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ATLANTA – The National Civic League crowned the 2005 winners of the coveted All-America Cities Award – the nation’s longest running and most prestigious civic recognition program.
The All-America City Award encourages and recognizes civic excellence, honoring the communities in which citizens, government, businesses and nonprofit organizations demonstrate successful resolution of critical community issues. Since 1949, more than 4,000 communities have competed and nearly 500 have been designated All-America Cities.
The winning communities for 2005 are (in alphabetical order by state):
Seward, Alaska
Canoga Park, California
Lauderhill, Florida
Pompano Beach, Florida
Port Huron, Michigan
Willmar, Minnesota
Carrollton, Missouri
Georgetown County, South Carolina
Orangeburg County, South Carolina
Winchester, Virginia
“All of these Finalist communities are winners, or they wouldn’t have been asked to join us in Atlanta. They are already serving as role models for the rest of the country,” said Christopher T. Gates, president of the National Civic League. “They are tackling a variety of community challenges in a collaborative way that involves citizens, businesses, local government, and nonprofit organizations. That’s what this award is all about—showing communities across America how to work together to overcome obstacles and achieve tangible results.”
The 30 Finalists participated in a final round of the All-America City competition in Atlanta, Georgia, June 23-25. Each delegation presented three innovative community programs to a nine-person jury. Their presentations addressed a wide range of social and community issues, including youth, education, poverty, affordable housing, race relations, and others.
George H. Gallup, one of the award’s founders, described the program as “…a Nobel prize for constructive citizenship.” As such, communities that have won the All-America City Award have realized numerous benefits, including national recognition, enhanced community pride, and additional community partnerships. Many All-America City Award winners also have realized significant economic impacts, including new grants, improved bond ratings, increased tourism, and private investment.
The National Civic League (NCL) is one of the leading proponents of citizen democracy in the United States. It was founded in 1894 by Theodore Roosevelt and other government reformers. NCL is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to building community and promoting political reform at the local level. NCL accomplishes its mission through facilitating community processes and conducting and publishing research on political reform and community building. Through its All-America City Award program, NCL recognizes community engagement efforts across the nation, while encouraging other communities to follow the examples of All America Cities and Finalists. For more information, visit www.ncl.org.
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