2019 was another year of growth for Cities of Service, as we launched our Experience Matters and Guiding Opportunities programs, worked with a new cohort of Love Your Block cities, released our Citizen Engagement Techniques, and much more. It also marked our ten-year anniversary. Since we were founded in 2009, our coalition has grown to include more than 280 cities, we've given over $8 million in grants, and we've helped city leaders engage more than 100,000 resident volunteers. And just as importantly, residents all over the country and around the world are now better connected to one another and to their city government.
In our 2019 Year in Review, we look back on what we've done together, and look forward to what our movement can accomplishment in the next 10 years.
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Unsung Hero: Leslie Petteys
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Unsung Heroes is our series profiling residents who are making an impact on their communities - people like Leslie Petteys, who lives in Huntington, West Virginia. Petteys works closely with city staff to make her city a better place to live. “Nothing is going to happen if you don’t say something,” she says. “There has been a lot of progress, which makes me very happy.”
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Sean Peterson, who joined the Cities of Service Board of Directors in 2017, is stepping down as he relocates to Singapore and takes on a new role at American Express as the Head of Government Affairs for Asia. We would like to thank him for his service to the organization and wish him and his family best in their exciting new adventure!
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Resources and Opportunities
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- The NewCities Wellbeing Award recognizes cities that are placing their residents’ wellbeing at the heart of urban policy and planning. Cities may submit up to two applications. Applications can by submitted here by February 5.
- Do you know someone 50 or older using their life experience to make their community or the world a better place? Consider nominating them for the AARP Purpose Prize. The deadline is March 31.
- Johns Hopkins University's Center for Civil Society Studies recently published a new study about the impact of Rotary International. The organization's efforts enable 47 million resident volunteer hours a year, saving communities millions of dollars. Read the report.
- If you have not already seen our new Citizen Engagement Techniques, take a few minutes to look through them as you plan engagement activities for 2020. They offer easy-to-follow instructions that will help you engage residents to brainstorm ideas, analyze data, and test solutions. Learn more.
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- Government Technology Magazine shared tips gleaned from the Better Rejkjavic platform about what makes effective online citizen engagement. The story also touches on Flint's Engaged Cities Award-winning work with residents through the Flint Property Portal.
- Watch Huntington, West Virginia's video about the Cities of Service Love Your Block program to learn about their activities.
- An editorial in The New Straits Times examines what the winners of the 2019 Cities of Service Engaged Cities Award have accomplished with their citizen engagement initiatives, and examines the potential for resident volunteers to help communities in Malaysia meet public challenges.
- AARP spotlights Tulsa's Urban Data Pioneers, a winner of the 2018 Engaged Cities Award. Now, the program is helping volunteers reduce response times to 911 calls.
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