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GREEN STREET ARTS CENTER RECEIVES GRANT FROM CHEFA FOR AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAM
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GRANT WILL PROVIDE PROGRAM SUPPORT AND ESTABLISH A HEALTH AND WELLNESS COMPONENT

Middletown, Conn, April 21, 2008 - On February 27, 2008, the Green Street Arts Center received a $75,000 grant from the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA). As one of only 10 grantees out of a very competitive program with 40 applicants, Green Street is extremely excited to have received this distinction.

CHEFA's grant will provide the Afterschool Program with program support, as well as establish a Health and Wellness component. As part of the Afterschool activities, the grant will allow Green Street Arts Center to bring professionals in the fields of nutrition, health, exercise, and mental health to teach life-long health habits.

Green Street's Director Janis Astor Del Valle remarked, "I understand the competition for this grant was intense -there were so many worthy applicants. To be recognized in this way is quite an honor for us. Empowering young people and their families is at the very core of our program's mission, and CHEFA funds afford us the opportunity to better serve our afterschool children and families. Now we can more adequately address their needs, and, I hope, significantly improve their lives."

Wesleyan's President Michael S. Roth added, "The Green Street Art Center has already established itself as a valuable part of the revitalization of the North End of Middletown. It has also become an important service learning opportunity for Wesleyan students eager to work in community. I am very grateful for the CHEFA grant's recognition of the good work already done at Wesleyan's Green Street Arts Center, and for its assistance in our future efforts."

Richard D. Gray, Executive Director at CHEFA, congratulates "both Wesleyan University and the Green Street Arts Center on their successful grant application allowing for an expansion of their afterschool wellness programs. These services make a tangible difference in the quality of life for Middletown's youngest citizens."

About CHEFA
The Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority provides Connecticut's nonprofit institutions access to low cost financing in the public municipal markets. Formed in 1965, CHEFA currently has in excess of $6.3 billion in bonds outstanding. Hospitals, institutions of higher education, independent schools, childcare providers, cultural institutions, and human service providers have benefited from financing through CHEFA to expand their physical plant and equipment and increase services to their clients.

About the Green Street Arts Center
The Green Street Arts Center, now in its third year of programming, was created to serve as both an anchor to the revitalization of the North End of Middletown and as a unique artistic and educational resource for residents of the neighborhood and the region. It is the result of a major collaboration between Wesleyan University, the North End Action Team (NEAT), the City of Middletown and other community and arts partners. The facility offers a fully-equipped sound/recording, videography, digital photography, writing and graphic arts lab. It also features two visual arts studios for drawing, painting and sculpture, a dance studio and a performance studio with seating capacity of 100.

For more information about the Green Street Arts Center, visit www.greenstreetartscenter.org or call 860-685-7871.