ORLANDO, FL (November 10,
2004) – The Downtown Development Board last month received a Special
Achievement Award for the Consortium of Downtown Orlando Schools at the
International Downtown Association’s Downtown 50th Annual Conference
in Vancouver, British Columbia.
The Consortium of Downtown
Orlando Schools is a collaborative effort made up of private, public, parochial,
charter and magnet schools, working in conjunction with the University of
Central Florida and the Downtown Development Board. The ten participating
schools and approximately 5,000 students represent a varied socio-economic
status, which reflects the fabric of the Orlando community. The Consortium not
only sets goals and forms partnerships that will result in enriched learning
opportunities, but has had a significant impact on raising the public awareness
of the variety of schools in Orlando and the contributions that they make on the
downtown community.
One of the events organized by
the Consortium is One Great Day for Downtown.
One Great Day is an annual event bringing students
from downtown schools to participate in a community service project, such as
cleaning downtown sidewalks and parks and delivering personal care items to
agencies helping those in need.
For the 19th year,
the International Downtown Association (IDA) honored exemplary projects in the
field of downtown revitalization. A winning entry receives the “stamp of
approval” from the world leader in downtown revitalization – IDA. The IDA
Downtown Achievement Awards recognize the best that downtown revitalization and
management have to offer.
Awards were given to projects
and programs in Lincoln, Nebraska; Vancouver, British Columbia; Denver,
Colorado; Orlando, Florida; Dubuque, Iowa; Billings, Kalamazoo, Michigan;
Montana; New York, and Yonkers, New York; Charlotte, North Carolina; Grand
Forks, North Dakota; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Dallas, Texas; and Norfolk,
Virginia.
The Downtown Development
Board’s mission is to strengthen the role of Downtown Orlando as the economic,
governmental and cultural center of Central Florida. As the agency responsible
for the revitalization of the downtown district, the DDB provides planning,
implementation and administration of numerous ongoing programs focused on the
enhancement of the Downtown Orlando. For the most up-to-date information on
Downtown Orlando, visit
www.downtownorlando.com.
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