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Statesville named All-America City
JAY CONNER/Tampa Tribune Staff
From left President and CEO of the Statesville Chamber of Commerce David Bradley and Statesville Mayor Costi Kutteh during the presentation by the delegation to receive an All-America City Award from the Colorado based National Civic League's 2009 All-America City Awards.
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Published: June 19, 2009
Updated: 06/19/2009 10:27 am
TAMPA, Fla. - Statesville didn't have to wait long on Friday night.
More than 50 people had traveled 620 miles to convince a panel of judges that Statesville deserved the title All-America City, and they heard their city's name early in the evening.
Recognized for knowing that caring for the most vulnerable residents "strengthens the community as a whole," Statesville was the second of 10 cities awarded the prestigious title at Tampa's Marriott Waterfront Hotel & Marina.
Hearing Statesville's name, its representatives jumped out of their chairs, whooping and cheering and hugging each other.
"It shows what you can accomplish when you don't care who gets the credit," said Mayor Costi Kutteh.
David Bradley, president of the Greater Statesville Chamber of Commerce, said the delegation was able to communicate to the judges the love that Statesville's residents feel for their town.
"You can go into a lot of communities, but you don't feel the spirit we have," he said.
The city was one of 29 finalists in the competition, sponsored by the Colorado-based National Civic League. Winning cities are chosen for their efforts to enlist residents in solving the most pressing community problems.
"You are the best and the brightest and the most innovative communities in the country," league board member Sandy Freedman told the crowd in the Marriott ballroom before the winners were announced. Freedman was Tampa's mayor in 1990 when it was named an All-American City.
At Statesville's presentation to the judges on Friday morning, it depicted itself as a city that was reaching across the cultural divide to embrace a rapidly changing community and a city that was reinventing itself with the cooperation of government officials, churches, businesses and residents.
"Do you hear that rhythm?" Kutteh asked judges as a member of the Statesville High School Drum line pounded quietly on a hand drum. "That's the rhythm of hope."
In its awards application, each city is asked to identify two problems or challenges facing the community, and two solutions that have been used to address those challenges.
Statesville highlighted its efforts to overcome cultural segregation as its main challenge.
As solutions, they pointed to the successes of the Mi Familia Institute and Fifth Street Shelter Ministries in serving the needs of its Hispanic community and reducing homelessness.
The city also highlighted the recently opened Boys & Girls Club, as an example of a "youth initiative" that's providing recreational opportunities for disadvantaged kids.
Matt Childress, a 40-year-old veteran of the first Gulf War, told judges about how the Fifth Street Shelter Ministry has helped him get his once troubled life back on track.
"The doors they opened have helped me take charge of my life," he told the judges.
Zoraida Ramirez, a Mexican immigrant and member of the city's delegation, talked about how the Mi Familia Institute helped her reclaim her life following an abusive relationship.
"Mi Familia changed my life forever," she said, her daughter Isabella, 4, at her side.
Statesville won the title of All-American City in 1997 for meeting the challenges of high unemployment and the need for redevelopment of blighted southside neighborhoods.
The National Civic League was founded in 1894 by Theodore Roosevelt and other Progressive reformers. Since the program's first contest in 1949, more than 4,000 communities have competed and over 500 have been named All-America Cities.
Before the city's 10 minute presentation was done, Judge Sharon Metz spoke up.
"We do hear the rhythm of hope," she told members of the city's delegation. "It's a message of inspiration not just for your community, but for the nation as a whole."
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