By Tom McClimon
October 3, 2005

America’s Promise has announced the winners of a first-ever national competition to identify 100 Best Communities for Young People. The winning cities are being celebrated for their commitment to provide healthy, safe and caring environments for young people.

America’s Promise Founding Chairman General Colin Powell announced the competition in May and communities applied for a place on the list. The 100 Best winners were chosen by a selection panel of civic, business, and nonprofit leaders, including former Denver Mayor Wellington E. Webb, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue, NBC Washington Bureau Chief and Moderator of Meet the Press Tim Russert, and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala.

The selection panel’s decisions were based upon detailed information provided by the applicants in five areas critical to the well-being of young people: caring adults who are actively involved in their lives; safe places in which to learn and grow; a healthy start toward adulthood; an effective education that builds marketable skills; and opportunities to help others.

“We have had an amazing response from hundreds of communities, large and small, from Alaska to Florida,” said Marguerite W. Salle, President and CEO of America’s Promise. Our purpose for launching this competition is to appeal to America’s competitive spirit to encourage communities to become great places to grow. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we have seen some inspiring examples of what can happen when communities across the country pull together to help people in times of urgent need. In the 100 Best Communities, we have witnessed that same spirit at work in making the well-being of their children an urgent priority.”

To honor the 100 Best Communities, America’s Promise will hold a special event November 2 in Washington (DC). This celebration will be dedicated to the children affected by Hurricane Katrina, highlighting outstanding community initiatives across the country that are providing displaced children with the services and support that they need to thrive no matter where they are. America’s Promise will also sponsor a series of regional forums across the country to enable communities to share their success stories.

America’s Promise is a Business Council member of the Conference of Mayors, and Conference Executive Director Tom Cochran is a member of America’s Promise Alliance Trustees.