America in Bloom seeking communities for contest

In Sync With the Administration's Call for Volunteers of All Ages and Backgrounds, America in Bloom is an Ideal Way to Work Together and Witness What Ordinary Citizens Working Together Can Accomplish.

America in Bloom Issues a Call For All Communities to Come Together:
SIGN ON Today (Registration Ends February 28)


America in Bloom, a grassroots level community beautification contest now in its 8Th year, has been committed to the national agenda of improving the quality of life in America, starting by ones own town or city. AIB encourages, challenges and offers support for each town to organize, sponsor and pull together volunteers to work together with the main goal of keeping their hometown vibrant. It does help unite groups when they realize that former participating cities have reaped numerous economic benefits as well.

"Economic benefits ranging from increased tourism, reducing heating and cooling costs to improving property values; improving privacy and security to reducing maintenance costs have been documented, as has the potential for deriving new economic benefit from parks and sporting facilities" reported AIB President Dr. Marvin Miller. "Our cities know the economic importance of having their main streets landscaped as they serve as the welcome signs inviting folks to spend time in the city."


Participating cities and towns engage in a friendly competition against those of similar population size. Communities are evaluated by specially trained judges who actually visit EACH participating city on eight criteria, in three sectors: municipal, commercial and residential. Participants have ranged in size from the smallest, Echo, Oregon, with a population of 650 to Chicago, IL with more than 2.7 million residents.Ask any of the hundreds former AIB participants and you will get the same response when asked what the largest benefit of participation: the true community spirit resulting when everyone pitches in to make visible improvements. These "welcome" signs of goodwill and pride invite visitors and businesses to spend their time and revenue where they need it most, right in their own community.
REGISTER NOW for the 2009 America in Bloom contest - (deadline February 28, 2009).

For more information, visit the www.americainbloom.org. To date, 159 communities from 37 states have participated. The lives of 21 million people have been touched in some way by America in Bloom.