Main Street Alabama has awarded The University of Alabama Honors College and Main Street Marion an Excellence in Public/Private Partnerships Award. This award recognizes outstanding local partnerships between Main Street and another organization.
In presenting this award, Main Street Alabama noted that Honors College students “have served as interns for Main Street Marion and contributed to a wide range of projects from website development to help with landscaping. The partnership with Marion allows Honors students to experience community development and study and address systemic poverty, while participating in service and being immersed in a unique culture.”
Main Street Alabama is a non-profit organization that began in 2009 and serves as the state coordinator for the Main Street program. Committed to community revitalization, Main Street Alabama stresses public-private partnerships, community engagement, and strategies to create jobs, spark investment, attract visitors and spur growth. Marion was designated a Main Street Community in June 2017 after a five-month application process.
In 2018, the Honors College is celebrating 10 years of partnership with Marion and Perry County in Alabama’s Black Belt region. Through the University Fellows Experience and the 57 Miles/Perry County Partnership, both Honors College initiatives, Honors students collaborate with community members, educators and elected officials in Marion and Perry County to developed first-hand knowledge of systemic challenges facing Alabama’s Black Belt while offering fresh perspectives on issues identified by the Perry County community.