Caddo Parish, LA – The Parish of Caddo has been recognized with three National Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo). The awards honor innovative, effective county and parish government programs that strengthen services for residents.
“All across the country, counties are working tirelessly to support residents and drive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s Achievement Award-winning programs showcase how counties work every day to build healthy, safe and thriving communities,” said NACo President Larry Johnson.
NACo recognized the Parish’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and Parks and Recreation’s “Wild Child” Summer Camp and Youth Crime Prevention Program.The ERAP program was developed in response to the growing need of rental assistance as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Funded by several allocations from the American Rescue Plan, the Parish facilitated the disbursement of over 40 million dollars in rental assistance to over 14,000 families.
“Wild Child” Summer Camp is designed to allow children ages 8-12 to connect with nature. The camp uses two weekly themes, Nature of Art and Outdoor Skills, to give children direct experience in the outdoors and inspire observation, appreciation, and understanding of the natural world. The art-focused weeks use children’s natural desire to discover and create innovative ways to teach math, science, language, technology, natural history, and more. Outdoor Skills weeks feature activities such as canoeing, archery, fire-building, and water-quality testing to help children acquire life-long skills they will use to enjoy outdoor recreation for years to come.
The Parish’s Youth Crime Prevention Program is a joint initiative of Caddo Parish Parks and Recreation and Caddo Parish Juvenile Services, the District Attorney’s Office, the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office and Project Celebration, Inc. The program aims to provide a platform for youth, teens and parents to discuss challenges and solutions to preventing juvenile crime. Topics include gun violence, internet safety, dating violence and decision making. Over 4,000 youth in Caddo Parish participated in the program in 2021.
Nationally, awards are given in 18 different categories that reflect the vast, comprehensive services counties and parishes provide. The categories include children and youth, criminal justice and public safety, county/parish administration, information technology, health, civic engagement and many more.
“Our priority and mission at the Parish of Caddo is to effectively and innovatively provide quality service provision to our citizens and to enhance the quality of life in Caddo Parish,” said Parish Administrator Dr. Woody Wilson. “We are honored to be recognized by NaCo for three of our Parish programs, and these are just a sample of the opportunities that our staff develop and implement for our citizens in the Parish,” said Wilson.
The awards will officially be presented to the Parish at NACo’s Annual Conference and Exposition in Adams County, Colorado on July 23.
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The National Association of Counties (NACo) unites America’s 3,069 county governments. Founded in 1935, NACo brings county officials together to advocate with a collective voice on national policy, exchange ideas and build new leadership skills, pursue transformational county solutions, enrich the public’s understanding of county government and exercise exemplary leadership in public service. Learn more at www.naco.org