2009 Community Development Awards Nominations Due On or Before September 25, 2009

The ACDS Awards Committee, through its Community Development Awards Program, recognizes exceptional contributions of Arkansas communities and individuals in the following efforts: Innovative Community Development Program/Project; Community Development Achievement; ACDS Distinguished Service; and Friend of ACDS.

Nominations for all awards will be accepted until September 25, 2009.

http://arkansascds.org/files/uploads/2009_ACDS_Nomination_Form.doc

All awards and certificates of merit will be presented at the Annual Membership Meeting of ACDS in October 2009. Descriptions of awards, nomination procedures, and judging processes are below.

Innovative Community Development Program/Project Award

The purpose of this award of merit is to provide recognition of successful programs and projects taking place in Arkansas communities, and to promote best practices in community development across the state. A community may be a city, county, neighborhood, region of the state, or may encompass the entire state; nominations will be grouped according to population and evaluated with other similarly sized communities. The program or project must have been ongoing during the year from July 1, 2008-June 30, 2009. Awards will be considered for projects fitting the following categories:

1. Using Assets for Community Development

2. Preparation and Planning
Assessing Your Local Economy: Industry Composition & Economic Impact Analysis
Community Development Assessments
Workforce Training for the 21st Century
Strategic Planning and Visioning for Community Development
Conservation Design (“Green” community development)

3. Programming Techniques and Strategies
Community Asset Mapping and Surveys
Marketing the Community
Tourism-Based Development
Retention and Expansion of Existing Businesses
Entrepreneurial Development

4. Issues in Community Development
Creative partnerships
“Giant step”

5. Evaluation
Progress Evaluation and Community Indicators
Best Practices and Benchmarking

Nominations will be accepted from any ACDS member. To nominate a community program or project, fill out the nomination form, use it as a cover sheet for your information, and mail it as directed. Photos or other graphics are acceptable.

Finalists for the awards will be chosen by the Awards Committee members and the ACDS Board of Directors. Judging will be based on the following criteria:

Innovativeness
The program or project demonstrates innovative approaches to community development issues.

Transferability
The program or project shows potential use by other community development agencies or practitioners for similar opportunities or solutions. The program or project should be readily transferable to comparable situations in other communities.

Community Commitment and Leverage
The program or project makes it possible for others to achieve a greater impact by joining public/private participation or by intergovernmental or state/local involvement to leverage resources.

Measured Objectives
Results demonstrate a specific objective that the program or project was able to achieve.

Secondary Benefits
Produces ancillary benefits to other community development activities in the area.

Community Development Achievement Award

This award is given in recognition of excellence in community development activities by a member of ACDS. Nominations will be accepted by mail from any individual; the person nominated must be an ACDS member, however. Finalists will be chosen by the ACDS Awards Committee. Use the official ACDS nomination form as the cover sheet for your nomination and mail it in as directed.

ACDS Distinguished Service

This award may be presented to a member of ACDS who has performed some extraordinary service to the Society. Nominations may be made by any ACDS member. Any award winner in this category will be chosen by the ACDS Awards Committee.

Friend of ACDS

This award is given in recognition of extraordinary service or support for ACDS by an organization or individual non-member. Nominations for this award will be accepted from ACDS members; any award winner in this category will be chosen by the ACDS Awards Committee.

For more information about the 2008 ACDS Awards, contact Terre McLendon, Chair of the ACDS Awards Committee, at (501) 569-8550 or tamclendon@ualr.edu.

2009 ACDS Awards Committee

Terre McLendon, Chair, UALR Institute for Economic Advancement
Melinda Faubel, AT&T
Pam Ferguson, Crossett Chamber of Commerce