Community Toolbox for Children's Environmental Health
Parin Shah Executive Director 999 Sutter St., 4th Floor San Francisco, CA 94109	Phone: (415) 614-9533 Fax: (415) 614-9537 URL: http://www.communitytoolbox.org

Mission Statement

Activities

Founded in 1997, Community Toolbox for Children's Environmental Health is a constituent led, national grant making and technical assistance organization created specifically to build the organizational capacity of parent led, and community based organizations working on children's environmental health and justice issues in communities disproportionately impacted by environmental toxins. Community Toolbox provides the organizational development "tools" that community-based groups need to increase their strength and effectiveness as they work to protect children from environmental health hazards. By connecting these organizations, Community Toolbox facilitates a national dialogue and builds a national movement to raise and advance the issue of children's environmental health and justice. Geographic focus: national No membership  Our grantees are parent and grassroots groups from low-income and communities of color that are educating and organizing their neighbors around environmental justice issues and the dangers young children face from environmental health threats, such as lead poisoning, pesticides, toxic waste dumps, incinerators, asbestos and mercury

CHEEKTOWAGA
Grants fortify citizen group
By BARBARA O'BRIEN
News Southtowns Bureau
1/26/2004

The Cheektowaga Citizens Coalition was formed three years ago after some residents in the Bellevue area of the town started wondering whether neighbors' illnesses were connected to the three landfills and a quarry in the community.

Residents organized the group, whose members would show up to Town Board meetings wearing their signature yellow T-shirts, pushing the board to take action. The fledgling group survived and today has a new Web site and is the recipient of more than 10,000 in grants.

Community Toolbox for Children's Environmental Health of San Francisco awarded the coalition 7,500 over two years for educating the community and building organizational capacity.

The coalition's Web site is part of its education component: www.checkoutcheektowaga.4t.com.

"A lot of us were children here and a lot of us have the same diseases," said Donna Hosmer, president of the group. "We feel we have to prevent future children from getting diseases."

To build the capacity of the organization, grant money will be used to increase membership and credibility of the coalition.

The coalition also has been awarded a 2,500 grant from the Citizens Environmental Coalition for air monitoring. The money will be used to test samples collected through the grass-roots bucket brigade to document exposure to toxins.

An additional 500 .00 from the Citizens Environmental Coalition will be used to buy advertising on a billboard on Dick Road near Broadway, Hosmer said.

In researching the area, residents have come across dozens of documents relating to what has happened to the landfills and what has been left there through the years. Hosmer said the coalition will be releasing that information to the public.

e-mail: bobrien@buffnews.com