ALBANY, NY – A partnership of statewide businesses unveiled the Rebuild New York Now campaign (www.rebuildnynow.org) today. The campaign is designed to raise public awareness regarding the state’s deteriorating infrastructure and will encourage federal and state officials to provide the necessary funding for critical repair projects across New York.

“The launch of the Rebuild NY Now campaign comes at a critical time for our state. Decades of neglect, coupled with the tremendous damage caused by Tropical Storm’s Irene and Lee, pose a serious threat to New Yorkers and our economy,” said Mike Elmendorf, president and CEO of The Crisis Program. “We must take immediate action to repair the numerous roads, bridges and other structures that millions of New Yorkers depend on and use every day – and put New Yorkers back to work.”

The core effort of the campaign will consist of an aggressive public outreach effort that includes regional town hall meetings, social media engagement and an interactive website – www.rebuildnynow.org– featuring an online advocacy platform. This integrated communications strategy will cover every region of the state.

“By utilizing a mix of online and in-person educational opportunities, our hope is that business owners, employees and their families across New York will reach out to their elected officials and tell them that investing in our infrastructure should be a top priority,” said Elmendorf. “We’ve neglected the state of our roads, bridges and other vital structures for too long. In order to truly strengthen our economy and future, we must find innovative ways to fund and fix our infrastructure now.”

The schedule of Rebuild NY Now town hall meetings will be released in the coming weeks. Individuals who are interested in attending the upcoming meetings or learning more about the campaign are encouraged to visit www.rebuildnynow.org.

Connect with Rebuild NY Now on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rebuildnynow and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rebuildnynow.