Sarasota County is an All-America City finalist in good company

In April, the National Civic League selected Sarasota County as one of 20 nationwide community finalists for the prestigious 2013 All-America City Awards. What a community effort it has been so far!

Sarasota County's application highlighted three community-driven efforts, including:

- Our first-of a-kind public-private partnership with the National Cemetery Administration to create Patriot Plaza at Sarasota National Cemetery and the community-driven Legacy of Valor campaign to honor veterans and their families

- The "whole community" approach to leveraging our county's unique age demographic (the oldest county in the U.S.) as an asset to create the Institute for the Ages, a global test-bed for aging innovations

- The great example of libraries as transformational centers of community as illustrated by the North Sarasota Library

On June 14-16 our community delegation will convene in Denver, Colo., to present and share about our community impact programs (in 10 whirlwind minutes!)

As the title of this post suggests, we'll be convening in Denver in very good company. The other finalist 19 communities include:

- Birmingham, Alabama

- Downey, California

- Brush, Colorado

- Colorado Springs, Colorado

- Montrose, Colorado

- Fort Lauderdale, Florida

- Miami Lakes, Florida

- Peoria, Illinois

- Dubuque, Iowa

- Owensboro, Kentucky

- Natchitoches, Louisiana

- Canton, New York

- Dunn, North Carolina

- Garner, North Carolina

- Thomasville, North Carolina

- Folly Beach, South Carolina

- The Colony, Texas

- Norfolk, Virginia

- Platteville, Wisconsin

It's an honor to be a part of this year's delegation to recognize and celebrate the civic accomplishments of communities across the nation!

While the gathering in Denver is considered a competition, more importantly, it serves as a platform for us all to acknowledge and support each other's successes. The enthusiasm, creativity and cooperation that each finalist community has demonstrated in solving community challenges gives us all - locally and nationally - hope and inspiration to do the same in our own neighborhoods, towns, cities and counties.

Congratulations to all our fellow finalists! We are so looking forward to seeing you in Denver, learning about your programs and cheering each and everyone on!