Community Development Week National Award

ST. LOUIS –The City of St. Louis was recently named a recipient of the 2016 John A. Sasso Award from the National Community Development Association for its outstanding Community Development Week activities. As one of only seven cities receiving the award throughout the country, St. Louis was selected based on an evaluation of criteria such as partnerships, engagement, results, and innovation.

Hosted by the City's Community Development Administration on March 28 –April 1, Community Development Week included a resources fair in City Hall, a bus tour of recently completed projects and a canned food drive in support of local food pantries. A highlight of the week was CDA's annual awards ceremony at the Jewel Box in Forest Park, which honored the following organizations and individuals for their outstanding community development work:

• Community Advocate of the Year –Mr. Michael P. McMillan
• Outstanding Service Award –Ms. JoAnn Spitale
• Executive Director of the Year –Ms. Mary Lou Green
• Youth Program of the Year –STL Youth Jobs and St. Louis Internship Program
• Public Improvement Project of the Year –St. Louis Community Credit Union
• Municipal Program of the Year –Problem Properties Program
• Housing Development Project of the Year –Botanical Heights
• Housing Developer of the Year –Allman Builders
• Housing Program of the Year–Healthy Home Repair Staff

"Community Development Week gives us an opportunity to showcase the many successful projects and organizations funded with CDBG and HOME funds," says Alana Green, Acting Executive Director of CDA. "It also helps to strengthen community partnerships and garner local support for HUD-funded programs."

Community Development Week was established in 1986 by the National Community Development Association (NCDA), of which the City of St. Louis is a member.NCDA is a national non-profit organization comprised of more than 550 local governments across the country that administer community and economic development, housing and human service programs supported by HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) programs.

Other cities receiving the 2016 award include Dallas, TX; Miami, FL; Jacksonville, FL; Columbus, GA; Columbia, SC; and Burlington, VT.