GONZALES — Gonzales has been named one of 10 All-America City award winners, presented by the National Civic League in recognition of the city’s work to improve the health and well-being of young people and, by extension, all residents in the Salinas Valley community.
National Civic League’s prestigious award has recognized and celebrated the best in American civic innovation since 1949. As a 2023 All-America City, Gonzales showed the power of involving youth and other residents in identifying and addressing community challenges.
“We are happy to designate Gonzales as an All-America City,” said Doug Linkhart, president of National Civic League. “Through their application and presentation, they showed that they are among the best in America at engaging youth and other residents to address important challenges.”
All award applicants submitted their community-wide work on engaging youth to create more thriving communities, and the field was narrowed to 20 finalists. Last week, finalist communities traveled to Denver, Colo., where they connected and shared insights with peers, learned from national thought-leaders and presented the story of their work to a jury of nationally recognized civic leaders.
Gonzales and nine other communities across the nation were then announced as this year’s All-America City award winners during the closing ceremony June 11.
“We are all very excited to have won this title and award,” said Gonzales City Manager Carmen Gil. “We are extremely proud of our Gonzales Youth Council and the amazing work the youth have done around mental health, and the contributions of the Community Health Workers team during the height of the pandemic. We couldn’t have done this without our partners who were instrumental. Big thanks to Gonzales High School, CSUMB, the Community Foundation for Monterey County, and the County of Monterey.”
The Gonzales team that attended and presented the city’s work included: Jessica Olmedo-Albor, City of Gonzales recreation coordinator and administrative analyst of the Community Engagement Department; Michelle Slade, C4 Consulting and Gonzales Youth Council adviser; Guillermina Flores, Jose Chavez, Lizette De Leon, Maria Flores and Monica Rico, Community Health Workers; and Aliyah Castillo and Luke Naegle, Gonzales Youth Council (GYC) members.
“This award means a lot to us, the youth in Gonzales, and the City of Gonzales overall. We’re so very grateful for this award,” said Naegle, an incoming senior at Gonzales High who spoke at Sunday’s ceremony while accepting the award. “… The GYC has allowed me to make so many decisions and make such an influence in my city government with mental health and with our community center that we want to build.”
Over the past 10 years, Gonzales has made significant accomplishments in expanding healthcare access, increasing job opportunities and adopting sustainability practices and policies — all despite its relatively small population of about 8,647 people.
“Rather than focus on the limitations of being a small, lower-income, rather isolated town, Gonzales capitalizes on its strengths and opportunities with a can-do approach, often referred to as ‘The Gonzales Way,’” according to the National Civic League.
Gonzales has launched dozens of initiatives that are transforming the city into a laboratory for collaborative efforts designed to build a healthy community. It has reimagined a Community Center Complex, implemented a Community Health Worker Program and empowered youth leaders to educate their community on pressing issues, such as mental health.
The All-America City Award is made possible through the support of Southwest Airlines, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, CGI Digital, MissionSquare Retirement, the Colorado Health Foundation and many others.
