Thursday, January 24, 2008

Arlington named one of 100 best communities in the U.S. for young people

By Pegasus News wire

The City of Arlington found out today (Jan. 24) that they have been included on the list of 100 Best Communities for Young People selected by America's Promise Alliance - a multi-sector collaborative dedicated to the well-being of children and youth. Founded by retired U.S. Army General Colin Powell, the Alliance's Board of Directors is now chaired by his wife, Alma.

Since they're rather happy about it and would like to spread the word, they (the city) will be holding a press conference at 4 p.m. at the Dottie Lynn Recreation Center at 3200 Norwood Drive in - you guessed it - Arlington.

Isn't this all a kid really needs?

Here's an interactive U.S. map showing the locations of the winning 100 communities (which show up in 37 states); you can run your cursor over the dots and get a writeup on each of the selected towns describing why they were selected. The text shadowbox for Arlington (which was the only North Texas city selected among the 100 best) mentions its Arlington Alliance for Youth program, established in 2004, along with the United Way-sponsored Parenting Center, which maintains an Arlington office.

(If you're familiar with Alaska geography, you might notice that the dot for Anchorage appears in a position rather removed from the city's actual location, deep in the vast interior rather than at the apex of Turnagain Arm - but never mind.)

The Alliance judges communities based upon their adherence to "The Five Promises," which include:

* Caring Adults

* Safe Places

* A Healthy Start

* Effective Education

* Opportunities to Help Others

A call to Patty Riley at the America's Promise HQ in Alexandria, VA revealed that there is no numeric ranking involved in the selection, so we can't say exactly where Arlington fell amongst the 100 best. Arlington's press release notes that they'll now be able to apply for $100,000 in grant funding for additional "national action youth development strategies"; according to Ms. Riley there is no direct monetary award accompanying the selection. What DOES come with making the list is a travel stipend for select Arlingtonians to expedite their visit to Washington, D.C. in September to meet with other winning community members from across the country and bask in the glow of their kid-friendly success. (Hopefully, this perk includes all the milk and cookies the entourage can eat.)

America’s Promise Alliance has been doing their "100 best" thing for three years now; this is the first time that Arlington has made the list.

posted by JM

See more stories in:

• Kids / Family
• Politics and Government > City Government > Arlington
• Won't someone PLEASE think of the children?

Comments

David Gouldin Staff

The only logical conclusion is that literacy is bad for children. Who knew?

7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )

Scott Doyle Verified

But...how could a city riddled with the wave of a hate crime be a good place for young people? Not to mention, there's a neighboring city with such intolerance to report illegal immigrants who do illegal things to deportation authorities...resulting in mass hysteria.

I gotta say, America's Promise Alliance sure doesn't seem to do their homework.

7 months, 2 weeks ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )