Roanoke County has been honored time after time for its government operations, quality of life, excellent school system and for commitment to meeting the needs of its citizens. Below are just a few of the awards and honors that Roanoke County has received.
The All-America City Award is one of the nation's oldest and most respected community recognition programs which identifies communities each year for extraordinary civic accomplishments. Founded in 1949, the All-America City Award recognizes communities whose citizens work together to identify and tackle community-wide challenges and achieve uncommon results. Roanoke County received this honor in 1989.
The County was selected because of its work on the Explore Project, cooperative efforts with adjoining jurisdictions on the Hollins Community Development Project, and the new Blue Ridge Library. Each year, only ten cities are selected as All-America City winners. These communities exemplify the true American spirit at work. Their citizens are actively committed to ensuring that their community is a safe, nurturing place to live. Since the program’s beginning, more than 4,000 communities have competed and nearly 400 have been named "All-America Cities."
The criteria for judging and determining the All-America Cities are:
- Creative use and leveraging of community resources,
- Significant and specific community achievements,
- Projects that address the community's most important needs,
- Cooperation across jurisdictional boundaries,
- Clear demonstration of project results and impacts,
- Projects which have impacted the community significantly within the last three years, and have potential to continue improving the quality of life,
- At least one project should document ways in which the lives of children and youth have been tangibly improved.
For more information about the All-America City awards, visit the National Civic League.
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Digital Counties Award
2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 - 2008
- 2009 - 2010
ROANOKE COUNTY, VA (July 20, 2010) – Roanoke County is once again ranked among the top digital counties in the nation for its use of information and communication technology to support and provide public service, placing fifth in its population category in the annual Digital Counties Survey.
The survey, administered by e.Republic’s Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties (NACo), identifies best practices and recognizes those counties that provide exemplary electronic service to their public. “Roanoke County places an emphasis on Information Technology, and we are pleased to be recognized for our efforts,” said County Administrator Clay Goodman.
This is the seventh year that Roanoke County has been named among the top ten digital counties in the nation. In 2004, 2005, and 2006, Roanoke County placed first in the Digital Counties Survey. In 2007 and 2008, the County earned second place in its population category. In 2009, the County regained its top spot for a community its size. Competition within Digital Counties is based upon population categories derived from metropolitan statistical area (MSA) data and is based on a number of criteria. Roanoke County’s award is particularly significant because the locality competed against counties with populations between 150,000 and 249,000. The population of Roanoke County is roughly 90,000.
The Center for Digital Government is a national research and advisory institute on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The Center is a division of e.Republic, Inc., a national publishing, event, and research company focused on information technology in the public sector. For more information, visit http://www.erepublic.com.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) is a full-service organization that provides legislative, research, technical, and public affairs assistance to county governments. Created in 1935, NACo continues to ensure that the nation’s 3,068 counties are heard and understood in the White House and Congress. For more information, visit http://www.naco.org.
To view a full list of 2010 Digital Counties winners: http://www.govtech.com/dc/surveys/counties/90/2010
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2009 Virginia Recreation and Parks Society
At the 2009 Virginia Recreation and Parks Society Conference, Roanoke County Parks, Recreation and Tourism won Best Environmental Improvement Award for the 2008 Garst Mill Park Stream Restoration project which improved the health and beauty of Mud Lick Creek. The department also won Best Promotional Effort for a specialty piece promoting the 2008 Enchanted Eve new year's eve celebration in Vinton. For more information, visit www.vrps.com.
Past Awards for the department include...
- 2007 Best New Program and 2007 Outstanding New Professional in the department's Therapeutic Recreation section.
- 2006 Outstanding Promotional Publications Awards for its dedicated Therapeutic Recreation Services program guide and one for the department's Camp Roanoke Promotional brochure.
- 2006 Best New Special Event for the 2006 US Challenge event, co-hosted by Roanoke County and other nearby localities and agencies.
- 2001 Best Addition/Expansion of a Recreation Facility for the department's renovation and reopening of Camp Roanoke.
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The Virginia Association of Counties (VACo) recognized the County of Roanoke with its 2009 Achievement Award in the Information Technology category for its submittal "Innovation Without Funding." The winning submission detailed Roanoke County's use of social media tools Twitter and Facebook to expand its communication reach at no additional costs.
The Virginia Association of Counties exists to support county officials and to effectively represent, promote, and protect the interests of counties to better serve the people of Virginia. Roanoke County was one of only 15 chosen to receive a VML award in 2009, which recognizes local government programs that include innovation, cooperation, and model practices. For more information, visit www.vaco.org.
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Roanoke County & Hollins University
Receive Prestigious VML President's Award
Roanoke County, VA (November 15, 2007)- Roanoke County and Hollins University took home the Virginia Municipal League (VML) President’s Award this year for their work with an annual summer camp for youth offered in cooperation with area businesses. The program known as Technology Education for Kids or TEK Camp is focused on workforce development which is a significant concern for businesses in the Roanoke Valley and beyond. Members of Roanoke County’s Economic Development Department, Director of Social Services and a representative from Hollins University accepted the award at the 2007 VML Annual Conference.
For more information, visit www.vml.org/.
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The Governor's Fire Service Awards were established in 2002 as a formal recognition of excellence in Virginia's Fire Services. Nominees are carefully reviewed and selected by the Virginia Fire Services Board Executive Committee and forwarded to the Governor through the Secretary of Public Safety for final approval. The awards are presented annually to recipients in eight categories. Roanoke County Fire & Rescue is the only fire department in Virginia to have been recognized each year since the program’s inception by the Governor for excellence in Virginia fire services.
Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department received three 2009 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Virginia Fire Services. The eighth annual Governor’s Fire Service Awards were presented at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Virginia Fire Chiefs Association’s Mid-Atlantic Expo & Symposium in Virginia Beach on Saturday, February 27, 2010.
2009 Excellence in Virginia’s Public Fire & Life Safety for the Roanoke County Partners Advancing Senior Safety (RoCo PASS) program that helps educate senior citizens about fire safety.
2009 Excellence in Virginia’s Fire Service Management for the Roanoke Valley Fire-EMS hiring process that combines the resources of Roanoke County and the cities of Roanoke and Salem to streamline the interview and qualifications for potential employees.
2009 Outstanding Fire Department Response for Roanoke County Fire & Rescue Department & Fort Lewis Volunteer Fire Company's response to helping rescue 63 stranded motorists on Interstate 81 during the December 19 snowstorm that swept across the valley.
In addition, retired Battalion Chief Tommy Fuqua received the Governor’s Award for Excellence in Fire Service Training at the February 2010 symposium.
Recent past awards from the Governor's Awards for Excellence in Virginia's Fire Service have included 2008 Outstanding Fire Department Response for their efforts to extinguish the Green Ridge Mountain Fire in February 2008.
For more information, visit www.vfca.us.
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Roanoke County Earns 2010 Community Economic Development Award
from Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA)
Roanoke County’s submission entry for the Community Economic Development Award (CEDA) featured the Green Ridge Recreation Center, a publicly-owned and developed multi-generational facility designed that anchors a proposed new business park and serves the growing needs of the community and region. Not just another recreation center, this facility will serve as a catalyst for new economic development opportunities throughout the entire Roanoke Valley. Nominated by Doug Chittum, Director of Economic Development, Roanoke County, the submitted project touched on all four categories of the CEDA award, incorporating Business Retention/Expansion, Community Development, Business Attraction, and Community Involvement.
The Virginia Economic Developers Association (VEDA) is a member-based professional association committed to providing training and development; networking opportunities; and serving as the voice of the economic development community, creating economic opportunity and prosperity for the Commonwealth of Virginia. VEDA’s membership is comprised of more than 550 economic development professionals and related industry professionals from across the state of Virginia. For more information about VEDA visit the website at www.GoVEDA.org.
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Distinguished Budget Presentation Award
For more than two decades, Roanoke County has earned the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the Government Finance Officers Association, the highest form of recognition in government budgeting.
The award was established in 1984 and recognizes exemplary budget documentation by state and local governments. Each budget document is evaluated using a comprehensive evaluation checklist by three independent reviewers who are members of GFOA’s Budget Review Panel.
The Department of Management and Budget first received this award in 1987. For more information, visit www.gfoa.org.
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