White Plains Mayor Thomas Roach Takes the Challenge for Children and Families

Mayor Thomas M. Roach is among the first 100 Mayor’s in the United States and only the third in New York State to sign on to the national Mayors’ Action Challenge for Children and Families.

The Challenge was also endorsed by the White Plains City Council. The Challenge calls on mayors to set specific, measurable, locally-defined goals or targets in any of the following areas to ensure that every child has:

• Opportunities to learn and grow;
• A safe neighborhood to call home;
• A healthy lifestyle and environment; and
• A financially fit family in which to thrive.

“Mayor Roach is the third Mayor in New York and the first in Westchester County to make this commitment to children. We applaud his understanding of the serious issues facing children, youth and families and his vision for how to improve the future for them,” said Allison Lake, Deputy Director of the Westchester Children’s Association (WCA).

Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City and Mayor Gerald Jennings of Albany have also signed on to the Challenge.

Among the actions that Mayor Roach will take as part of the challenge are helping to improve the employment landscape for youth, and creating safe bike lanes throughout White Plains so that children and youth can safely ride their bicycles to school, work, and for exercise.

“White Plains was recently named one of the 100 Best Cities for Youth. Participation in the Mayor’s Action Challenge is a natural outgrowth of that designation and one that I believe will further strengthen our community,” said Mayor Roach 

The Mayor’s Action Challenge for Children and Families was unveiled on Nov. 15, 2008, at the National League of Cities' Congress of Cities and Exposition in Orlando, Florida.  WCA plans to reach out to all Westchester municipal leaders of cities, towns and villages to have them join the Challenge. 

For more information about the Mayor’s Challenge contact Allison Lake at the Westchester Children’s Association: (914) 946-7676 x304 or by email at: alake@wca4kids.org. 

About the Westchester Children’s Since 1914, WCA has remained steadfast in its mission: to improve the lives of Westchester’s children by shaping policies and programs to meet their needs, and by keeping the well-being of Westchester’s children at the top of the public agenda.

• WCA identifies the needs of Westchester’s children and youth, develops innovative responses to those needs and advocates for policies and programs that benefit children.
• WCA is a valued resource for policy makers and the media on issues affecting children because we are independent, knowledgeable and effective.
• WCA is non-partisan and is not limited by ties to any political group, organization or funding source.

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