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ABC believes that no good work should go unnoticed; therefore, we celebrate you and your organization's success with the community.

Community Building Celebration 2010

More than 80 Adams County residents attended the Community Building Celebration presented by the Alliance for Building Community (ABC) on Wednesday, March 24th.  It was a time of celebration and recognition for the organizations, individuals and groups who have partnered with ABC to improve the quality of life in Adams County.  The morning featured a presentation from the Grand Rapids Community Sustainability Partnership (CSP) in Grand Rapids, Mich., recognition of the "Community Builder" award-winners, and an overview of the community assessment ABC conducted in 2008-2009.

The Grand Rapids CSP was founded in 2005 by five organizations: the City of Grand Rapids, Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Valley State University, Grand Valley Community College, and Aquinas College.  Since 2005, the Grand Rapids CSP has gathered and reported measurable indicator data for Grand Rapids and western Michigan.  The CSP works for a balance among and between the economic, environmental, and social systems to create and sustain a positive quality of life for future generations.  Through multi-stakeholder collaboration, sharing of experiences and common aspirations, and mobilizing local resources, the CSP helps transform the greater Grand Rapids area and region through the development of sustainable neighborhoods and communities.   Grand Rapids has received recognition from the United Nations University as a Regional Center of Expertise in Education for Sustainable Development, and in 2008, the CSP adopted the "Triple Bottom Line" as its measure for success. 

The morning featured two of the five founding members: CSP Executive Director Norman Christopher (Grand Valley State University) and Corky Overmyer (United Water).  Mr. Christopher also serves as Director of Sustainability for Grand Valley State University and teaches several MBA sustainability courses in the Seidman College of Business.  Mr. Overymyer served as the City of Grand Rapids Sustainability Manager where he was responsible for development of strategies to reduce energy, waste, carbon, and green house gas emissions.  Grand Rapids CSP Presentation

Also available is a presentation from Dr. Rhonda Phillips (School of Community Resources and Development, Arizona State University).  Dr. Phillips was scheduled to present at this year's Celebration but was unable to attend.  Her presentation discusses some of her latest research on economic development indicators and the need to look at more inclusive, system-wide indicators to fully gauge progress towards long term and sustainable goals.  Community Economic Development Indicators and Quality of Life

The 2010 "Community Builder" award was presented to the ABC Health Leadership Delegation for developing a tracking system for the measurement of childhood obesity in Adams County.  The ABC Health Leadership Delegation is the "go to" source for community data about health status and collaborative efforts to improve obesity rates in Adams County.  

Community Building Celebration 2010 was co-sponsored by: Adams Electric Cooperative, Adams/Pike Regional Office of Education, Community Foundation of the Quincy Area, Great River Economic Development Foundation, League of Women Voters of Adams County, Quincy University, and the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration.