemblyman Ron Kim's office and others.

"I was excited to join LIFE Camp to commemorate these critical funds which will go a long way toward helping to make our communities safer," saidCongresswoman Meng. "LIFE Camp does important work to combat gun violence and I'm proud to have obtained this money so that its team can do an even better job and serve more residents throughout our borough. We have to do all we can to save lives and protect our neighborhoods and future generations."

"For more than two decades, I've been driven by a passion to build something meaningful - a movement dedicated to ending violence in my community," saidLIFE Camp Founder and CEO Erica Ford. "Thanks to leaders like Congresswoman Meng, we're now able to expand and share this vision beyond my home community. This funding fuels our momentum and enables us to create opportunities for young people to resolve conflicts positively, without turning to violence. That's what is turning the tide on violence."