Laserfiche WebLink
<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Office of the Mayor <br /> <br />NEWS RELEASE <br />June 19, 2009 <br />9 p.m. <br /> <br />South Bend gets kudos for All-America City effort <br /> <br />Contact: <br />Mikki Dobski, Director of Communications & Special Projects, 235-5855 or 876-1564 or <br /> <br />Tom Price, Assistant to the Mayor, (574) 514-2169 <br /> <br />TAMPA, Fla. – South Bend’s All-America City delegation turned cartwheels, described <br />community projects that inspired and tickled audience members, and had the most popular <br />exhibit at the 2009 All-America City Awards. But it wasn’t enough for the top honor. <br /> <br />Yet members of the South Bend delegation were honored to compete as a finalist for the <br />nation’s most prestigious civic award and view the effort as yet another step in its journey <br />into the promise of a high-tech future. <br /> <br />With a presentation rooted in collaborative partnerships that are revitalizing the Northeast <br />Neighborhood, reducing obesity among youth, and reforming city government with <br />innovation and technology, South Bend demonstrated a spirit that tackles tough challenges <br />with a “Yes We Can” spirit. <br /> <br />“This is a very exciting time to be living in South Bend, not simply because of this national <br />recognition but because of the great partnerships in this community – public and private, <br />commercial and residential, university and nonprofit – that demonstrate the collaboration, <br />civic engagement and innovation of the All-America City award,” said Mayor Stephen J. <br />Luecke. “We saw great presentations by all the cities and have seen new ideas that we can <br />bring home to South Bend. The whole experience reminded us what a great honor it is to be a <br />finalist in the All-America City competition.” <br /> <br />South Bend was among 32 finalists announced in March for the competition after <br />demonstrating qualitative and quantitative impacts in the community over the past five years <br />on the three projects. An 18-member delegation, supported entirely by private contributions, <br />made the case for South Bend with a 10-minute oral presentation on stage before hundreds of <br />civic leaders. The presentation shared South Bend’s experience in: <br /> <br />?Being designated in 2007 by the federal government as one of the nation’s first <br />WeCan! cities after a two-year pilot project for the national program (Ways to <br /> <br />