Locations

Partners board member and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker was recognized by First Lady Michelle Obama at an event at the White House on Wednesday for his efforts to end chronic homelessness among veterans in Salt Lake City. Mayor Becker was present with the First Lady as she announced a new initiative, the Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness, with 77 mayors, four governors, and four county officials on board as of the annoucement.

Entrepreneurial American Community Award

The Entrepreneurial American Community Award acknowledges the individuals, groups, and communities that have recognized the value of building a broad constituency among the public and private realms to improve the standing of all residents in their community.

City of Houston, Texas is being honored for successfully transforming itself from a city once reliant on the fossil fuel industry into one of the most economically and culturally dynamic American cities. With a strong economy and high level of diversity, Houston today has set an example for what American communities should aspire to become in the future.

Accepted by Gordon Quan on behalf of Mayor Annise Parker

In the 1980s, Houston was a city with an economy largely reliant on the fossil fuel industry. When oil prices started falling, the local economy suffered dramatically. The end of the oil boom slowed the city’s growth and sent Houston into a recession by the end of the decade.

Today, Houston has one of the fastest growing job markets in the country and is widely considered one of the most ethnically and economically diverse cities in the world. It is home to a flourishing arts and culture community and is quickly becoming a premier destination for foodies worldwide. Respected publications, such as Forbes and the Smithsonian Magazine, have called Houston the “Future of the Great American City.”

Smart policies and effective leadership have fueled Houston’s impressive transformation. It is clear that Houston policymakers understand what it takes to make a truly livable city. Investment in areas such as education, health, renewable energy, and technology have spurred this dramatic growth. Houston has set the precedent for America’s future cities, making it one of the most entrepreneurial communities in America today. Gordon Quan, former Mayor Pro-Tem, will accept the award on behalf of Mayor Anise Parker and the City of Houston.

Photo Description: The Port of Houston is a 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities located just a few hours’ sailing time from the Gulf of Mexico. The port is ranked first in the United States in foreign waterborne commerce and second in total tonnage.

Photo credit: Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau

During the 1960s, Washington, DC and its surrounding communities experienced an urban renewal that saw a rebuilding of infrastructure and consequently required the destruction of a number of older buildings in the area. In Alexandria, an independent city a short distance from DC, the destruction of the old buildings uncovered an abundance of historical artifacts that shed light on the history of the area. Realizing that there was a plethora of previously undiscovered, culturally-important artifacts right beneath their feet, the city’s leadership created the Office of Historic Alexandria to try to cultivate and make sense of this new information.

Across America state and local governments are figuring out how to deal with aging populations as modern medicine and technology are starting to ensure that people, on average, live longer. According to the 2012 U.S. Census, Florida possesses one of the oldest populations in the United States, as more than 18% of Florida residents are over the age of 65, almost 5 percentage points higher than the national average. To help their aging population remain healthy and lead productive lives, local governments and community organizations are finding creative ways to encourage active lifestyles for older adults. The Good Life Games of Pinellas County Florida has proven to be a very successful way to encourage fitness among older residents of the county, and their model is being replicated throughout the country.

New York City is widely considered to be one of the most diverse places on the planet, with residents from hundreds of different countries living within close proximity of each other. Queens in particular has a broad mix of ethnic populations, which have lead some to consider it the most culturally diverse area in the world. Yet, when Susan Lacerte became the Executive Director of the Queens Botanical Garden, she noticed that the diversity of the borough was not reflected in the Botanical Garden’s attendance. To challenge that, Lacerte started The Ambassador Program to reach out to ethnic communities and find out what they wanted in their public garden.

For residents of Chicago’s northern suburbs, the Chicago Botanic Garden is much more than just a collection of colorful plants and flowers. Since it opened more than 40 years ago, the 385 acre grounds have served as an important center for community activity and education. The Garden is home to 26 separate gardens and four natural areas, as well as a conservation science education center and a library with one of the country’s largest collections of botanical books. The grounds are also host to numerous community events and educational courses throughout the year.

In today’s economic climate, trying to find a high-paying job without a college education is nearly impossible. That is why the leadership at Indiana University-Perdue University Indianapolis started their Community Learning Network that focuses on continuing education and lifelong learning. Each year the network provides more than 600 continuing education classes to over 7,000 residents in Central Indiana. 

The Strive Partnership is an effort launched by community leaders in the Cincinnati region in 2006 that relies on innovative strategies to improve student education outcomes. The Partnership has designed a strategic approach to education reform that can be applied to communities throughout the country. The approach relies on a collaborative effort from community stakeholders from all sectors of the economy to encourage learning and development beyond the walls of their schools.

Head Start is a federal program designed to promote school readiness by enhancing the cognitive and emotional development of pre-school aged children. Through a program called “Eat Play Grow,” a series of obesity prevention classes are offered by the Children’s Museum of New York and the National Health Institute to be held in classrooms throughout New York City. Nonprofit groups throughout low-income areas in New York teach classes to children in underserved communities. Classes are held at common neighborhood institutions, such as community centers and libraries.

The U.S. Armed Forces Retirement Home in Washington, D.C., commonly referred to as the ‘Soldiers’ Home,’ is one of the country’s oldest veterans’ retirement homes and certainly one of the most beautiful. Located on a 273-acre campus in Northwest D.C., the Home’s green pastures and tranquil lakes sit in stark contrast to the developed neighborhoods of the surrounding community. Since the home opened in 1851, the retirement community has been home to thousands of retired elderly and disabled veterans in the Washington area.

When kids from Commerce, a small working-class city outside of Los Angeles, are asked who their heroes are, they will, more often than not, mention local residents Brenda Villa and Patty Cardenas. Villa and Cardenas were both key members of the Women’s Olympic Water Polo Team from the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, and they are both products of the Commerce Water Polo Club. 

The Arlington Energy Masters program is a joint venture between three Washington, DC area nonprofit groups - Arlingtonians for a Clean Environment (ACE), Arlington Thrive, and the Virginia Cooperative Extension (VCE) – which aims to increase energy efficiency in Arlington’s low-income residences. Volunteers from the DC suburb are put through a 20 hour training course on what impacts a home’s water and energy usage and strategies to make homes more efficient. Once the training is completed, volunteers spend at least 60 hours in the community applying their knowledge to help lower energy and water usage in low-income apartments from throughout the county.