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9:15 a.m. briefing with community leaders set today in Scottsdale
Date: September 26, 2005
Contact: Pat Dodds, Public Affairs Officer
(480) 312-2336
(602) 450-6145 (pager)
America’s Promise - The Alliance for Youth today announced that Scottsdale is a
winner of a first-ever national competition to identify 100 Best Communities for Young
People. The winning communities - ranging from small towns to urban neighborhoods
across America - are being celebrated for their commitment to provide healthy, safe and
caring environments for young people.
“This award honors the most important work we do as a community,” said Mayor
Mary Manross. “Nothing says more about our quality of life and the character of our
community than the way we nurture and teach our young people. This is a compliment to
every Scottsdale organization involved in serving our youth. It’s an honor for every
parent, child and teacher in this city.”
The mayor will join Scottsdale Schools Superintendent John Baracy and LINKS Community
Collaborative Executive Director Judy Crider for a news briefing regarding the honor today
at 9:15 a.m. at Mountain View Community Center, 8625 E. Mountain View Road.
Scottsdale is receiving the 100 Best honor, in part, because of its programs
for children and young people. Outstanding programs highlighted in Scottsdale’s
application included:
- the LINKS Community Collaborative, a network of agencies that tracks key issues for
youth;
- the Interfaith Network of Scottsdale, which promotes youth volunteerism, character
building and leadership through different faiths; and
- the bilingual Ready to Learn program, promoting awareness of the impact of early brain
development through literacy programs focusing on new parents.
Two other Valley cities - Chandler and Tempe - were included on the list. Yavapai
County also was included.
A complete list of winners can be found at www.americaspromise.org.
Members of America’s Promise Alliance - including United Way of America, the U.S.
Conference of Mayors, Junior Achievement and the YMCA and many others - took leading roles
in the 100 Best competition.
100 Best Communities for Young People was launched in partnership with Capital
One Financial Corporation.
America's Promise Founding Chairman General Colin Powell launched the competition in
May and the Scottsdale Human Services Division led a community-based application process.
Scottsdale and the other winners were chosen by a distinguished selection panel of civic,
business and nonprofit leaders, including United Way of America President Brian Gallagher,
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue, former U.S. Health and Human Services
Secretary Donna Shalala, baseball great Cal Ripken Jr. and former Denver mayor Wellington
Webb.
The selection panel evaluated 100 Best entries that required detailed
information about each community’s efforts to fulfill five essential promises
critical to the well-being of young people: caring adults who are actively involved in
their lives; safe places in which to learn and grow; a healthy start toward adulthood; an
effective education that builds marketable skills; and opportunities to help others.
“We have had an amazing response from hundreds of communities, large and small,
from Alaska to Florida,” said Marguerite W. Sallee, President and CEO of
America’s Promise - The Alliance for Youth. “Our purpose for launching this
competition is to appeal to America’s competitive spirit to encourage communities to
become great places to grow up. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we have seen some
inspiring examples of what can happen when communities across the country pull together to
help people in times of urgent need. In the 100 Best communities, we
have witnessed that same spirit at work in making the well-being of their children an
urgent priority. Their outstanding efforts - to measure how well their children and youth
are doing, to put more resources in place, and to form cross-sector partnerships - provide
shining examples of what it means to keep America’s Promise for our young
people.”
“We are proud to be a part of this important effort to highlight the innovative
efforts taking place in communities throughout the United States to create healthy and
supportive environments for our children,” said Capital One’s Executive Vice
President and General Counsel John Finneran. “Like America’s Promise, Capital
One recognizes that helping to build strong and healthy communities - good places to do
business and good places to raise families - benefits us all.”
To honor the 100 Best communities selected, the America’s Promise
Alliance will hold a special event November 2 in Washington, D.C. This celebration will be
dedicated to the children affected by Hurricane Katrina, highlighting outstanding
community initiatives across the country that are providing displaced children with the
services and support that they need to thrive no matter where they are. All proceeds from
this event will go toward helping the children impacted by Katrina.
The Alliance will also sponsor a yearlong celebration including a special day in each
of the winning communities and a series of regional forums across the country that will
enable communities to share their success stories and learn effective strategies from one
another that will further enrich the lives of their young people.
For more details about the 100 Best competition and the winners, please visit www.americaspromise.org.
About America’s Promise
America’s Promise is a broad-based alliance whose members work together to ensure the
well-being of children and youth. Alliance partners focus attention and resources to help
every child receive the Five Promises essential to success: caring adults who are actively
involved in their lives; safe places in which to learn and grow; a healthy start toward
adulthood; an effective education that builds marketable skills; and opportunities to help
others.
Founded by retired General Colin L. Powell, following the Presidents’ Summit for
America’s Future in 1997, the America’s Promise Alliance includes nonprofit,
corporate and community groups as well as individuals across the nation. Alma J. Powell
currently serves as chair.
America's Promise grew out of the Presidents’ Summit for America’s Future in
1997, where Presidents Bush, Carter, Clinton and Ford, with Nancy Reagan representing
President Reagan, challenged the country to make children and youth a national priority.
President George W. Bush affirmed his commitment in 2001.
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