All-America City Award Finalists Announced!

The National Civic League has invited 20 communities to the 2013 All-America City Awards June 14-16 in Denver, Colorado. 

Birmingham, Alabama Owensboro, Kentucky
Downey, California Natchitoches, Louisiana
Brush, Colorado Canton, New York
Colorado Springs, Colorado Dunn, North Carolina
Montrose, Colorado Garner, North Carolina
Fort Lauderdale, Florida Thomasville, North Carolina
Miami Lakes, Florida Folly Beach, South Carolina
Sarasota County, Florida The Colony, Texas
Peoria, Illinois Norfolk, Virginia
Dubuque, Iowa Platteville, Wisconsin

This year, the program is spotlighting community-wide initiatives that honor and benefit veterans and military families. Next year, the 65th anniversary of the program, the focus will be on communities that foster healthier lifestyles for their residents.

“All-America Cities set an example and a standard of excellence for local problem-solvers throughout the country,” said NCL President Gloria Rubio-Cortes. “This is an award that gives us hope, ideas and inspiration as we look for ways to address the difficult challenges we face as communities and as a nation.”

All-America City Awards recognize local action through community-based problem-solving and civic engagement efforts involving the public, private and nonprofit sectors. The designation gives the winning communities “bragging rights” than can help them recruit new businesses, increase jobs and obtain grants for community betterment projects in the future.

“AAC is more than an awards program,” noted NCL Interim Chair Liz Hollander. “It gives communities a unique opportunity to celebrate their successes, but also to take a clear-eyed look at their civic capacities.”

Once described by pollster George Gallup as a “Nobel Prize” for civic accomplishment, the awards have been given to more than 600 communities since its inception in 1949. Some have won it as many as five and six times. Not just cities, but neighborhoods, towns, counties and metropolitan regions can apply for the prestigious award.

To qualify for AAC, participants fill out applications listing three examples of successful community change. Applicants are enocuraged to use the National Civic League’s “Civic Index,” a widely used tool for assessing community strengths and weaknesses. In their applications, they describe their capacities for civic engagement, collaboration; inclusiveness and innovation.

NCL will produce a report based on the finalists’ projects to inform communities seeking to improve their current initiatives or establish new ones benefiting veterans and military families.   

Sponsors and partners of the 2013 All-America City Award include: The Piton Foundation;  Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation; PCL Construction Enterprises, Inc.; Southwest Airlines – The Official Airline of the All-America City Award;  Greenberg Traurig; Merrick & Company;  City of Aurora, Colorado;  BBVA Compass;  City of Dublin, California; El Pomar Foundation; FirstBank;  City of Lakewood, Colorado; Alameda Gateway;  RubinBrown;  U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and Veterans of Foreign Wars. The Kettering Foundation is a research partner. The Colorado National Guard is a partner.

Some Related Posts

View All

Thank You to Our Key Partners