On Wed. June 9, 2021, the National Civic League announced the winners of the 2021 All-America City Award (AAC) and Wheat Ridge was selected as one of the 10 communities who showed the strength of their civic capital—the formal and informal relationships, networks and capacities they use to make decisions and solve problems—and provided examples of community-driven projects that have adapted and transformed the community to be more equitable and resilient.
Wheat Ridge, Colorado—For its first 35 years, Wheat Ridge was a quiet city where residents commuted to other cities to work and shop. However, as time went onContinue reading
On Wed. June 9, 2021, the National Civic League announced the winners of the 2021 All-America City Award (AAC) and Wheat Ridge was selected as one of the 10 communities who showed the strength of their civic capital—the formal and informal relationships, networks and capacities they use to make decisions and solve problems—and provided examples of community-driven projects that have adapted and transformed the community to be more equitable and resilient.
Wheat Ridge, Colorado—For its first 35 years, Wheat Ridge was a quiet city where residents commuted to other cities to work and shop. However, as time went on, it became important to find a way for the city to evolve, while still honoring its rural roots. Wheat Ridge is being recognized as an All-America City for its great work to improve civic capital, particularly by developing a grassroots leadership program, prioritizing environmental stewardship with resident-led initiatives, and coming together to respond to the challenges of 2020.
The AAC finalists each provided a virtual community presentation to the awards jury panel. Community presentations included pre-recorded videos, virtual skits, music, spoken word, dancing and heartfelt stories to bring their projects and communities to life. Projects highlighted by the communities ranged from addressing racial disparities in public safety and other city services, to meaningfully engaging residents in finding solutions to issues such as homelessness, immigration, poverty, education, environmental sustainability, and pandemic relief.
Other winning communities included:
- Bellevue, Washington
- Carlisle, Pennsylvania
- El Paso, Texas
- Evanston, Illinois
- Fort Wayne, Indiana
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Livermore, California
- Miramar, Florida
- Morrisville, North Carolina
“Congratulations to all winning communities and finalists!” said Doug Linkhart, president of National Civic League. “Each winner leveraged civic engagement, inclusiveness and innovation to successfully address challenges facing their communities. These communities serve as examples to others facing similar issues and provide hope that collaboration among community leaders, elected officials and concerned residents will help communities of all sizes tackle complex issues.”
"The AAC application was truly a labor of love for our city and resulted in Wheat Ridge being selected as one of only 20 finalists. Our entire city can proud of this accomplishment,” stated Mayor Bud Starker. “While I have only a small speaking role in the final production, I’d like to thank the following individuals for their hard work and creativity in developing the presentation which was videotaped with the expertise of Jesse Johnson from iotk.
- City Council members Rachel Hultin and Val Nosler Beck (and her family)
- Community members Morgan Richards, Diana Lopez, Kathleen Martell, Eugene Khang, Joy Opp, Adam Wylie, and Terry Gale.
- Localworks Executive Director Kate Cooke and staff member Jenny Snell
- City of Wheat Ridge City Manager Patrick Goff, Director of Administrative Services Alli Scheck, Assistant to the City Manager Marianne Schilling, Communications Manager Sara Spaulding, Economic Development Manager Steve Art, and Sustainability Coordinator Kayla Betzold.
The AAC finalists each provided a virtual community presentation to the awards jury panel. View our presentation replay on Facebook or YouTube (Wheat Ridge's presentation starts at the 6:22 minute mark.) Videos of all presentations will be available on the website.
Learn more about all of the cities and their projects at the National Civic League website. The National Civic League advances inclusive civic engagement through our community assistance programs, including tools, trainings and facilitation services, our award and recognition programs, and nationally recognized research and publications. We promote efforts that seek to listen to, and to learn from residents in ongoing conversations and leverage those insights to help reshape communities so they will thrive.
The All-America City Award is made possible through the support of Southwest Airlines, the official airline sponsor, The Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, CGI Communications, ICMA-RC, U.S. Census Bureau, Google and Comcast.
Did your family homestead in Wheat Ridge? Have you raised your family here? Did you move back after living in another part of the country? What do you love about living or working here? What makes Wheat Ridge so special? Share your story and help Wheat Ridge stand out for the judges as a city that personifies resilience, inclusion, with a focus on sustainability, and just a touch of the quirky.