HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-06-2011 South Bend named 2011 All-America City finalist
Office of the Mayor
NEWS RELEASE
April 6, 2011
2 p.m.
South Bend named 2011 All-America City finalist
Contact:
Tom Price, Assistant to the Mayor, 235-9261 or 514-2169
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South Bend was named today as one of 26 finalists for the National Civic League’s 62
annual All-America City competition for outstanding civic accomplishment, considered
“a civic ‘Oscar’ for communities of all sizes.”
The 10 winning communities for the nation’s most prestigious civic award will be
announced at the All-America City awards competition June 15-17 in Kansas City, Mo.
South Bend was selected as an All-America City in 1967. This year’s entry by the City of
South Bend was the first since being a finalist in 2009 when South Bend finished just
outside the winner’s circle.
“Being named as an All-America City finalist highlights not only the projects in our
application but also the bright future for South Bend because of the people and
partnerships that create the collaboration, civic engagement and innovation recognized by
this award,” said Mayor Stephen J. Luecke. “We have a lot to be proud of as a
community, and this national recognition calls attention to South Bend’s significant
strengths, enduring values and progressive vision.”
Luecke also announced that the City has launched a fund-raising effort to underwrite the
entire cost of sending a delegation of as many as 70 people to the competition in Kansas
City. In 2009, expenses incurred as part of South Bend’s All-America City bid were
entirely underwritten by private funds through direct and in-kind contributions by South
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;
Kansas: Scott City; Massachusetts: Dedham; Michigan: Ann Arbor; Mississippi: Tupelo;
Nebraska: Dakota County; North Carolina: Eden and Fayetteville; New York: Buffalo;
Ohio: Cincinnati; Oregon: Lakeview and Seaside; Pennsylvania: Philadelphia; Texas:
Fort Worth and Taylor Landing; Utah: Cottonwood Heights; and Wisconsin: Beloit.
The All-America City Award is an honor achieved by more than 600 neighborhoods,
villages, towns, cities, counties, and regions across the country. Some have won the
award multiple times.
Learn more about the award program and follow events leading up to the Kansas City
event on our All-America City blog at www.allamericacityaward.com and the All-
America City Awards Facebook page.
NCL is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that strengthens democracy by increasing
the capacity of our nation’s people to fully participate in and build healthy and
prosperous communities across America. Find out more about the National Civic League
at www.ncl.org
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