Best Neighborhood Program
Award

2008 Best Neighborhood Program Award
Results

Social Revitalization

First Place

City of San Jose
San Jose, California
Project:  CommUniverCity

CommUniverCity San Jose brings together the City of San Jose, San Jose State University and Five Wounds/Brookwood Terrace community.  The successful collaboration is built around the priorities and goals of the residents while focusing on service and learning.

Contact:  Paul Pereira
Ph:  408/535-8506, E-mail:  paul.pereira@sanjose.gov

Second Place

City of Clearwater
Clearwater, Florida
Project:  CAN! (Clearwater Awards for Neighborhoods)

The CAN! Program grows and strengthens communities and adds friendly competition amongst neighborhoods.  Promotes community and family values by encouraging creativity with neighborhood events/projects and involves: children/youth, seniors, charity, volunteerism, neighborhood enhancement; using grant funds.

Contact:  Rebecca Melendez
Ph:  727/562-4585, E-mail:  Rebecca.melendez@myclearwater.com

Third Place

City of Battle Creek
Battle Creek, Michigan
Project:  CrimeWatch

CrimeWatch is a coalition of resident groups, city government and community partners working in collaboration to engage and mobilize residents and stakeholders to address criminal activity. Learn how this program used effective tools to make area neighborhoods safe and revitalize a community.

Contact:  Cherise Brandell PhD
Ph:  269/966-3379, E-mail:  cebrandell@ci.battle-creek.mi.us

Finalist

City of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas
Project:  North Tri-Ethnic Early Childhood Resource Center

Early Childhood Matters is an innovative program that has helped build neighborhood social infrastructure, reduce social isolation, mobilize existing community resources, and nurture new leadership as empowered residents learn and work together.

Contact:  Kathy Livingston
Ph:  817/392-6129, E-mail:  Kathy.livingston@fortworthgov.org

Finalist

City of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Project:  At the Park after Dark

At the Park after Dark kept Glassell Park Recreation Center in Northeast Los Angeles opened until 11 pm during the summer and offered high-interest, innovative programming to draw urban teens off the streets.

Contact:  Julie Wong
Ph:  213/473-7571, E-mail:  Julie.wong@lacity.org

Finalist

City of Riverside
Riverside, California
Project:  SmartRiverside Digital Inclusion Program

This is a program designed for bridging the digital divide in our local community.  Low-income families do not have the available resources to take advantage of new technologies that can assist in improving their education, communication and overall quality of life.

Contact:  Steve Reneker
Ph:  951/826-5109, E-mail:  sreneker@riversideca.gov

Finalist

City of Sunland-Tujunga
Tujunga, California
Project:  The Foothills Paper

A group of local activists decided that the only way to create cohesiveness and an informed populous within the abutting communities, was to create a method of disseminating accurate and timely information to all its residents.

Contact:  Dr. David DeMulle’
Ph:  818/951-8562, E-mail:  editor@thefoothillspaper.com

Finalist

Gonzaga University
Spokane, Washington
Project:  Campus Community Coalition

The initial goal of the coalition was to facilitate communication between Gonzaga University and the Logan community.  Recently the coalition has grown and the purpose now is to be proactive in improving the community and being “good neighbors to one another.”

Contact:  Kassi Kain
Ph:  509/325-7100, E-mail:  kain@gonzaga.edu

Physical Revitalization

First Place

City of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Project:  Northside Neighborhood Enhancement Program

The Northside Neighborhood Enhancement Program is a 90-day focused strategy to improve quality of life by maximizing public resources and leveraging private investment.  This Cincinnati collaborative improves safety and reduces blight to transform neighborhood livability.

Contact:  Tiffaney Hardy
Ph:  513/352-5377, E-mail:  tiffany.hardy@cincinnati-oh.gov

Second Place

City of Monrovia
Monrovia, California
Project:  Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP)

The Monrovia Area Partnerships focuses on eliminating crime and blight while empowering neighborhoods through a comprehensive approach delivering a high level of customer service and community support by fostering citizen activism, volunteerism and community pride.

Contact:  Daniel McConnell
Ph:  626/932-5504, E-mail: dmcconnell@ci.monrovia.ca.us

Third Place

Mid City Redevelopment Alliance
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Project:  Mid City Redevelopment Alliance

Mid City Redevelopment Alliance is a non-profit organization created to serve as a catalyst, facilitator, and coordinator to encourage the growth and renewal of the Mid City region of Baton Rouge, while attracting new and retaining current residents and business.

Contact:  Samuel Sanders
Ph:  225/346-1000, E-mail:  Samuel.sanders@brgeneral.org

Finalist

City of Henderson
Henderson, Nevada
Project:  Sunrise Trailer Estates

In conjunction with residential outreach, City staff initiated assistance programs in Sunrise Trailer Estates ranging from neighborhood clean-ups to increased police presence.  The project’s success let to the development of the city-wide Neighborhood Reinvestment Program

Contact:  Tyler Garland
Ph:  702/267-2006, E-mail:  tyler.garland@cityofhenderson.com

Finalist

SACA Development
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Project:  Lancaster’s Integrated SouthEast Area Renewal Project

This project brings 59 affordable town homes to the SouthEast neighborhood, brings in new businesses and renovates current ones, renews South Duke Street itself and includes activities to provide stability to the area’s youth.

Contact:  Cathy Calkins
Ph:  717/509-1012; E-mail:  ccalkins@sacapa.org

Finalist

Unified Government of Wyandotte County/KCKS
Kansas City, Kansas
Project:  Good Neighbor Training – Blue Card Program

The Good Neighbor Training program provides answers to the many questions that we hear as we work with neighborhood groups about the Unified Government departments that strive to resolve the most common complaints.

Contact:  Mary Jane Johnson
Ph:  913/573-8739, E-mail:  mjohnson@wycokck.org

For more information contact
Robert Gibbons
1950 E. Washington Ave., #1
Madison, WI 53704
H: 608-244-0582
Email: robert.gibbons1@charter.net