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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Office of the Mayor <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br />October 5, 2010 <br />2 p.m. <br /> <br />Cities and county honored for government cooperation <br /> <br />Contact: <br />Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 574.876.1564 <br /> <br />The cities of South Bend and Mishawaka, along with St. Joseph County, have received <br />the 2010 Local Government Cooperation Award from the Indiana Association of Cities <br />and Towns (IACT). The award was presented, for their support of and response to the <br />first-ever Bike the Bend ride, during the IACT annual conference this week. <br /> <br />On Sunday, May 23, nearly 1,800 bicyclists of all ages and abilities participated in the <br />family-friendly bike ride through the streets of South Bend and Mishawaka along with <br />unincorporated areas of St. Joseph County. The initiative for the ride began with The <br />Louise Addicott and Georgina Joshi Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit family <br />foundation. The effort also was supported by private-sector volunteers recruited by the <br />Bike Michiana Coalition, a local nonprofit bicycle-advocacy organization that seeks to <br />facilitate communication and interaction among more than a half-dozen local bicycle <br />groups. <br /> <br />“While this initiative began with the vision of a private foundation and was supported by <br />volunteers from our local bicycle community, the cooperative collaboration among <br />multiple departments from these local units of government was integral to the first-time <br />ride’s success and participants’ positive experience,” according to the award nomination. <br /> <br />Mayor Stephen J. Luecke of South Bend and Mayor Dave Wood of Mishawaka received <br />the award today during a luncheon ceremony at the Grand Wayne Center in Fort Wayne, <br />site of IACT’s annual conference. They were joined on stage by Evie Kirkwood, director <br />of St. Joseph County Parks; Glenda Lamont, a spokesperson for Bike the Bend; Judy Lee, <br />president of the Bike Michiana Coalition; Mike Faulkner, superintendent of Mishawaka <br />Parks and Recreation; and Michael Divita, a planner with South Bend’s Department of <br />Community and Economic Development. <br /> <br />-more- <br />