City of Doral Shines at as a 2019 All-America City Silver Recipient
Since 2018, it was a goal of the City of Doral to apply for the prestigious recognition that shines a spotlight on the incredible work taking place in communities across the country and celebrates the best in local innovation, civic engagement and
cross-sector collaboration. In 2019, we saw an opportunity to apply and exhibit our projects and initiatives that promote health, inclusivity, cross-sector collaboration and meaningful change. This would be the first time that the City of Doral
applied for the All-American City Award.
Annually, over 500 applications nationwide are submitted to be considered for the All-American City Award. Doral submitted an application that showcased the City to be selected as a finalist. The work then continued to put together a comprehensive
presentation that fit the criteria, strategically select members for the team and handle all the logistics of attending the conference.
The City of Doral was able to identify 25 volunteers that represented a cross section of the community and of the diverse staff. The Team included, the Mayor and Vice-Mayor, a representative of almost every City Department, six residents and
three business owners. Once the Doral team of 25 was confirmed, the preparation for the ten 10-minute presentation began with numerous hours of rehearsals with the group to learn our lines and practice all aspects of the presentation. After
the presentation, the group had to be prepared for a ten 10-minute Q&A portion that covered the City’s application. A total of seven evening rehearsals took place in Doral and three more once the group arrived in Denver.
From June 20, to June 23, 2019, all the finalist communities attended the conference for the final phase of the All-America City competition in Denver Colorado. Teams of residents; nonprofit, business, and government leaders; and young people from
communities across the country came together for three days. A representation of all type of cites were selected as finalists. Some Cities with very small populations, to Cities with over 1.5 million residents. At the All-America
City Awards event, these teams connected and shared insights with peers, learned from national thought-leaders, and presented the story of their work to a jury of nationally recognized civic leaders. The largest team had 86 members. The event
included workshops, panel discussions, receptions, networking opportunities, and community presentations to a jury of national experts. The transformational experience equipped, inspired and supported leaders and communities to achieve more than
we ever believed possible.
On Sunday, June 23, 2019, it was announced how all the All-America finalists placed. The City of Doral was identified as a silver recipient, an accomplishment that those who participated in were very proud. It was all an amazing experience that
truly showed just how fortunate the City of Doral is. Learning about issues other cities are challenged with such as: food deserts, opioid crisis, and vast homelessness, shows us what a remarkable and blessed community we have. From our elected
officials, city staff, residents, and businesses – the work everyone does to make Doral the premier City to live, work, learn and play is undeniable.
This could not have been possible without the support of our gracious sponsors: Codina Partners, Downtown Doral, Florida East Coast Industries, Top Golf, New York Life, Omega Learning, United Martial Arts. We thank them for recognizing the value
in our City’s participation.
