Jonesboro awarded for its downtown revitalization, volunteerism | Community Spirit

Jonesboro is a "City of Distinction" willing to lend a helping hand to those in need.

Recently Mayor Harold Perrin attended the Arkansas Municipal League’s winter conference where he collected two awards on behalf of Jonesboro, including the 2012 Volunteerism Community of Year award and the 2012 City of Distinction-Downtown Revitalization Award.

According to a news release from Jack Turner, the city’s communications director:

2012 marks the second consecutive year winning the City of Distinction award. In 2011 Jonesboro was awarded in the Workforce Development category for its dedication to applying new age training and technology to ensure Jonesboro industries have a strong workforce. In 2012 Jonesboro was awarded in the Downtown Revitalization category. Mayor Perrin stated, "This is a representation of the pride that our local investors have in our community. They are the actual recipients of this award. Without their vision and investment our downtown would not be the thriving economic hub that it is today".

Each year a community in Arkansas is chosen as the Volunteerism Community. This award is based on the level of volunteerism that community experience over that past year. Many local non-profits keep track of the number of volunteers and hours worked on a yearly basis. City staff collected those numbers and highlighted some of the larger organizations which led to astounding numbers. "I was blown away to see how many citizens volunteered their time to so many different organizations in our community. I was honored to receive this award on behalf of all those that are so giving of their time and resources." Mayor Perrin stated.