The National Civic League celebrated our 125th Anniversary in 2019. The anniversary provided an opportunity for us to look back on past accomplishments, remember key figures from our past and look forward to the next 125 years. Anniversary activities included:
- Hosted our 70th All-America City Awards program in conjunction with a celebration of our first 125 years. This year’s awards event featured several workshops and speakers connected with our long history, including the presidents of the Kettering and W.K. Kellogg Foundations, David Mathews and La June Montgomery Tabron, respectively, and the Senior Vice President of United Way Worldwide, Alicia Lara. The event also included a reception and an invitation to individuals who were important figures in the League’s history, many of whom attended the event.
- Developed a special anniversary logo and featured news and mentions of the anniversary in various publications and presentations, including a special edition of the National Civic Review in January.
- Identified individuals related to some of the League’s founders, like Kermit Roosevelt III, Rick Raushenbush (great grandson of Louis Brandeis) and Marshall Field V, and included them in our celebration processes.
- Produced interviews and videos of key individuals in our history, which are now posted on our website. These include speeches at the All-America City awards event by David Mathews, Alicia Lara and La June Montgomery Tabron and interviews with Henry Cisneros, Rick Raushenbush and Kermit Roosevelt.
- Developed a list of 125 stories reflecting promising practices by cities and towns in the area of civic engagement, which were published one section at a time in our electronic newsletter each month.
- Conducted membership drives for individual members, sustaining members and community members, resulting in increases in all three categories.
- Created a planned giving page in honor of our anniversary, which is being marketed to friends of the League, both new and old.
We’d like to thank the four co-chairs of our Anniversary Committee, David Mathews, La June Montgomery Tabron, Henry Cisneros and Alicia Lara. These co-chairs gave us the visibility and leadership we needed to develop a great committee and year of accomplishments.
As we enter our 126th year, we invite you to continue to support the National Civic League by donating, becoming a member if you’re not already and considering a gift through our new planned giving page.
