Lucas Metropolitan Housing and United Way of Greater Toledo Launch the Thumbs Up Initiative Neighborhood Beautification Project

Lucas Metropolitan Housing (LMH) and United Way of Greater Toledo announced their neighborhood beautification partnership called Thumbs Up at the Dorrell Manor today. Thumbs Up provides an opportunity for staff, community members, and residents to engage in beautification efforts and fellowship across various LMH properties. While Thumbs Up is not a new program for LMH, this year they are partnering with United Way of Greater Toledo to help provide volunteer and financial support.

United Way has identified three community agencies and businesses to sponsor Thumbs Up, including Owens Corning, Toledo Edison and The Tabernacle. LMH will provide meals and a t-shirt to all individuals who participate in the events. The t-shirt, designed specifically for the Thumbs Up Initiative, is also on sale as part of the Here for Good campaign run by Jupmode. For every t-shirt sold, LMH will receive 50% of the proceeds to continue providing services to its residents. The campaign runs from now through mid-June.

The Thumbs Up program is designed to bring staff and residents together to beautify communities, while fostering resident engagement and fellowship. In addition, it promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion by inviting people of different backgrounds to work together around a common goal - adding value to communities and ensuring each family has a place they can proudly call home. Through this inclusive initiative, Lucas Metropolitan Housing aims to support diversity by celebrating, recognizing, and appreciating everyone for their unique talents and providing an opportunity to get involved. 

"Thumbs Up is about people coming together to brighten our communities through an inclusive process," said Joaquin Cintron Vega, President and CEO, Lucas Metropolitan Housing. "LMH, along with our many partners, are proud to support and partner with our residents around a common vision of success - to build better, more beautiful, and diverse communities," he said. "Our residents, partners and staff exemplify community leadership that inspire and provide equal opportunities for all."  

Each LMH community site is also seeking volunteers to join in this project by planting trees and flowers. After each planting session, there will be food and fellowship. Planting dates are scheduled for May 5 through June 14. Twelve LMH community sites are involved in the project and both residents and community members are encouraged to join the initiative. Once all the beautification projects have been completed, each site will be judged and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners will be announced. Dorrell Manor won first place last year.

"United Way of Greater Toledo is honored to partner with LMH and corporate friends to offer the Thumbs Up Project!" said Wendy Pestrue, President and CEO, United Way of Greater Toledo. "We know there is a strong correlation between good mental health and spending time outdoors," she said. "We are excited to celebrate this opportunity with our volunteers and show how partnership in the community can make a difference."

To volunteer, please register by calling 419-259-9462 or contact the Service Coordinator at each site who will be taking the reservations. The LMH sites include the following communities: Birmingham, Ravine Park, TenEyck Towers, Weiler Homes, Northern Heights, Vistula Manor, McClinton Nunn, Dorrell Manor, Ashley Arms, Elmdale Court, Glendale Terrace and Flory Gardens.

Donations of flowers, trees or bushes would be gratefully accepted.

About Lucas Metropolitan Housing

Established in 1933, Lucas Metropolitan Housing (LMH) continues to provide affordable housing to adults, seniors and children in its Public Housing, Housing Choice Voucher, Mixed-Income and Market Rate housing units. LMH also provides a myriad of programs and opportunities designed to improve the total quality of life for our residents, with the ultimate goal of achieving self-sufficiency. The programs and services are the results of successful collaborations with numerous community partners.

Our current housing portfolio consists of 2,633 Public Housing units; 4,657 Housing Choice Vouchers; 322 Low-Income Housing Tax Credit units; 198 Market Rate units and 107 Homeownership Properties. There are approximately 17,500 people who reside in LMH properties. Lucas Metropolitan Housing partners with ALL people and organizations willing to exchange ideas and efforts to enhance Toledo, Lucas County and the world. https://www.lucasmha.org/

About United Way of Greater Toledo  

For over 100 years, United Way has been driving change in our community. Every day, individuals struggle with hard to ignore obstacles: Hunger. Homelessness. Addiction. Unemployment. United Way offers hope by finding solutions to surround our most critical problems. Our community wins when we LIVE UNITED®. We achieve this by forging unlikely partnerships, finding new solutions to old problems, mobilizing the best resources, and by inspiring individuals to join the fight against our most daunting social crises.