Fayetteville nominated (again) as All-America City for youth engagement programs
The City of Fayetteville is celebrating an honor: Being nominated, once again, for an All-America City award.
The last time Fayetteville was selected an All-America City was in 2011. The win was celebrated with a concert in Festival Park.
Each year, the National Civil League honors 10 ten cities in the nation with the All-America City Award.
This year, the selection committee is looking for cities that are breaking down barriers to meaningful youth participation that will improve quality of life for young people and all members of the communities.
Fayetteville has a number of programs, including the Police Department's PAL program for youth.
Jodi Phelps, Fayetteville's chief of staff, cited a Community Emergency Response Team out of the fire department and the Ace Academy, the aviation career education summer program at the airport, as two more examples of programs to engage with youth.
Community members react to the nomination
Because of Fort Bragg, Fayetteville is a rare community with members from all across the world.
Carolyn Burke, for example, lives in New Zealand – but her son is a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. That means she's proud to hear Fayetteville is accomplishing meaningful things.
"We were reading last night that Fayetteville is one of the fastest growing cities in the United States," says Burke. "I was not aware of that because I haven't been there before. To learn about the recent nomination is pretty exciting!"
Clifton Johnson, a local resident, says, "It's the nightlife. Giving them a little of the small, safe, hometown environment where they can just get out and have something to do."
Fayetteville calls itself a 'can-do city.' Mayor Mitch Colvin is looking forward to calling it an All-America City once again.
"Of course, I'm biased," says Colvin. "But what a great community. We've been nominated several times. We bring diversity, patriotism, and now we've shown our investment in our young people with all these new amenities, so I'm looking forward to winning this."
So, what's the next? Fayetteville will send a delegation to Denver on June 9, where they'll make an in-person presentation to become an All-America City.
