Community development awards to give public sector its due

The Community Development Corporations Association of Greater Cincinnati (CDCAGC) will be holding its annual awards celebration from 11:30 AM to 2 PM at the Community Action Agency, Jordan Crossing in Bond Hill. Representatives from community development corporations (CDC), city staff, bankers, developers and local communities will be on hand to recognize the achievements of those working hard to improve our region's neighborhoods.

The keynote speaker will be Cuyahoga County Treasurer Jim Rokakis, who has successfully worked with the Ohio legislature and other groups on community development issues like foreclosure, landbanking, and vacated buildings.

Patricia Garry, executive director of CDCAGC, says that recognition for a job well done helps inspire those who take on the sometimes daunting task of community development.

"Most working in CDCs are not making what they would in the private sector," she says.  "I think the point is being honored by your peers for work that often goes unnoticed."

Awards will be presented to the "most outstanding" in nine categories, including CDC executive director, CDC staffer, lender, project, collaborative effort, volunteer, consultant, and city staffer (two). Garry says that there also will be plenty of opportunity for networking and building working relationships.

"It's the name of the game," she says.  "People will be networking at the reception, as they're standing in line for the buffet lunch, as they're eating, after the awards, as they're going out the door, in the parking lot...."

Title sponsor for the event is US Bank, and banner sponsors include National City Bank and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Patricia Garry, executive director, CDCAGC
Photography by Scott Beseler