Rancho Cordova Wins All-America City Award Honors for 2010

2010-06-19T01:45:46Z

The City of Rancho Cordova has been named All-America City by a panel of judges from the National Civic League. This honor was in recognition of the City’s unusual level of community participation and pride in joining forces to improve the quality of life for its citizens.

A contingent of representatives from the City, including residents, City and Community Council members and City staff gave a 10-minute presentation to the panel yesterday morning. The theme was “We Make the Magic” in a community where diverse groups pull together for the greater good of all residents and businesses.

Three programs were identified in the initial application:

* Project 680, a grassroots effort led by Cordova Towne neighborhood activist Ryan Lundquist, which collects everyday items such as socks, underwear and shoes for homeless children in the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. The project was named for the 680 children in the school district identified as homeless. Aiming to collect a pair of socks for each of the 680, the community responded by donating over 3,000 pairs of socks in its first effort.

* Rancho Cordova Cultural Heritage (Saturday) Schools, a collaborative effort of immigrant parents and the Folsom Cordova Unified School District to preserve and honor arts and culture of mother countries. The project builds bridges between non-English-speaking groups and the community at large, has improved academic performance among the students, and has provided cultural enrichment for the entire population of the city.

* The Rancho Cordova City Hall provides a “civic heart” for Rancho Cordova, incubating business and community engagement as well as serving as a home for municipal services. The City Hall project has fostered important civic links as the community matures as a city and is a symbol of change and progress in a city striving to change its image. It is the site of weddings, proms, church services and business meetings in addition to governance.

These projects drew the attention of the judges which selected Rancho Cordova to be among the 25 finalists. The finalist cities were selected based on their identifying and solving society’s challenges. The next step was the 10-minute presentation followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer period.

After Rancho Cordova’s presentation, one of the judges left her seat to shake the hand of and personally thank community activist Ryan Lundquist for the 680 Project. “It was an extremely touching moment, one we’ll never forget,” said Rancho Cordova City Council Member Linda Budge.

The highly coveted All-America City Award was established by the National Civic League of America in 1949 to honor the best role model cities in the country. Winning the All-America City designation is a distinction for a lifetime. The 10 winners were determined after each finalist made a presentation this week in Kansas City.

This is the second year in a row that Rancho Cordova has been a finalist for the prestigious All-America City award. Although it is one of the youngest cities in the competition, Rancho Cordova has excelled developing strong relationships with the many, diverse segments in its community.

Rancho Cordova, incorporated in 2003, will be celebrating its 7th anniversary on July 1, 2010. City Hall is located at 2729 Prospect Park Drive, Rancho Cordova, CA 95670. Website: www.cityofranchocordova.org; phone: 916-851-8700.

Sacramento City Schools Facing Major Budget Crisis

2009-01-13T02:02:08Z

SCUSD to Meet with Residents In Lincoln Village

Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD), which includes the schools of Abe Lincoln, AM Winn, Einstein, and Rosemont, has been facing serious budget problems this year. The district has already cut over $20 million from this year's budget and may be looking at mid-year cuts of up to $30 million more. The district is even looking at closing some school sites in an extreme effort to cut costs.

A special community meeting is being held by SCUSD officials on Tuesday, January 13th, at AM Winn Elementary School located at 3351 Explorer Drive. This meeting is being held to inform the public about options the district is considering and to seek community input. The meeting is scheduled to last from 6 pm to 8 pm. Although the district has scheduled meetings at other schools in other parts of the district, this will be the only meeting in the Lincoln Village, Countryside or Rosemont areas.

Even if you do not have children currently enrolled in SCUSD schools, this is an important meeting to attend. The quality of local schools are an important factor in the value of nearby homes and in the ability of the next generation of young people to gain the skills they will need to be productive members of our communities.

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Rancho Cordova Wins All-America City Award Honors for 2010

Sacramento City Schools Facing Major Budget Crisis