Churches United Blog

Awards: The CPC Press Release

CPC’S MICHAEL LAPPIN RECEIVES HUMANITARIAN AWARD FROM CHURCHES UNITED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION IN BROOKLYN

 FR. RICK BUETHER ALSO HONORED FOR HIS EFFORTS TO EXPAND HOUSING AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES  

(l to r) Churches United Executive Director Paul Cogley, CPC CEO and president Michael Lappin, CPC vice-president and New Domino project manager Susan Pollock, Sts. Peter & Paul Parish pastor Father Richard Beuther, and Churches United Chair of the Board of Directors Bishop Joseph Sullivan.

 New York, September XX, 2010—The Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) announced today that Michael Lappin, CPC’s President and CEO, is the recipient of the 2010 Churches United Humanitarian Award.

 Mr. Lappin was honored for his dedication to providing affordable housing to the hard working families of the Brooklyn community. The award was presented to Mr. Lappin by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz on behalf of the faith-based group and its Executive Director Paul Cogley.  The ceremony took place at Churches United’s 2010 Awards Dinner at Giando on the Water in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

 Co-honoree Fr. Richard Buether of the parish of Sts. Peter and Paul, received the organization’s Msgr. Bryan J. Karvelis Award for his ongoing efforts to expand housing and job opportunities of “struggling families and seniors.”

 Bishop Joseph M. Sullivan, Chair of the Board of Churches United Corp., said, “We honor Mike in gratitude for his leadership and outreach to meet our communities’ needs for affordable housing, jobs training programs, and open space.  His vision provides new possibilities for families and persons to find homes in our neighborhood.”

 Mr. Lappin said, “I am truly honored by this magnificent gesture.  I have worked side-by-side with Churches United and Fr. Rick Buether for the past six years, in our shared vision for the New Domino mixed-use development on the Williamsburg waterfront.  With Churches United’s encouragement, we designed the New Domino as a model for affordable housing in New York City.”  He added, “I am pleased to announce that we will begin construction of the New Domino’s first phase in 2011.”

 Councilman Steve Levin and Assemblyman Vito Lopez also expressed strong support for the development of affordable housing in their community.

 The dramatic $l.5 billion development on the Williamsburg waterfront will provide a total of 2,200 apartments, with 660 permanently affordable units. The project also provides four acres of public parks, a quarter mile long riverfront esplanade, restoration of the landmark Domino Refinery complex with the iconic Domino Sugar sign on its roof, 128,000 square feet of retail space, 147,000 square feet of community facility space and significant economic development opportunities, including 350 construction jobs every year for 10 years, over 1,000 permanent jobs and 500 job-training slots.

 Since its founding in 1974, CPC has invested more than $7.4 billion in nearly 140,000 units of housing.