Each year the Neighborhoods, USA Board of Directors recognizes the commitment and work of neighborhoods in awarding the “Neighborhood of the Year” recipients. The “Neighborhood of the Year” award has been presented since 1984 as a collective “thank you” for the hard work undertaken by neighborhoods to improve their communities. The 2011 winners for these awards are as follows:
Physical Revitalization – Single Neighborhood
First Place & Grand Prize Winner
Irvington Terrace Improvement
Irvington Terrace Crime Watch
Indianapolis, Indiana
Irvington Terrace has moved from a declining urban haven for drug dealers and prostitutes to a cohesive action-oriented community that partners with local businesses and nonprofits to transform the appearance of the area and enhance the resources within/available to the community.
Second Place
Revitalizing Riverpark
Riverpark Neighborhood Association
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Riverpark Neighborhood battled drugs, graffiti, gangs and crime until we said “ENOUGH!” 5 years later we have dramatically reduced crime, eradicated graffiti, rehabbed over 90 homes, and created a beautiful City park in the middle of what was once a blighted neighborhood. Hope was restored!
Third Place
Green Thumb Community Garden
First Creek Neighbors
Tacoma, Washington
The purpose of the green Thumb Community Garden is to create beauty in a depressed business district while growing fresh produce and community in a low income and culturally diverse neighborhood.
Finalist
Hindman Park Clean-Up
Meadowcliff Brookwood Neighborhood Association
Little Rock, Arkansas
Hindman Park Clean-up Project–an on-going, dual-purpose initiative by Meadowcliff Brookwood Neighborhood Association (MNBA) to rejuvenate from a devastating 50-year flood and to reclaim the park from criminal elements. MNBA’s efforts to eradicate grime and crime fostered a synergetic alliance with the City and other organizations and communities
Social Revitalization – Single Neighborhood
First Place
Fairmount Community Garden
Fairmount Neighborhood Association
Fort Worth, Texas
Fairmount Community Garden Fairmount has championed neighborhood renewal since the 1970s. From the creation of Code Blue to the development of an annual Home Tour, we’ve worked to revitalize our neighborhood and advocate for neighborhoods throughout Fort Worth. The creation of a Community Garden is another step in that process.
Second Place
Connecting Oakhurst
Oakhurst Neighborhood Association
Fort Worth, Texas
The Oakhurst Neighborhood Association brought its residents together through a series on landscaping and conservation, developed an accompanying newsletter landscaping column, continued its Yard of the Month award and newsletter column and revived social activities such as the Easter Egg Hunt in the Park.
Second Place
Sherman Avenue Partnership
Sherman Avenue Neighborhood
Monrovia, California
Sherman Leaders developed a partnership to overcome crime and blight adversely affecting their neighborhood. One of the Sherman Leaders successful projects was a neighborhood potluck/movie night. The event was a celebration of the restoration of neighborliness and a sense of community in their lives.
Finalist
Senior Awareness & Vitality
North Beverly Hills Neighborhood Association
Fort Worth, Texas
The senior citizens of your community can be some of the most active and supportive participants in a neighborhood association. By following our example, of low-cost activities, you can build strong relationships with your residents and community.
Multi-Neighborhood Partnerships
First Place & Grand Prize Winner
The One Day Christmas Store Shopping with Dignity
Better Balance for Long Beach
Long Beach, California
The One Day Christmas Store provides a free, department store style shopping experience for families who need help with their Christmas gifts. 2010 was the 4th annual store. This privately funded event invited 550 families with more than 150 volunteers participating.
Second Place
Peace Garden at Martin Luther King Park
Central Neighborhood Advisory Committee & S. Wrigley Neighborhood Advisory Group
Long Beach, California
Two grass-roots neighborhood groups, Central Neighborhood Advisory Committee and South Wrigley Neighborhood Advisory Group together created the PEACE GARDEN at MLK located in the Central area of Long Beach, CA. This project has instilled community pride and has become a cornerstone of the Central area.
Second Place
Resurgence of Historic Waverly
Waverly Neighborhood Association
Columbia, South Carolina
This project exemplifies how community organizations and law enforcement working together can reduce crime and revitalize a neighborhood. Waverly, the oldest African-American community in Columbia, SC, once a prosperous area with striving businesses and community pride had become full of abandoned housing, drugs, and prostitution, and a gathering place for crime.
Finalist
Heritage Crescent Livability Project
Jefferson Westside Neighbors
Eugene, Oregon
Three older, threatened neighborhoods in Eugene, Oregon joined forces in a successful three-year effort to have development standards adopted into City Code to ensure future infill and redevelopment will be compatible with each neighborhood’s character and will contribute positively to the neighborhoods’ livability.
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