Skip Navigation

  1. City Departments
    1. Accounting
    2. Administration, Finance, Policy and Urban Affairs
    3. Administrative Adjudication
    4. Assessment and Taxation Department
    5. Audit
    6. Board of Education
    7. Buffalo Arts Commission
    8. Buffalo Police Department
    9. Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency(BURA)
    10. Buffalo Water Authority
    11. 1 more items...
  2. City Services
    1. ePermits
    2. City Tax Payments
    3. City User Fee Payments
    4. Parking Ticket Payments
    5. Adjudication Payments
    6. Rental Registration
    7. City Phone Directory
    8. Water / Sewer Payments
    9. Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Board
    10. Renewal of Dog License Payments
    11. 1 more items...
  3. Our City
    1. Architecture and Landscapes
    2. Arts and Culture
    3. All America City
    4. Buffalo Waterfront
    5. Buffalo My City
    6. Buffalo At Home
    7. Buffalo Convention Center
    8. Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitors Bureau
    9. Buffalo Sister Cities
    10. Buffalo TV Access Channels
    11. 11 more items...
  4. News and Calendar
    1. Cars Sharing Main Street
    2. Buffalo Historic Preservation Plan
    3. Scajaquada Corridor Study
    4. Buffalo's Intensive Level Historic Buildings Reconnaissance Survey
    5. Peace Bridge Expansion Project Workshop Schedule
    6. The Queen City in the 21st Century
    7. Calender of Events
  5. CitiStat Buffalo

Home > Our City > All America City > All America City Fact Sheet

All-America City Fact Sheet

Buffalo Niagara

All-America City Committee

(BNAACC)

FACT SHEET

The Buffalo Niagara All-America City Committee was founded in 1993 and is affiliated with the non-profit (501-C-3) Wellness Institute of Western New York. The Committee consists of citizens from Erie and Niagara Counties. Honorary Co-Chairs are Mr. John J. Giardino (Erie County), Mr. Sam Granieri (Niagara County) and Mayor Vincenzo Anello (Niagara Falls). Current Committee facilitators are Phil Haberstro (Erie County) and Joan Broderick (Niagara County). Mrs. Alforna Evans and Mr. Joseph McCoy are Civic Empowerment Awards Co-Chairs and Jerry Flaschner is Communications Chair. (New members are always welcome-Call 851-4052 or visit www.city-buffalo.com/document_246.html).

Vision Statement:

Values:

    Mission Statement:

    What we are doing to support our mission?

      Strategic Components to increasing Buffalo Niagara's Social Capital include:

        • Marketing the Buffalo Niagara Region as an All-America City and Region both locally & nationally through our designations (1996 and 2002). (Signs on thruway - logo on websites, letterhead, etc.)
        • Continued advocacy and education on the "Healthy Communities" movement. (Integrates addressing social, environmental, economic and human capital in a strategic approach to enhancing our quality of life).
          • Continue to enhance Community capacity/involvement through workshops/training/forums and our "Working Better Together" Civic Fairs.
            • On-going partnering and support of community building initiatives (i.e."Smart Growth is Smart Business", 2005).

              • Accomplishments

              • Submitted eight (8) All-America City applications and six (6) times named a National finalist. In 1996 Greater Buffalo (The City of Buffalo & Erie County) and again in 2002 as the Buffalo-Niagara Region earned The National Civic League's lifetime All-America City designations (visit www.ncl.org).
                • Raised over $200,000 in donations to finance programs, community forums and six community delegation presentations at the All-America City finals.
                  • Planned and hosted ten (10) consecutive Civic Empowerment Awards presentations and dinner celebrations (The 10th annual CEA celebration is scheduled for May 2005). Honoring Ninety-one (91) diverse civic groups and community initiatives that have enhanced the quality of life in the Buffalo Niagara Region.
                    • Honored Ten (10) individuals who have received the "Louis J. Billittier, Sr. Exemplary Civic Action Award". Past winners include: David J. Ellerbrock, Ph.D., George R. Grasser, David N. Greenfield, Drew J. Cerza, Joseph McCoy, Joan Broderick, Joseph P. DeBergalis Jr., Alforna Evans, Kevin P. Gaughan and Tim Tielman.
                      • Co-sponsored two (2) regional "civic fairs" at WNED (1998, 2003) - Participating in the planning of the Partners for a Livable WNY "Smart Growth is Smart Business" 2005 Series.
                        • Sponsored four (4) Healthy Community Forums featuring International speakers including Dr. Trevor Hancock (Father of Healthy Community Movement, Canada), Mr. Christopher Gates (President of the National Civic League), Dr. Mary Pittman (Co-Chair U.S. Healthy Community Initiative) and Ms. Joan Twist (Director of California Healthy Cities Project).
                          • Provided leadership in bringing Harvard's Dr. Robert Putnam (Author, Bowling Alone) to WNY and implement first social capital building and measurement initiative in Western New York.
                            • Participated in the formation of the City of Buffalo's Commission on Creativity and Civic Solutions. (First public sector Commission of this type in the United States).
                              • Participated in/facilitated regional, city and neighborhood visioning processes. (City of Buffalo Healthy Communities Initiative, East Lovejoy Coalition and Vision for Tomorrow).
                                • Actively support the Wellness Institute's mission of "building healthy communities" by enhancing the regions economic, environmental, human and social capital.

                                  • For more information in participating on the Committee or sponsoring its social capital building activities please contact the Wellness Institute of Greater Buffalo & WNY.

                                  65 Niagara Sq. Room 607 Buffalo, NY 14202

                                  (716) 851-4052 / E-mail: wellness@ch.ci.buffalo.ny.us

                                  (12 year period-1993-2005):
                                • Measurement/evaluation (in process)
                                • Education/communication about social capital (speaker's bureau/publications)
                                • Facilitating inter-sector actions to enhance/increase social capital and identify civic solutions
                                • Celebration: Local Civic Empowerment and Louis J. Billitier, Sr. Exemplary Civic Action Awards and National All-America City designations
                                • Providing leadership and a strategic approach as an active facilitator of the Region's only managed social capital building initiative-carried out by a diverse group of committed community stakeholders.

                                  • To increase "Social Capital" in the Buffalo-Niagara Region. Social capital as defined by Dr. Robert Putnam is the fabric of connections in our society. Social Capital is one of the four forms of community wealth identified by the World Bank. (The other three are environmental, human and economic capital.) (For more information on social capital visit: www.bowlingalone.org)

                                • Citizen participation and leadership in community life (Celebrated by the CEA and Louis J. Billittier, Sr. Awards)
                                • Inter-sectoral collaboration (Public, private, non profit and civic groups working together)
                                • Inclusivity (Everyone Welcome)
                                • Social capital (Relationships and trust between people and community institutions is high)
                                • "Civic Journalism" (Advocacy by the local media for citizen participation in civic life)
                                • Civic creativity/innovation and results (Demonstrated by the projects highlighted in Buffalo Niagara's winning All-America City Awards application and the Civic Empowerment Awards program)

                                  • Citizens of the Buffalo Niagara Region enjoy a high level of trust in their fellow citizens and community institutions while pro-actively sharing in shaping their communities' future.