The City of Lawrenceville was one of three cities honored by Georgia City Solutions at the inaugural Community Impact Awards hosted at the Porsche Experience Center in Atlanta on May 18.
The event was billed as “A Celebration of Imagination, Innovation, and Collaboration.” Ambassador Andrew Young served as the Honorary Chair of the event.
“We are extremely honored,” said Mayor David Still. “We have an incredible staff whose creativity and commitment to community make our city inclusive, safe, and alive. And our outstanding community partners, like Impact 46, support our mission to build a legacy of leaders here in Lawrenceville.”
Lawrenceville was recognized for its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiative, Lawrenceville Legacy Leaders youth council, Summer of Impact youth internship program, and Love Lawrenceville Day. In addition, Lawrenceville was honored for its community engagement efforts with high-risk youth, improving access to mental health services for families, strengthening community relations, and increasing diverse voices in government.
To better engage the community, the City of Lawrenceville brought together a coalition of community partners, including Impact 46, Families First, the Georgia Center for Opportunity, Hearts to Nourish Hope, Central Gwinnett, Phoenix, and Discovery High Schools, and Gwinnett School of Math, Science & Technology.
“Since its launch, the City of Lawrenceville has been at the forefront of the Georgia Municipal Association’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion certification program and has involved our staff, boards, authorities, and elected officials,” said City Manager Chuck Warbington. “Our youth council will begin its second year in the fall, and we are proud to kick off the fifth year of the Summer of Impact Program, which we helped launch in 2017.”
Dublin and Valdosta were also honored with awards, along with Dr. Annise Mabry and Creature Comforts Brewing Company.
Georgia City Solutions is a 501(c)3 organization created in 2018 by the Georgia Municipal Association to help cities address the challenges of intergenerational poverty. Under the direction of its public-private board, GCS has successfully launched programs in the initial focus areas of Equity and Inclusion, Municipal Workforce Development, Youth Leadership and Engagement, and Literacy. GCS utilizes an innovative approach to scaling, replicating, and customizing programs to meet the unique needs of cities and their partner organizations.
For additional information about the City of Lawrenceville and Georgia City Solutions, visit their websites and social media channels.
Left to right: Kirby Thompson, Chair, Georgia City Solutions Board of Directors; Chuck Warbington, City Manager, City of Lawrenceville; David Still, Mayor, City of Lawrenceville; Jen Young, Executive Director, Impact46; Jasmine Billings, Community Development Manager, City of Lawrenceville; Rodney Bullard, CEO, The Same House.