Congratulations to the North Long Beach Community Action Group. They were awarded as the Neighborhood of the Year by Neighborhoods USA at their annual conference on Friday. This is a big accomplishment, and all of Long Beach should be proud of our neighbors.
Here is the release sent out from the city…
The volunteer North Long Beach Community Action Group (NLB CAG) on Friday won the national “Neighborhood of the Year” Grand Prize for documenting the history of North Long Beach since 1924, when the area was annexed to the City of Long Beach.
The NLB CAG was the first Long Beach neighborhood organization to win the Grand Prize, the highest honor awarded by Neighborhoods, USA at its annual conference, held this year in Hampton, Va. In addition, the NLB CAG also won first prize in the “Social Revitalization” category. A total of 15 finalist cities in three categories vied for the Grand Prize award.
“I am very proud of North Long Beach for several reasons, and now the whole community as well as future generations will have this wonderful opportunity to experience the ‘Top of the Town’ from such a unique perspective,” said Councilmember Val Lerch, who represents the 9th District and helped found the NLB CAG in 1992.
“This prestigious award is a shining example of how neighborhoods are strengthened when the community comes together to preserve its heritage,” said Councilwoman Rae Gabelich, who represents the 8th District. “Historical projects like this have the added benefit of laying the groundwork for the future of this great City. I’m extremely proud of our Eighth District residents who represented the City with honor.”
The history project collected and preserved historical and cultural elements, newspaper articles, photographs, oral history interviews and family stories from longtime members of early families. Celebrations are being planned in North Long Beach to allow the community an opportunity to see NLB CAG present its project.
“It’s the most incredible feeling for our neighborhood to be recognized in Long Beach, much less nationally,” said Laurie C. Angel, NLB CAG President and a North Long Beach resident since 1989. “Maybe we’ll help to set an example for neighborhoods throughout the country to undertake history projects to bring pride and recognition to their community.”
Working with Ms. Angel on the project were Dr. Kaye Briegel, T. Beth Hall, Linda Ivers and Dan Pressburg.
In addition, Frank Buono of Buono’s Pizza, with two locations in Long Beach, has been named a Neighborhoods, USA Notable for being an “unsung” neighborhood hero and making a significant and positive impact on his neighborhood as a local business owner.
The History project created a North Long Beach Archive for integration into the collection of the Historical Society of Long Beach (HSLB), which recently moved to Bixby Knolls. The project’s ongoing focus is to document the history, people and important cultural elements of the North Long Beach community, to create and sustain a more fulfilling and positive sense of community and interest in North Long Beach.
The Neighborhood Resource Center assisted NLBGAC and other neighborhood organizations in the Neighborhood of the Year application process, and has now successfully helped 11 groups in the past seven years to win national recognition for their hard work and dedication to their North Long Beach, Bluff Heights, Central Area (twice!), Coolidge Triangle, Craftsman Village Historic District, East Village, El Dorado Park South, Los Cerritos, Washington Middle School, and Willmore City Historic District neighborhoods.
In March 2006, Long Beach Navy Memorial Heritage Association awarded NLB CAG a $10,000 grant to fund a historical survey of the targeted redevelopment sites in NLB and to create a NLB Archive for HSLB. (The LBNMHA exists for the purpose of historic preservation as a result of the federal government relinquishing control of the Long Beach Navy Base, and its subsequent demolition.)
Neighborhoods, USA is a national non-profit organization committed to building and strengthening neighborhood organizations.
For more information about this award, please contact Kathleen McCleary of the Neighborhood Resource Center at 570-1010.