FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT
:
Nancy E. Schopf
920-593-3413 or 920-437-8704
Rebecca Deschane
920-593-3406 or 920-437-8704
For Immediate Release
Green Bay, Wis. (June 20, 2008) – A recognition event was held June 25 in the Assembly Parlor at the State Capitol to honor the five Wisconsin communities that were recipients of America’s Promise Alliance’s 2008 100 Best Communities for Young People competition. Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton spoke on behalf of the state, recognizing the communities for their local and state-wide efforts that emphasize Wisconsin’s dedication to youth.
America’s Promise Alliance (the Alliance), the nation’s largest alliance dedicated to children and youth, in partnership with Capital One, proudly announced in January that five of Wisconsin’s communities were selected in this year’s competition. The 100 Best Communities for Young People (100 Best) competition recognizes the 100 outstanding communities across America – large and small, rural and urban – that are the best places for young people to live and grow up. More than 300 communities in all 50 states applied for the honor this year. The 100 winning communities span 37 states.
The Greater Green Bay Area was selected due to its high level of collaboration to address community issues by developing a work plan to help young people and offering a large number of educational services. Creating unique community collaborations such as Partners in Education, Phuture Phoenix, Brown County Oral Health Partnership and the Community Partnership for Early Education, everyone has an opportunity to help young people. Partners in Education, a program of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, serves 10 school districts – urban, suburban, and rural – with an objective to assist all students in developing the skills and values necessary for successful transition from school to an eventual career and active community life. Focusing on education, the Partners in Education partnership has developed a system of programs following the national school-to-work leadership model with emphasis on fulfilling the Five Promises and 40 Developmental Assets.
Other Wisconsin communities honored with this distinction were: the Appleton/Fox Cities area, Crawford County, Jefferson County and the city of Waukesha.
The 100 Best competition was first held in 2005, and the Greater Green Bay Area was also a recipient in the inaugural year of the competition. All communities that entered the 100 Best competition were required to submit detailed information to the Alliance on existing community programs and initiatives that help deliver the Alliance’s Five Promises. The Five Promises are those resources identified by America’s Promise as being critical to the development of healthy, successful children: caring adults; safe places; healthy start; effective education; and opportunities to help other. Applicants were also asked to describe how different sectors of their community come together to deliver the Five Promises and specific efforts and programs developed to ensure that their young people graduate from high school prepared for college and/or the workforce.
This year’s winners were selected by a distinguished panel that included some of the nation’s most well-known civic, business and nonprofit leaders such as: Gayle Manchin, first lady of West Virginia; United Way President Brian Gallagher; former Mayor of Denver and President of Webb Group International, Wellington Webb’ Thomas Donohue, president and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Carol Colette, president and CEO, CEOs for Cities; Christine James-Brown, president and CEO, the Child Welfare League of America; and Dr. Suzanne Morse, executive director of the Pew Partnership for Civic Change.
"The prosperity of every community and this country depends on how well we care for our children and youth," said Marguerite W. Kondracke, president and CEO, America’s Promise Alliance, "Although no place is perfect, when we have communities that make young people a priority and are working to make sure they stay in school and have all the resources necessary to lead healthy, productive lives, we must recognize them and by extension inspire other cities and towns to follow their lead."
"At Capital One, we are committed to building stronger communities, one neighborhood at a time," said Carolyn Berkowitz, vice president of community affairs for Capital One. "That’s why we’re proud to partner with the Alliance on the 100 Best competition to recognize the tremendous work in communities across the country to create environments where children and families have boundless opportunities as well as the support systems necessary to champion their growth and encourage their success."
About the America’s Promise Alliance
America’s Promise Alliance is the nations’ leader in forging a strong and effective partnership alliance comprised of corporations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, policymakers, advocacy and faith groups committed to ensuring that children receive the fundamental resources – the Five Promises – they need to lead successful, healthy and productive lives and build a strong society. Building on the legacy of our founder General Colin Powell, the Alliance believes the success of our children is grounded in experiencing the Five Promises – caring adults; safe places; a healthy start; an effective education; and opportunities to help others - at home, in school and in the community. For more information on America’s Promise Alliance visit: www.americaspromise.org.
About Capital One
Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, Capital One Financial Corporation (www.capitalone.com) is a financial holding company, with 732 locations in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Texas and Louisiana. Its principal subsidiaries, Capital One Bank, Capital One Auto Finance, Inc., and Capital One, N.A. offer a broad spectrum of financial products and services to consumers, small businesses and commercial clients. Capital One’s subsidiaries collectively had $83.3 billion in deposits and $146.4 bill in managed loans outstanding as of September 30, 2007. Capital One, a Fortune 500 company, trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "COF" and is included in the S&P 100 index.
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The Education and Leadership department includes programs such as Partners in Education (PIE), Leadership Green Bay and Current Young Professionals. PIE’s most prominent programs include the Golden Apple Awards, Brown County Teen Leadership, Youth Apprenticeship, WisCareers, Career Expo and Educators in The Workplace--programs designed to strengthen the economic future of our community.
Established in 1882, the mission of the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce is to promote economic and community development. Chamber programs include Advance, Partners in Education, Leadership Green Bay, Brown County Teen Leadership, Current-Young Professionals Network, Good Government Council, the Highway 41 International Development Program, and the Small Business Council.
For more information about the Green Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and its programs, call 437-8704 or visit www.titletown.org.
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