ICSC Foundation honors four properties with awards

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Foundation has presented the U.S. Community Support Awards to four regional properties, highlighting the Staten Island Mall as the overall winner for its endearing "Bikers for Bini" campaign. The following properties won the U.S. Community Support Award for their respective region: Beachwood Place located in Beachwood, Ohio; The Mall at Barnes Crossing located in Tupelo, Miss.; and SouthBay Pavilion located in Carson, Calif. [Full descriptions of the regional winners can be found below.] The Staten Island Mall and GGP aligned themselves with The Carl V. Bini Memorial Fund-a non-profit local program that was created in honor of fallen 9/11 Firefighter Carl V. Bini - to launch the award-winning "Bikers for Bini" initiative. The mall hosted weekly car shows to raise awareness and garner funds for the program that propagated with time - attracting residents, tourists, entertainment figures, local elected officials and politicians. The mall also used social media channels and additional platforms to generate buzz to get the conversation going. Over 36 months, the campaign funneled more than $2.1 million back into the community post Hurricane Sandy; invested $35,000 to renovate a school cafeteria which services several hundred underprivileged/handicapped children on Staten Island; and helped fund a youth basketball league and academic scholarship program for participating student athletes who exemplify a commitment to their education, sportsmanship, and community. "It is a very proud and humbling experience for us at the Staten Island mall. There are hours and hours of hard work and dedication that goes into planning a program like Bikers For Bini. We do it in honor of our friend and fallen New York City Firefighter Carl Bini who tragically lost his life on 9/11 saving others. A sincere thank you to the entire ICSC Foundation Award Committee. Like Carl Bini and the Carl Bini Foundation, the Staten Island Mall is committed to making our community a better place to live, shop, work and play and we are honored and thankful for the recognition and contribution to the Bini Foundation. It will go a long way." The U.S. Community Support Central Region award was presented to Beachwood Place, which is located in Beachwood, Ohio and managed by GGP. Beachwood Place collaborated with the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland to launch the "All About the Bag" campaign to aid those in the community suffering from hunger. As a result of successful fashion events combined with support from the center's retailers, Beachwood Place was able to fill over 14,000 bags of food, feed 56,000 people within the community and raise nearly $60,000 in its first year. The Southern Region winner was The Mall at Barnes Crossing, which is located in Tupelo, Miss. and managed by Rouse Properties, who formed an alliance with The CREATE Foundation. After a devastating tornado destroyed 2,000 homes and 100 businesses, the alliance established the "Northeast Mississippi Tornado Recovery Mediathon" to raise financial and community support for the victims. The campaign raised $228,847 and garnered extensive media attention, resulting in an additional $53,700 in Mediathon media, event support and publicity. The Western Region winner was SouthBay Pavilion (SBP), located in Carson, Calif. and managed by Vintage Real Estate, LLC. They teamed up with the Gardena-Carson YMCA to encourage youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The successful "Keep Your Mall-Mentum" campaign addressed the widespread issue of obesity and helped motivate residents to become more physically active. SPB's ongoing campaign, which has sustained for several years, continues to grow and educate local residents about obesity. Shopping centers are an integral part of the community and have a long history of community outreach. The ICSC Foundation's Community Support Award competitions recognize a variety of corporate social responsibility and community outreach efforts by shopping centers, their management companies or developers. ICSC presented the awards during a ceremony at RECon on May 17 in Las Vegas. Central Region Winner Beachwood Place located in Beachwood, Ohio "All About the Bag" Beechwood Place, managed by GGP, collaborated with the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland-an organization that runs more than 100 pantries and hot meal programs to fulfill its mission to reduce hunger by providing food and necessary services to those in need-to launch the "All About the Bag" campaign. The fashion event raised awareness and fundraising for the worthy cause through the auction of designer handbags representing "bags" of food. The event, which attracted more than 400 attendees, garnered over $30,000 in corporate sponsorship. The campaign also featured a partnership with a local fashion design school that led to a student competition relevant to the cause. Beechwood Place also utilized major retailers to drive traffic and sales through promoting the event. Southern Regional Winner The Mall at Barnes Crossing located in Tupelo, Miss. "Northeast Mississippi Tornado Recovery Mediathon" The Mall at Barnes Crossing, managed by Rouse Properties, formed an alliance with The CREATE Foundation, a Northeast Mississippi organization, after a devastating tornado destroyed 2,000 homes and 100 businesses. Together, they established the "Northeast Mississippi Tornado Recovery Mediathon" just twelve days after the tragedy to raise support and funds for the victims. The campaign, which attracted the assistance of seven key emergency response and support agencies, featured extensive media outreach and attention; an effective media disruption fundraiser; a pop-up relief center at the mall; and active engagement from mall merchants, local residents, businesses, civic organizations and visible leaders as volunteers. Western Regional Winner SouthBay Pavilion located in Carson, Calif. "Keep Your Mall-Mentum" SouthBay Pavilion (SBP), managed by Vintage Real Estate, LLC, teamed up with the Gardena-Carson YMCA-a non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the foundation of community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility-to launch the "Keep Your Mall-Mentum" campaign, which addressed the prevalent issue of obesity. The campaign was designed to help motivate residents to become more physically active by offering a wide range of healthy living options. SPB's ongoing campaign, which has sustained for several years, continues to grow and educate local residents about obesity.