Denver
– June 23, 2019 - Rock Hill, South Carolina
was recognized today as one of 10 All-America City award winners. The National Civic League presented this honor to recognize Rock Hill
’s work in inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stronger connections among residents, businesses and nonprofit and government leaders.
"We are happy to designate Rock Hill as an All-America City. They showed us today that they do a great job of engaging the whole city in creating a healthier community."
-Doug Linkhart
President, National Civic League
All applicants submitted their community-wide work on creating healthy communities through inclusive civic engagement and three projects for consideration, and the field was narrowed to 20. This weekend, finalist communities presented their projects and their communities to a jury. The entire presentation focused on three project examples showing how this community leverages civic engagement, collaboration, inclusiveness and innovation to successfully address local issues.
Rock Hill gets the entire community involved: Impact York County—a coalition that collaborates to maximize the effectiveness of county-wide health interventions; Miracle Park—a park designed for people with special needs; and Knowledge Park—a downtown revitalization action plan.
The City of Rock Hill actively involves residents in determining the community’s future through their citywide strategic planning process, Empowering the Vision, and their economic development plan, Knowledge Park Action Plan. These visions are realized by engaging community groups, neighborhood associations, businesses, non-profits, and governmental agencies. Collaboration is not limited to a select few; Rock Hill has increased efforts to bridge divides and develop a more equitable environment while fostering opportunities for all residents. Racial healing efforts began with the formation of the Human Relations Committee, initially formed by local ministers, black and white, in 1949. Since then, it has evolved into the Rock Hill Community Relations Council (CRC), which focuses on promoting respect, appreciation and understanding of diversity among all people.
