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NATIONAL CIVIC LEAGUE & ALLSTATE INSURANCE COMPANY ANNOUNCE THE 1999 ALL-AMERICA CITY AWARD RECIPIENTS

Ten Cities Were Selected from Thirty Finalists to Receive Prestigious Honoring the American Spirit at Work

PHILADELPHIA, June 26, 1999 – The National Civic League and Allstate Insurance Company today announced the ten 1999 All-America City Award winners. Now celebrating its 50th anniversary, the All-America City Award annually honors ten communities that best exemplify the spirit of grassroots citizen involvement and collaborative problem solving.

The ten 1999 All-America City Award recipients include:

  • Stockton, California
  • Union City, California
  • Tallahassee, Florida
  • Wichita, Kansas
  • Shreveport, Louisiana
  • Lowell, Massachusetts
  • Tupelo, Mississippi
  • Rocky Mount, North Carolina
  • Tri-Cities (Bristol; Johnson City; Kingsport), Tennessee/Virginia
  • Greater Green Bay, Wisconsin

City officials, neighborhood activists, business leaders and community volunteers from each of the 30 finalist communities traveled to historic Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to compete in hearings before the All-America City Jury on June 25 and June 26. After the community presentations, the ten winning communities for 1999 were announced at today’s 50th Anniversary awards ceremony. The ceremony also recognized Philadelphia as a four-time winner of the All-America City Award and a 1949 inaugural-winning city of the national program.

"This year’s award recipients symbolize the backbone of our nation – the ability of American citizens to join together in partnership to address critical issues," said Christopher T. Gates, President of the National Civic League. "The accomplishments of the ten All-America City Award recipients serve as an inspiration to other communities across the United States that may be facing similar challenges."

Edward M. Liddy, Allstate Chairman, President and CEO, was on hand to deliver a speech praising the efforts of both the finalists and ten winning communities. "On behalf of Allstate employees across America, I would like to salute the thirty finalists for their successful community initiatives that have truly improved the lives of their citizens. I congratulate this year’s ten award recipients for their dedication and community spirit," said Liddy. "These cities represent the American spirit at work in their ability to build stronger, safer neighborhoods and ensure a brighter future for our youth, an attribute that Allstate holds in the highest respect."

The following communities were Finalists in the 1999 All-America City Award competition:

Safford, Arizona

Scottsdale, Arizona

Fresno, California

Napa, California

Santa Clarita, California

Lower Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut

Joliet, Illinois

Oak Park, Illinois

Wellington, Kansas

Greater Montgomery, Maryland

Worcester, Massachusetts

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

Moorhead, Minnesota

Hickory, North Carolina

Morganton, North Carolina

Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Memphis, Tennessee

Bryan, Texas

Pearland, Texas

Taylor, Texas

 

Originally established to recognize local government reform and efforts to support education, the focus of the All-America City Award has shifted to encourage broader community initiatives such as economic development, health and social service projects and efforts to improve race relations. In 1997, on the heels of the President’s Summit for America’s Youth,

Allstate and the National Civic League asked that all applicants include at least one community-wide youth initiative. This year’s finalists developed community programs that challenge current national issues including crime, education, poverty, race relations and the environment.

Since the program’s inception in 1949, more than 4,000 communities have competed and nearly 500 communities have been named an "All-America City."

The All-America City Award is a program of the National Civic League, a 105-year-old national non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. NCL accomplishes its mission through technical assistance, training, publishing, research and the All-America City Award. The National Civic League is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.

The Allstate Insurance Company has been the sole corporate supporter of the

All-America City Award since 1988, emphasizing the company’s commitment to supporting communities across the nation in their efforts to make their neighborhoods better places to live and do business. Allstate Insurance Company is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurance company, insuring one of every eight homes and automobiles in the country. The company provides insurance for more than 20 million customers and has approximately 15,000 agents in the U.S. and Canada. Allstate is also a major life insurer.

For more information about the All-America City Award, visit the National Civic League on the Internet at www.ncl.org or visit Allstate at http://corporate.allstate.com.

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