The GatewayJFK Business Improvement District(BID) has received $5,000 in funding from JFKIAT, the operator of JFK Terminal 4, to improve lighting in its commercial corridor.
GatewayJFK received the donation last month through JFKIAT’s 4Good philanthropy program, which aims to promote education and social and professional success throughout the local community.
James Johnson, executive director of GatewayJFK, said the funding is a much-needed investment for the local community. “Terminal 4 has given us $5,000 worth of lighting to help with illegal dumping, to help with safety…we literally have businesses and property owners that do not have cargo or services delivering after certain times of night because it’s too dark in the business improvement district,” Johnson said.
Johnson added that business owners are eager to have more lighting in the commercial corridor, which he says will improve safety and beautification. “When you see a place lit up, you actually will want to visit that business more, or you might be more intrigued to figure out what this business is in our business improvement district,” he said.
Johnson said he appreciated JFKIAT’s investment in the community surrounding the airport.
“What comes out of that airport comes into my catchment area. We are trucks…commercial, residential, businesses, we are retail… this lighting is going to help us tremendously,” Johnson said.
Johnson explained that the BID is in the planning phase of the lighting project and will alert business owners when the project is underway. He believes the lighting will deter illegal dumping affecting business owners and homeowners in the business improvement district.
“Springtime we have it the worst, but there’s always illegal dumping and we have over 180 single-family homes in the business improvement district,” Johnson said. “Residents complain about that, and homeowners complain about that. So we believe when we add this lighting, it will stop or deter illegal dumping. We also believe that this will increase property value for the residents and the homeowners.”
Launched in 2016, JFKIAT’s 4GOOD philanthropy program consists of two components, community(corporate philanthropy) and sustainability(environment)
The 4GOOD program is managed by a committee of senior staff members chaired by Vernon Taylor, JFKIAT’s Director of People Operations.
The 4GOOD committee aims to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into all aspects of JFKIAT. Through its philanthropic programming, 4GOOD has sponsored an array of community initiatives in recent years.
In 2023, JFKIAT contributed over $365,000 to the community. Through the 4GOOD coin collection program at Terminal 4, the company donated $61,000 to several local organizations, including the American Diabetes Association, Venture House, Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Park Conservancy, Virgil I. Grissom Middle School, Bethany Baptist Food Pantry, and August Martin High School.
In 2022, 4GOOD distributed a total of $205,000 in donations within the local community. The donations included a $125,000 COVID-19 relief fund that JFKIAT and its business partners contributed to and raised to directly support the Queens community.
