Mayor Tim Kelly presented his inaugural One Chattanooga Awards during his state of the city address last Thursday night at the Walker Theatre. The awards recognize outstanding individuals and organizations who have embraced the vision of One Chattanooga and whose work is contributing to the success of the city.
“Our success would not be possible without committed people and organizations throughout the community,” said Mayor Kelly. “Chattanooga has a deep history of civic engagement through its community, philanthropic, faith-based and other service organizations. They are truly the heartbeat of Chattanooga, and this is a chance to begin to publicly recognize a few of them for their contributions and positive impact.”
This year’s One Chattanooga Award winners are:
Purpose Point Learning Academy for bringing 180 new early learning seats online and for providing a safe, and positive environment in teaching the next generation the social, emotional and practical skills they need for life success.
“I’m so grateful for the leadership of our awesome director, Ellwanda White, and her amazing staff. You guys rock,” said Dr. Ternae T. Jordan Sr., one of the founders of Purpose Point Learning Academy.
Youth Community Action Project (YCAP) for its use of $300,000 in American Rescue Plan funds, awarded by the city of Chattanooga, to open a fourth site at the Chris L. Ramsey Community Center, providing mentorship, tutoring and love to 100 kids per day.
“So incredibly thankful for the work our staff at YCAP does every single day,” said YCAP Executive Director Andy Smith. “This award is an honor to have. Thankful for Mayor Tim Kelly and his staff for their hard work to making our city better.”
The Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga for its work to make a tangible difference in reducing the city’s homeless population and for preventing evictions for more than 400 households since starting up the Eviction Prevention Initiative (EPI).
The One Chattanooga plan, released by Mayor Kelly in May 2022, sets out seven main goals for the city, with 40 key priorities. The goals are to:
• Build a universal path to early learning
• Catalyze economic vitality in the Black community
• Ensure affordable housing choices for all Chattanoogans
• Improve local infrastructure and public transit
• Build a competitive regional economy
• Close the gaps in public health
• Provide responsive and effective local government
Mayor Kelly said that the One Chattanooga plan is a blueprint for a better Chattanooga. “We don’t yet have all of the solutions or a complete roadmap to guide the way there, so the path will be far from easy, but it will be worth it, because if we achieve it, we will have made Chattanooga the best city in America,” he said.