NACo Announces Achievement Award Winners
Many NACA members among those recognized
May 18, 2023 | For the full searchable database visit here
We are so proud of our NACA members and their achievements of Best in Category. Here are some of our highlighted members!
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
CATEGORY: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)
YEAR: 2023
To promote transparency, increase participation, and combat misinformation, six elected officials and a team of elections and communications professionals formed the “2022 Elections Command Center” to serve as a central hub of information for the weeks leading up to and following the Nov. 8 General Election. The Command Center was inspired by the Joint Information Center (JIC) model used in emergency management situations that centralizes communication efforts to better inform the public and respond to requests for information. In three months of operation, the Elections Command Center held 16 press conferences, coordinated more than 600 reporter interviews, and responded to the needs of more than 500 credentialed local, national, and international media outlets.
Resource: https://www.naco.org/resources/award-programs/election-command-center
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
CATEGORY: County Resiliency (Best in Category)
YEAR: 2023
Dakota County, in conjunction with the Minnesota Bison Conservation Herd, has reintroduced the plains bison to the prairie in Spring Lake Park Reserve in an effort to restore one of the prime drivers of this ecosystem: grazing. The bison’s physical and behavioral traits had profound impacts on the prairie. A keystone animal, bison impact their world by focusing their grazing on grasses, giving flowers the ability to compete, and diversifying the plant species and the physical structure of the prairie. During the planning phase of the project, the Natural Resource staff compiled pre-treatment data on plants, bumblebees, breeding birds, small mammals and moths and butterflies. Surveys will continue for years in the effort to ascertain the impact that the bison have on the prairie that they are living in.
Resource: https://www.naco.org/resources/award-programs/bison-reintroduction
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
CATEGORY: Health (Best in Category)
YEAR: 2023
For several decades, Guilford County’s infant mortality rate has remained higher than the state and national rates. Led by staff of the Guilford County Department of Health & Human Services, Division of Public Health (GCDHHS-DPH), a radically inclusive collective action movement called Every Baby Guilford (EBG) was launched in June 2021 to disrupt these long-standing racial disparities in Guilford County. Collective action is a community-led process that builds collaborative solutions by centering and working with the community for advancing equity and achieving social change. Through a community-driven process, the bold goal to reduce infant mortality disparities by 50% by 2026, and eliminating them by 2031 was announced at the launch of this movement.
Increasing the number of pregnant persons that receive prenatal care before the 2nd trimester
Increasing the number of healthy births by reducing the number of preterm and low birthweight births in Black infants
Increase the number of Guilford Babies who make it to their first birthday by reducing infant mortality
Resource: https://www.naco.org/resources/award-programs/every-baby-guilford-initiative
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
CATEGORY: Human Services (Best in Category)
YEAR: 2023
Family Resource Centers (FRCs) of Scott County are one-stop shops helping families connect with needed services and supports to reduce family stress. The FRCs are leveraging partnerships with public, private, non-profit, and faith organizations to come together to help children and their families thrive. Programming is built upon the Strengthening Families 5 Protective Factors framework and is designed to be responsive to the unique needs of individuals and communities. There are three FRC sites across Scott County: One FRC is co-located within the Savage, MN library, another FRC is co-located in the Jordan Area Food Shelf, and the third FRC is an independent site in Shakopee, MN. Services provided range from parenting education, peer recovery, support groups including restorative circles for our East African and Latinx communities and a father's group, mental health supports, etc. This work represents the best in partnerships between government, non-profit providers and faith communities. Currently, there are over two dozen partners coming together to provide FRC services. At the core, FRCs are developed with, by and for community members. The FRCs of Scott County are governed by a Parent Advisory Council (PAC), which is comprised of Scott County parents that have a variety of lived expertise. The PAC provides the foundation to ensure that overtime FRCs continue to meet the unique and changing needs of families and communities, while also providing leadership opportunities for individuals with lived expertise.
Resource: https://www.naco.org/resources/award-programs/family-resource-centers-scott-county
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
CATEGORY: Parks and Recreation (Best in Category)
YEAR: 2023
Montgomery County Recreation’s Holiday Park Senior Center Outdoor Fitness Area innovatively provides adults, ages 55 years and older, access to outside fitness equipment. The workout area is the first outdoor fitness space in the region that is expressly geared to the needs of older adults. Many seniors were apprehensive to return to an indoor setting after the COVID-19 shutdown; the outside workout area made it possible to exercise and social distance. The outdoor area is available for seniors to work out anytime, including outside of the Senior Center hours.
Resource: https://www.naco.org/resources/award-programs/holiday-park-senior-center-outdoor-fitness-equipment