Highland Park N.C. Wins EmpowerLA Award

The Historic Highland Park Neighborhood Council has been selected for an award by the Department of Neighborhood Empowerment in recognition of the council’s successful efforts at outreach and for helping address community needs.

The HHPNC was the Neighborhood Council system’s east region winner of the 2013 EmpowerLA Award, which was voted on Sept. 9 by the Board of Neighborhood Commissioners, according to a Sept. 13 post on the DONE website.

The winners—one each from the Central, East, Harbor, North Valley, South, South Valley and West regions—were chosen on the basis of 45 nominations “for projects that exemplified the mission of Neighborhood Councils to engage local stakeholders with government and make government more accountable and responsive to the needs of their communities,” according to a communiqué on the DONE website signed by Board of Neighborhood Commissioners Outreach Committee Chair Karen Mack.

The HHPNC was commended for its efforts to “elevate its presence and connect with stakeholders in the neighborhood and surrounding areas” as well as for inspiring neighborhood councils that are “struggling to engage their communities.”

HHPNC President Monica Alcaraz was praised for her effectiveness in attracting stakeholders to candidate forums and other meetings aimed at addressing local needs.

“Since their stepped up focus on outreach began, hundreds of people have participated in their activities which they attribute to relevance, savvy social media efforts, and sweat equity invested in getting people to come out,” according to Mack.

“We thank Highland Park for its support and willingness to participate in the process,” Alcaraz said in an e-mail Tuesday to Highland Park-Mount Washingtonn Patch following the announcement of the award. “We know we have a lot of work ahead of us, but with the participation and support of our stakeholders we can make Highland Park an even better place to live.”

Click here to read the full communiqué by Mack.