Fort Smith city staff prepares for All-American City competition
by May 22, 2009 7:05 am 63 views
The process to prepare the city of Fort Smith’s presentation for the All-American City Award program has included spending time raising funds for community participants to travel to Tampa.
Fort Smith was named in late March as a finalist in the 2009 All-America City Award program sponsored by the National Civic League. The 32 finalist cities will compete June 17-19 in Tampa for the 10 awards given by the NCL. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the All-American City award program. Of the 32 cities selected, two cities have dropped out. Of those competing, 10 will be chosen.
According to the NCL, an All-America City has “a proven capacity for community-based problem solving, grassroots civic engagement and cooperation between sectors (public, private and nonprofit).”
Tracy Winchell, who worked with city staff to apply for the award, said in March that the application focused on how the community came together to keep the 188th Fighter Wing based in Fort Smith, successfully recruit the U.S. Marshals Museum, and how the community supports the Community Clearinghouse.
Winchell recently told The City Wire that city staff have identified up to 10 “storylines” that need to be told as part of the presentation. Each story will require a person to explain the event or issue, and getting those people to Tampa will cost an estimated $11,000. The Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce has pledged $4,000, and Fort Smith-based ABF Freight System has donated $500.
“In exchange for sponsorships, we’re putting logos on t-shirts that the delegation will wear during our trip to Tampa,” Winchell said.
Winchell said being named a winner gets a distinction that gives communities an edge in everything from tourism marketing to new job recruitment.
“The process itself also gives Fort Smith an opportunity to tell our story to a broader audience,” Winchell noted in an e-mail. “So I welcome the opportunity to take real people to Tampa where we can share our victories on several fronts – battling the Pentagon, protesting in favor of our nation’s heritage, and figuring out how to feed children who need a little extra help on the weekends so that they have an opportunity to excel in the classroom on Mondays.”
Winchell can be contacted at [email protected]