Annual Neighborhood Awards

Heart of Cedar Hill celebrates a neighborhood association that makes residents feel connected by focusing on social or cultural aspects of a neighborhood. The award is given to the association that exhibits the best spirit of neighborliness in the prior year through activities that promote working, playing or celebrating together.

Cultural Collaboration & Volunteerism

• Describe how your neighborhood models and promotes the highest standards of ethics, integrity, and behavior throughout the community.
• Describe how your neighborhood organization participates in volunteer activities throughout the city as well as in your neighborhood.
• Describe the diversity of participants in ability, age, culture, economic background, race, etc. Describe the extent of volunteer contributions in your neighborhood.
• Describe the innovation, creativity or uniqueness involved in getting neighbors to collaborate effectively.
• Examples include: Participating in the annual Cedar Hill Block Party, Country Day on the Hill, or other community events. Assisting residents in need, or if any members of your organization serve on a board or commission. Participating in the Citizens Police or Fire Academies, establishing a board of directors or committee chair, or regular neighborhood meetings.

Prize: $150.00

Civic Engagement and Community Collaboration Award honors a significant partnership(s) and creative civic engagement initiative in the prior year by a neighborhood organization or alliance to define a challenge, speak out, organize fellow neighbors, and work with their city, elected officials and/or other key stakeholders (schools, businesses, other neighborhood organizations) to find solutions that bring about positive change in their particular neighborhood and/or the city as a whole.

Partnership Building & Neighborhood Engagement

• Describe your neighborhood's partnerships with schools, non-profits, businesses, faith-based groups and other neighborhoods. How critical were they to the success of what your neighborhood was trying to accomplish?
• Examples include: Block Parties or National Night Out event, partnerships with local businesses, churches, or civic groups to provide services or materials to enhance your neighborhood.
• Describe how your neighborhood organization utilizes financial, natural, and human resources to help families flourish in a clean and safe environment.
• Examples include: Your neighborhood organization's efforts to help enforce the City of Cedar Hill's Code of Ordinances, educating residents on ways to keep their home and property safe with crime watch meetings and activities, maintaining a financial budget, or fundraising efforts.

Prize: $150.00

Health and Wellness Award honors a significant effort in the prior year on the part of a neighborhood organization to come together in the name of improving their health and wellness. This could be anything from forming a weekly exercise group to hosting community exercise events to improving access to recreational amenities.

Health & Wellness

• Describe your health and wellness project including significant neighborhood and/or business involvement and cooperation.
• Describe the diversity of participants in ability, age, culture, economic background, race, etc.
• Describe the extent of volunteer contributions to the project.
• Describe how your health and wellness project was funded, including the extent of self-help and minimal reliance on outside funding sources.

Prize: $150.00

Premier Neighborhood of the Year may be selected from all finalists in the Cedar Hill Vibrance, Heart of Cedar Hill, Civic Engagement & Community Collaboration, and Health & Wellness award categories.

You will be required to elaborate on each focus:

✓ Partnership Building & Neighborhood Engagement

✓ Revitalization & Sustainability

✓ Health & Wellness

✓ Cultural Collaboration & Volunteerism

✓ Community Support & Impact

Prize: $300.00

Cedar Hill Neighbor of the Year recognizes an individual who has given outstanding service to positively affect the lives of individuals in their neighborhood—a true “unsung hero” of the community.

You will be required to provide the nominee's name & elaborate on the below topics.

• Describe how the nominee has supported your community in the previous year.
• Describe how the nominee’s actions have had an impact on neighbors and the neighborhood.
• Describe how the nominee’s efforts produced results in the face of challenges or adversity.

Prize: Keepsake item