04-06-2011 South Bend named 2011 All-America City finalist

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Bend area businesses along with a grant from an anonymous contributor. South Bend is currently featured in an article on the All-America City award web site, which notes the contradiction between Newsweek’s recent “Dying Cities” list and South Bend being an All-America City finalist. “These lists are often misleading,” wrote Mike McGrath, chief information officer of the National Civic League, about the Newsweek article. “South Bend was apparently flagged because of its loss of population and manufacturing jobs, but the city has a lot of strengths, not the least of which is its relationship to Notre Dame and other nearby colleges and universities.” “The All-America City Award is not a beauty contest,” McGrath added. “We ask applicants to list their strengths and weaknesses and list three successful of projects to address their most pressing challenges. South Bend happened to have some terrific projects.” http://www.allamericacityaward.com/2011/02/16/2364/ Immediately recognizable for the “stars and bars” shield logo found on water towers and city limits signs across the country, the award is given to 10 winners each year for community-based problem solving, grassroots civic engagement and joint efforts on the part of the public, private and nonprofit sectors. To become a finalist, each participant completed an application describing three community projects to address local challenges. At least one community project must focus on the needs of young people. During the three-day competition, a delegation from each community will present its challenges and solutions to a jury of national experts from across the United States. In its 2011 application, South Bend’s application highlighted:  Revitalization of the Northeast Neighborhood, in which neighborhood residents, the City of South Bend, the University of Notre Dame and other key partners redeveloped the area near campus. (This effort recently received the National League of Cities’ 2010 Gold Award of Municipal Excellence.)  Transformation of the former Engman Natatorium, a public facility that was a landmark of segregation, into the Indiana University South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center, a symbol of hope and opportunity as part of the city’s museum campus.  Development of 212° STARS, a grassroots effort among a coalition of parachurch agencies, student volunteers and others to create a peer-to-peer intervention effort to reduce high-school dropout rates. “The All-America City Award is like a civic ‘Oscar’ for communities of all sizes,” said National Civic League President Gloria Rubio-Cortés. “We’re very excited about this year’s participants, a very strong group of contenders with great civic projects to brag about. These communities have tackled everything from tsunami preparedness to environmental sustainability, education, gang violence and economic development.” The list of 26 finalists includes large urban centers, midsized cities and smaller suburban and rural communities. Listed alphabetically by state are the 2011 finalists: Alaska: Kenai; California: Downey, Dublin, Huntington Park, Torrance and Yucaipa; Indiana: South Bend Colorado: Lakewood; Illinois: Belleville; ; Iowa: Marshalltown;