Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities to Deliver Network of Children’s Health Programming to Houston Youth

Program Aims to Provide 1.1 Million Healthy Meals to Local Children; Kicks Off With Playground Build at KIPP Unity Primary School
Sep 25, 2015 10:00 AM ET

NEW YORK, September 25, 2015 – Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced a sixth location for its innovative Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities initiative.  Healthy Cities Houston aims to deliver a linked network of wellness, nutrition and play resources to children in underserved communities, and launched today with the construction of a new playground at KIPP Unity Primary School.  Together, more than 200 volunteers from Morgan Stanley, KIPP, The Houston Food Bank and the local community will work with KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all children, to complete the new play space in just one day.

Healthy Cities Houston will work with local and national nonprofits to concentrate on expanding and developing new integrated health, nutrition and play programming in nine schools across three Houston communities.  The Houston Food Bank will partner with several local health providers to deliver medical care and screenings including, but not limited to, immunizations, physicals, referrals to community health clinics, preventative care programs and health screenings, as well as physical education programming.

“The Healthy Cities initiative continues to have a profound impact on the way in which children’s health programming is delivered to the community, and we are excited to bring this unique approach to Houston,” said Joan Steinberg, Global Head of Philanthropy, Morgan Stanley.  “Our employees are the lifeblood of everything we do as a firm, and our community efforts are no different.  We are so happy to have our employees in Houston kick off the program with today’s playground build, and we look forward to bringing health, nutrition and wellness programing to more of Houston’s youth.”

Over the next year, Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities Houston plans to deliver over 1.1 million healthy meals; nutrition education, health screening and healthy snack programs for 2,600 students; regular fitness programs for 1,500+ students and safe play spaces for 1,000 children.  Morgan Stanley employees will play an integral role in implementing and sustaining the programming and will provide more than 2,000 hours of volunteer service.

“We are always looking for new strategic partners to better serve the community, and with the help of Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities, we’ve been able to identify areas where we can expand our services for the betterment of the community,” said Brian Greene, President and CEO, The Houston Food Bank.  “The ability to provide a suite of services that not only includes nutritious foods, but also health screening and wellness education, will really improve the lives of those children and families we serve.”

In the U.S., Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities works with national nonprofit partners Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, and KaBOOM!, as well as key local organizations to implement important children’s health programming in each city.  In Houston, local nonprofit partners include Brighter Bites, Good Neighbor Healthcare Center, Legacy Community Health Services, Memorial Hermann, Hispanic Health Coalition and Wesley Community Center.

Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities was launched in 2014 in Chicago, IL; Newark , NJ; and Oakland, CA. Across all three locations, Healthy Cities has delivered 586,592 nutritious meals, 1,228 medical screenings and safe play spaces for more than 3,000 kids as of this summer.  The program also expanded to London, UK, and Cleveland, OH, earlier in 2015.  For more information about Healthy Cities, please visit www.morganstanley.com/healthycities/ and follow #HealthyCities.

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services.  With offices in more than 43 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals.  For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

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