The curious, the well-known, and the winners packed Room 122 of the Cannon House Office Building last Thursday as four communities were heralded for being the 2013 Best Intergenerational Communities in America. Generations United and MetLife Foundation sponsored the awards and the event.

Generations United Board Member Matthew Melmed welcomed the crowd and introduced the event emcee, Juan Williams, the well-known author, journalist, and news analyst. This was Williams' second time as emcee for the awards; the inaugural event took place last year. Thanks, Juan!

The winning communities included: Dunedin, Florida; Montgomery County, Maryland; Itta Bena, Mississippi; and Westchester County, New York. Each community was well-represented by members of their communities who were instrumental in establishing exceptional intergenerational policies and programs. Two members of Congress, Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker and Maryland Representative Chris Van Hollen stopped by to congratulate their constituents and say a few words.

A prestigious panel discussed what constitutes a truly intergenerational community. Panelists included: Barbara Greenberg, president and founder of the Philanthropic Group; Austin Heyman, founder of JCA Heyman Interages Center; and Nancy Henkin, founder and executive director of the Intergenerational Center at Temple University in Philadelphia.

Generations United Executive Director Donna Butts issued a call to action, saying, "We believe more cities, towns, and counties will follow the lead of the best intergenerational communities we are honoring today IF we encourage local leaders to be bold and create policies that support them."

Generations United is pleased to share our Public Policy Agenda for the 113th Congress. We released the agenda on Capitol Hill last week at our America's Best Intergenerational Communities event, distributing it to all House and Senate offices. We timed the distribution to coincide with Congress passing a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through September. While the resolution averts a government shut down, it does not turn back the sequester that puts in place across-the-board cuts to critical supports for children, families, and older adults.

 

Our policy agenda calls on Congress to ensure that individuals of every age are protected in the challenging economic climate. View the full public policy agenda and contact your members of Congress to urge them to take action to protect children, families and older adults in their ongoing budget decisions. Not sure how to best communicate with your members of congress? Here are some tips.  

Do you know of an organization that does a terrific job at serving different generations on the same site? That organization could be the recipient of the 2013 Generations United Shared Site Award. But not unless someone (you, perhaps?) nominates that worthy organization. So how about it? Hurry, though. Award application deadline is March 30.  Nominate an organization.

The Administration for Community Living has announced the "Unleash the Power of Age in Your Community Challenge." This challenge, in celebration of Older Americans Month 2013, invites organizations to nominate people 60 or older who are putting their talents and expertise toward inspirational achievements in their communities and beyond. Learn more about the Challenge. Learn more about Older Americans Month 2013.

Global Youth Service Day, April 26-28, 2013 is the world's largest service event, and the only one dedicated to recognizing the contributions that young people make to their communities every day of the year. Get all the information you need to start your own service project. Learn more.

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Capital Grants. The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is offering capital grants for qualified organizations that provide services in: Older Adults; Workforce Development; Basic Human Needs and Health; Disabilities, Education, Children, Youth and Families; and General Community Support. Letters of Intent received on a rolling basis. Learn more.