During the Board of Aldermen meeting on Monday, December 5, the City of Harrisonville was named as a Bronze level Community for All Ages!
Harrisonville is one of four Kansas City region cities who will be honored over the next few weeks by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) for becoming more age friendly.
Bonner Springs, KS; Harrisonville, MO; and Westwood, KS, will be recognized with Bronze Level awards for approving resolutions to demonstrate each city’s commitment to the program and implementing age-awareness education activities with elected officials, city staff, committees and residents.
Parkville, MO, earned Silver Level status, which required conducting a self-assessment of age-friendly policies and actions in areas such as transportation/mobility, outdoor spaces and public buildings, housing, community and health services, communication and social engagement.
The Communities for All Ages (CFAA) recognition program was developed by the First Suburbs Coalition and KC Communities for All Ages — two groups convened by MARC to develop programs and tools to support first-tier suburbs, help communities respond to a rapid increase in the older adult population, and make communities more welcoming for all age groups. The program is available to all jurisdictions in the nine-county MARC region.
Since the program’s inception, 23 local jurisdictions have been recognized for working to make their communities more age friendly. Previous Gold Level awards have gone to Excelsior Springs, Grandview, Gladstone, Independence, Kearney, Lee’s Summit, Mission, North Kansas City, Raymore and Roeland Park; Silver Level awards have gone to Grain Valley, Liberty and Peculiar; and Bronze Level awards have gone to Blue Springs, Johnson County, Merriam, Olathe, Parkville and Raytown.
The program’s three sequential levels of achievement reflect increasing degrees of commitment to becoming a CFAA. The Bronze Level recognizes heightened age awareness and requires a resolution or commitment by the city’s elected body, along with community presentations and public engagement. The Silver Level adds the completion of an assessment process and requires the community to appoint a resident-based committee to assess related city activities and investments. Gold, the highest level, recognizes communities that formally adopt a CFAA plan based on the assessment completed at the Silver Level. Communities can maintain their recognition status by advancing to higher levels or, once the Gold Level is achieved, continuing to implement new elements of their plans. The program encourages communities to respond positively to changing demographics and adopt policy and program approaches that make the region a great place to live and age well.
“Harrisonville prides itself in being a welcoming community for all ages," Mayor Judy Bowman said. "Residents and City officials alike recognize the value of older individuals, their knowledge and experiences. Working with Communities for All Ages enables Harrisonville to utilize tried and tested practices to both create and sustain an age-friendly place.”
More information about the recognition program is available online at www.marc.org/kccfaa