Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities Provides Children in Newark and Oakland With Over 1,000 Health Screenings and 307,000 Pounds of Nutritious Food

Two New Playgrounds Constructed Today Will Provide 1,400 Children With Safe Play Area
Jun 18, 2015 10:00 AM ET

NEW YORK, June 18, 2015 /3BL Media/ – Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) today announced the construction of two new playgrounds in Newark, NJ, and Oakland, CA, as part of its Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities initiative.  Over the past year, this innovative program has linked local nonprofit organizations that provide crucial wellness, nutrition and play services to give kids a healthy start in life.  The initiatives in Newark and Oakland have reached 12,730 households in need, providing children and their families with 307,892 pounds of nutritious food, 1,025 health screenings and safe play spaces for 2,000 kids.  

“Morgan Stanley and our employee volunteers have been honored to give back to the communities of Newark and Oakland through Healthy Cities over the past year, and we are pleased to continue that commitment by building these additional new playgrounds,” said Joan Steinberg, Global Head of Philanthropy at Morgan Stanley.  “In partnership with Feeding America, KaBOOM!, and local nonprofit organizations, this initiative has helped create a more complete network of crucial health, wellness and play services that help given children a healthy start in life.”

In partnership with KaBOOM!, a national nonprofit dedicated to bringing balanced and active play into the daily lives of all children, Morgan Stanley volunteers today built new play spaces at KIPP New Jersey, a school located at 103 Bragaw Avenue in Newark and Aspire Berkley Maynard Academy at 6200 San Pablo Avenue in Oakland.  The design of each playground is based on children’s drawings created at a special design day event earlier this year.  Together, these two playgrounds will provide over 1,400 children and their families with a safe play area.

Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities partnered with Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, and KaBOOM! to assist in implementing important children’s health programming in each city.  To ensure programming was tailored to each community, Morgan Stanley also collaborated with local nonprofit organizations to leverage their existing offerings while working with them to expand their programs and develop an integrated network that can better serve the community.

In Oakland, Morgan Stanley worked closely with the Alameda County Community Food Bank and La Clinica to enhance and improve programming that delivers nutrition education, healthy foods and health screenings to local children.  In Newark, key partners in the Healthy Cities programming included the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, America’s Grow-a-Row, and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center.  View more on these programs in the videos here.

“The Healthy Cities program has been an excellent extension of the support Morgan Stanley has shown for the fight against hunger for years,” said Matt Knott, president of Feeding America.  “Working closely with our member food banks in Newark and Oakland and partnering with other providers of crucial services, this program has amplified the impact we can have in our communities, and we are excited to continue to see how this new linked network of programming can improve the overall health of underserved children.”

“KaBOOM! is honored to be a partner that delivers on one of the pillars of the Healthy Cities program,” said Sally McConnell, Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer, KaBOOM!.  “Integrating the benefits of play to children with the health and nutrition components of the Healthy Cities initiatives provides stronger, more comprehensive programming that strengthens our communities for those that matter most – our kids.”

Morgan Stanley Healthy Cities was launched in 2014 in Chicago, IL; Newark, NJ; and Oakland, CA.  In 2015, the program expanded to London and additional cities will be announced in the second half of the year.  For more information about Healthy Cities, please visit www.morganstanley.com/healthycities/ and follow #HealthyCities on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment 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.