Phoenix Arizona

Outstanding programs and facilities win accolade for Tempe

Tempe, AZ – A Tempe delegation will accept the city’s second 100 Best Communities for Young People award in Washington, D.C., next week.

City Councilmembers Mark Mitchell and Onnie Shekerjian, along with Tempe Community Council Executive Director Kate Hanley, and Communities in Schools Director Lynette Stonefeld, will be in attendance at the America’s Promise Alliance National Forum on Youth Oct. 10-11 in Washington.

Earlier this year, Tempe learned it had been named – for the second year in a row – as one of the top communities in the nation for youth.

Hundreds of communities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands applied to win the designation, which honors commitments to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people.

Founded in 2005 by General Colin Powell, America’s Promise looks for communities that fulfill the organization’s Five Promises: Caring Adults; Safe Places; Healthy Start; Effective Education; and Opportunities to Help Others. Powell and his wife, Alma, will attend the forum, along with hundreds of representatives from other winning communities.

The two-day forum is designed to allow representatives from the winning communities to exchange ideas and hear from national leaders on issues that impact children.

Tempe’s application for the 2007 award was possible because of the support of many partners, such as the Tempe Community Council, the East Valley Boys & Girls Club, KAET Channel 8, the Tempe Elementary School District and the Mountain Park Health Clinic, among others.

Tempe won the award, in part, because of the efforts of Tempe/Kyrene Communities In Schools (CIS), a collaboration of the City of Tempe, Tempe school districts and many businesses and nonprofits. CIS has opened nine family resource centers in high-poverty elementary schools, with the aim of supporting parents as they take part in their children’s education.

Other programs and initiatives that helped single out Tempe for this honor include: the Mayor’s Youth Advisory Commission, which gives young people a voice in local government; the city’s establishment of an adaptive recreation program to serve children with disabilities who wish to participate in Special Olympics; an advisory committee of local businesses that hire special education and at-risk students for after-school jobs; the Tempe Public Library’s Experience Corps project, which pairs retirees with students for tutoring; and the first community health clinic serving low-income residents.