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Redwood City 2000 began after two students at Taft School were found playing with discarded hypodermic needles. This shocked and mobilized the community to create a school based interagency family resource center which provides many services ranging from vocational training and literacy programs to crisis intervention and drop-in family services. This was the basis for Redwood City 2000, creating partnerships with business, health care institutions, private non-profits, neighborhood associations, residents and others to improve the community's quality of life. Ms. Look said the Healthy Cities Project judges used the following five criteria in determining the programs deserving of these special awards: innovation, collaboration, community leadership, program impact and commitment to under-served groups. The judges were especially impressed with the premises underlying Redwood City 2000, the entire community was invited to participate and all needs were addressed. The judges were also impressed with Redwood City 2000's shared decision making and empowerment; it is both bottom up and top down at the same time; a model that can be used by other communities to involve residents in community problem solving; its structure reinforces organizational commitment and sustainability; funded by interagency agreements between the City, the County, Sequoia Union High School District, Redwood City School District and additional funding from United Way, the Peninsula Community Foundation and the Hancock Foundation; it has a charter, shared goals and work plans and strategic direction; and the redirection of the various agencies' with their staff and resources to support the Taft Resource Center when it was formed. Ms. Look distributed the California Healthy Cities Project publication describing all six winners, and said that it will be mailed this week to every City Council Member, Mayor and City Manager in every city in California. Ms. Look recognized the people and organizations that were instrumental in the success of Redwood City 2000: Mayor Jim Hartnett, Vice Mayor Diane Howard who is a member of the Redwood City 2000 Coordinating Committee, the City Council for its support, staff of the Taft School Healthy Start Family Resource Center, volunteers, and special recognition to the volunteer chairs of the Action Committees, Jack Greenalch, Janet Hofmann, Stephanie Pearson and Carolynn Santos. She asked the volunteers and agency representatives to stand. They received a long round of applause. Ms. Look presented the beautifully engraved award to Mayor Hartnett*, who thanked Ms. Look for this special recognition. Mayor Hartnett said the credit belonged to the "citizen volunteers who are committed to a better quality of life for every person in every neighborhood, who have provided their ideas, vision and hard work to make Redwood City a better place, and to do it together crossing jurisdictional and subject area boundaries in a tremendous citizen driven community endeavor which will have long term benefits for our entire City." B. Proclamation Honoring Maureen Borland, Director, Human Services Agency of San Mateo County for her support of Redwood City 2000 and Healthy Start; (207) REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTE BOOK NO. 55 OCTOBER 27,1997 MINUTES Page No. 618 PAGE 2