Mayor Walsh joins City Realty to distribute 26 Chromebooks to East Boston students

Courtesy photos attached, hi-res and additional images available upon request.

EAST BOSTON – This week, representatives from CRM Property Management Group Corp. (City Realty), through their nonprofit arm City Kids, joined Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh to distribute 26 Chromebooks to students at two East Boston Schools: Mario Umana Middle School Academy and the Donald McKay School. The event took place on Wednesday, April 20, at the McKay School in East Boston.

“By revitalizing properties and developing neighborhoods, our work as a company has allowed us to invest a lot in the City of Boston,” said Steve Whalen, Managing Partner of City Realty. “Today’s give away marks a different type of investment, and that is in Boston’s children. We at City Realty are proud to be able to give back to the students of East Boston, and are excited to share with them the resources that will help them to better achieve their educational goals.”

“I thank City Realty for their partnership and this generous donation,” said Mayor Walsh. “Their continued support through contributions like this underscores their shared commitment to Boston's students. Giving our young people the resources to succeed is an investment in the future of our city."

The students gathered at the McKay School and were joined by Mayor Walsh, who presented the Chromebooks to the students. Also in attendance were State Senator-elect Joe Boncore, State Representative Adrian Madaro and Boston City Councilor Sal LaMattina, all representing East Boston.

In December 2015, City Realty, in association with The Hamilton Foundation and The Foundation To Be Named Later, were joined by Mayor Walsh to surprise 110 students with Chromebooks. Students were selected from Roxbury community partners: The Shelburne Community Center, Catholic Charities Teen Center at St. Peter's, and The BASE. The mission behind these efforts is focused on bridging the digital divide by donating powerful learning tools to Boston students. The overarching goal for City Kids is to support a learning environment to spark intellectual pursuit, and invest in the future of Boston.

City Kids was developed by Steve Whalen and Fred Starikov of City Realty in 2012 as a means to reach out to the children of Boston, providing them with resources and educational experiences that expand their views of the world and spark their interest in intellectual pursuits. The Chromebook giveaway is just one of the many events that City Kids hosts throughout the year.

Since its founding in 2004, City Realty has grown to become a leading agency for buying, selling, renting, and managing property in the Boston area, specializing in commercial and residential sales, and providing high-quality residential and commercial properties at affordable rates. City Realty currently own nearly 650 units in Greater Boston, with 64% priced below fair market rate, and 36% with subsidized tenants. To date, City Realty has acquired and turned around hundreds of distressed properties. They conduct mandatory safety and risks assessments upon new acquisitions of distressed properties and replace all heating systems, smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, interiors, exteriors, and building structures with quality materials and deluxe finishes regardless of neighborhood and income level. In addition, through its subsidiary Lead Safe Homes, City Realty provides deleading and asbestos abatement to every renovation, bringing safety and peace of mind to its residents. In turning these properties around, City Realty seeks to improve quality of life for residents and add value to neighborhoods.

City Realty maintains a strong corporate responsibility program. They continue to provide affordable housing by partnering with agencies such as Hildebrand Family Self-Help Center Inc.; Heading Home; Pine Street Inc.; Casa Nueva Vida, Inc.; and Housing authorities like BHA, MBHP, Brookline Housing, Chelsea Housing, Revere Housing, among others. They regularly participate in and sponsor community events such as Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s Boston Shines neighborhood cleanup, the Pine Street Inn for dinner services, and at Madison Park High School for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day projects. And through, City Kids, they reach out to the children of tenants and provide them with resources and educational experiences to expand their view of the world and spark interest in intellectual pursuits. Since its inception in 2012, all participants have received educational items yearly, such as subscriptions to National Geographic magazine in 2012 and tickets to the Museum of Science in 2013. In 2014, City Realty hosted a “City Kids Inspiration Contest,” asking the children to write about who inspires them and why, with the winners receiving an iPad Mini to support their studies.

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