By Amanda Raymond

amanda.raymond@salisburypost.com

The deadline for preliminary entries from programs in Salisbury and the surrounding area for the All-America City Award competition has been extended to Dec. 31.

As part of the application for the 2016 All-America City Award competition, the city of Salisbury is looking for area programs with a focus on supporting healthy children in school and other areas of life, according to a release from the city.

Other collaborative programs that benefit the community are also welcome to apply.

The programs will be reviewed and three programs will be chosen to be used for the Salisbury All-America City Award presentation. The program entries must include an overall description, a list of all organizations contributing to its success, specific goals and objectives and demonstrated measurables or statistics. Programs that have been in existence for five years or more are preferred.

The National Civic League sponsors the All-America City Award competition. The league’s goal this year is “to raise up local examples of innovative and effective community problem-solving that recognizes all the factors that influence the success of children and uses all sectors to address those factors,” according to its website.

Some efforts could include:

• school attendance
• child/family health (including targeted community health efforts)
• positive discipline interventions
• transportation (particularly focused on enabling children and their parents to access key services, employment or school)
• poverty/housing
• healthy food access
• job opportunities/skill development
• creating safe neighborhoods
• creating healthy natural environments that support young people’s learning, activity or health

Ten communities around the country are chosen each year as All-America Cities for their efforts in helping to solve local challenges.

If chosen as a finalist community, participants will travel to Denver to present Salisbury’s story to a jury of national experts.

A committee plans to review the applications and narrow down the submissions in January, Linda McElroy, communications director, said.

Program entries can be mailed to or dropped off for Linda McElroy, Communications, City of Salisbury, 217 S. Main Street, Salisbury, NC 28144. Entries can also be emailed to McElroy at lmcel@salisburync.gov. Anyone with questions can call 704-638-4460.

Contact reporter Amanda Raymond at 704-797-4222.