Posted March 18, 200817 yr 2008 City of Akron NEWS Releases from the desk of Mark Williamson Akron is Finalist for 2008 All-America City Award (03/15/08) - The National Civic League has announced the finalists in the annual All-America City Award , and Akron is among 17 who will compete for the top national awards. It is also the only Ohio city selected for the final competition. Akron was selected twice before, in 1981 and again in 1995 as an All-America City...www.ncl.org www.newsnet5.com
March 19, 200817 yr Congrats Akron; While I must applaud this honor I also need to ask two questions. 1. This award is worth what? What if anything tangible (other than a nice sign on I-77 is really going to come of this? 2. Are all the nominees financial supporters of the NCL? And if, so does this impact their survey? Those questions asked, I think any attempt made to improve the economies of Akron and Ohio is should be encouraged and promoted regardless of what "award" comes of it. Props to the citizens of Akron, but I would discount any "status" achieved by this honor
March 19, 200817 yr Congrats Akron; While I must applaud this honor I also need to ask two questions. 1. This award is worth what? What if anything tangible (other than a nice sign on I-77 is really going to come of this? 2. Are all the nominees financial supporters of the NCL? And if, so does this impact their survey? Those questions asked, I think any attempt made to improve the economies of Akron and Ohio is should be encouraged and promoted regardless of what "award" comes of it. Props to the citizens of Akron, but I would discount any "status" achieved by this honor Bhaa Humbug!! This may not be the biggest and greatest award of all time, but it is positive recognition for one of Ohio's cities. There will be no huge economic benefit, other than being able to make this part of Akron's marketing campaign. It is a nice thing to be able to say. But if Akron wins this award, it is because of positive things that are being done in Akron. This is not big news but it is good news. What's wrong with just saying congratulations and moving on, like everyone else? There is no need to diminish the small value that it has nor the positive feeling that it may give it's community.
March 19, 200817 yr Master, I don't think igon's question was a "dig", he/she doesn't know what the award is althought he/she could have looked the information up on the internet. :roll:
March 20, 200817 yr Below, is some basic information about the organization and it's award. This is just a small portion of lots of information offered. I read most all of this information. Based on it's longevity, sponsors, the the fact that it is non-profit and non-partisan and other information I have read; this award may not be that small of a deal and may be recognized by some "Movers and Shakers" around the country. There are several benefits listed within the overally informaion that I read. These included Civic Pride. I feel this alone is worth the trouble of trying to win the award. I noticed Cleveland, Dayton, Cincinatti and Toledo's names mentioned as past participants in this program, as well. If anyone is interested, just pull up All American City and check it out. All-America City Award Fact Sheet BACKGROUND The All-America City Award is the oldest and most respected community recognition program in the nation. This year marks the 58th anniversary of the award that recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results. Each year, only ten cities are selected as All-America Cities. These communities exemplify the true American spirit at work. Their citizens are actively committed to ensuring that their community is a safe nurturing place to live. Since the program's inception, more than 4,000 communities (neighborhoods/cities/towns/counties/regions) have competed and nearly 500 have been named "All-America Cities." APPLICATIONS Each year, the All-America City Award program receives applications from communities across the country. A Screening Committee of public and civic affairs experts reviews the applications and, following a careful and thorough examination, the Finalists are announced. At hearings before the All-America City jury in June, each Finalist community will present its application and answer questions posed by the jury. Once the jury has carefully considered all Finalists' presentations and applications, the ten All-America Cities will be announced at a special awards ceremony. CRITERIA For a community to be named an All-America City, it must be able to demonstrate successful resolution of community issues through collaborative effort. Award winning criteria include the following: active citizen involvement, effective and efficient government performance, maximized local philanthropic and volunteer resources, a strong capacity for cooperation and consensus building, community vision and pride, inter-group relations, community information sharing, and intercommunity cooperation. NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE The All-America City Award is a program of the National Civic League, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization founded in 1894 to strengthen citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research, and the All-America City Award, the nation's oldest and most prestigious community recognition program. The National Civic League is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
March 22, 200817 yr Out of the 317 cities in Ohio only 18 have recieved this award. Cleveland : 5 times Columbus : 4 times Dayton : 3 times Cincinnati : 3 times Akron : 2 times Toledo : 2 times Cleve Heights : 2 times and the others with 1 time are Youngstown, Canton, Warren, Cambridge, Zanesville, Middletown, Sidney, Mt. Vernon, Wooster, Portsmouth, and Springfield. Since 1980 only 7 Ohio cities have recieved this award. Cleveland : 4 times ( 93', 86', 84', 82') Akron : 2 times ( 95', 81') < perhaps #3 in 08'> Cinti, Cbus, Springfield, Dayton, and Portsmouth with 1 time each.
April 4, 200817 yr Haven't heard anything. I guess Akron didn't win. I'm sure it would have been big news if they did. Has anyone heard anything?
April 4, 200817 yr Haven't heard anything. I guess Akron didn't win. I'm sure it would have been big news if they did. Has anyone heard anything? From the article you posted: The next step is for each community to send a delegation to Tampa, Florida, for a three-day awards competition and innovations forum (June 4-6). The winners will be announced on the evening of Friday, June 6.
April 5, 200817 yr Yeah Cincinnati proclaims on its interstate welcome signs that it is an "All-American City." To be honest I never knew what this meant until now, and have taken many guesses and what it might mean with very little desire to actually look up the information. On another note, the whole thing seems pretty subjective.
April 5, 200817 yr Haven't heard anything. I guess Akron didn't win. I'm sure it would have been big news if they did. Has anyone heard anything? From the article you posted: The next step is for each community to send a delegation to Tampa, Florida, for a three-day awards competition and innovations forum (June 4-6). The winners will be announced on the evening of Friday, June 6. Oh yeah, that's right.
June 2, 200817 yr All-America Finals This Week 6/2/2008 11:24:32 AM | Tina Kaufmann Akron is competing for its third "Oscar." More than 60 Akron area residents - from government, business, non-profit, and neighborhood organizations will be in Tampa, Florida later this week, competing for the All America City Award, sponsored by the National Civic League. Akron is among 17 finalists in contention for the top national award and the only Ohio city selected for the final competition.
June 7, 200817 yr Take these awards with a grain of salt. Toledo and Maumee have both recently won these awards, and I agree with it, but it doesn't change anything. They still both have a declining tax base and population decline (though at least that is slowing). Hell, Maumee won its All-America award at almost the exact same time the big Ford plant shut down, leaving about 1 in 17 residents without a job. Talk about a dark undertone! You put up your All-American flags, and then 700-800 people lose their job at once. Yeah Cincinnati proclaims on its interstate welcome signs that it is an "All-American City." Toledo and Maumee do it too. Most people probably think to themselves, "couldn't anyone say that?" If all the cities in Ohio have won these awards, the average outsider from another state probably just thinks the award committee feels sorry for us. :| Out of the 317 cities in Ohio only 18 have recieved this award. You completely missed Maumee. It won last year. It amazes me every time someone uses a positive moment to bring up something negative. The only thing that needs to be said is "Congratulations Akron!" There is so much bad news that concerning this region and state. Good news, no matter how small, should be cause for celebration and a pat on the back. What good does it do to point out how insignificant this award may be? Akron has made a lot of progress in recent years and deserves something to feel good about. The fact that they are rebuilding and replacing every public school in the city, the afterschool program, The Goodyear Project and The Global Business Excelerator are all big achievements that are a result of public and private collaboration. The panel recognized this and gave the city this award. I, for one, am happy for the city. Everyone knows this isn't Earth Shaking News. But it is one positive bit of news for the moral of a city and region in the middle of all of the negative. Great job Akron!!! PS. By the way, Akron's unemployment rate has been on a healthy and steady decline for quite a while, Summit County's population has been growing for the last several years now and I expect to see a small growth in Akron's population on the next cencus results or at least no change. It is listed as one of the top ten cities for new business start ups and expansions in the country, when adjusted for size.
June 7, 200817 yr Master ignore C-Dawg. If it doesn't happen in Athens it doesn't have any validity! :roll: :roll:
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