Boys Town
Boys Town, NE

---

Boys Town Named In Top 100

Boys Town has once again been named one of America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best Communities for Young People presented by ING. The national award was given to Boys Town to recognize its outstanding and innovative work in addressing the high school dropout crisis and for its programs and services that make it an outstanding place for youth to live, learn and grow. This is the sixth year Boys Town has received this award.

"Being named one of America's Promise Alliance's 100 Best is significant and meaningful to the entire Boys Town community," said Father Steven Boes, Boys Town National Executive Director. "So many dedicated employees and volunteers and the quality of the services within the Boys Town Integrated Continuum of Care contributed to our mission of healing youth and families in body, mind and spirit. This award reinforces our belief that a focus on youth and their families pays dividends to the entire community."

"As young people across the country go back to school, it is especially timely to recognize communities like Boys Town that have come together to make supporting young people a top priority and that are committed to helping young Americans reach their full potential," said John Gomperts, America's Promise Alliance president and CEO. "The 100 Best winners are doing outstanding work delivering the Five Promises that create the conditions for all young people to have the best chance for success. We hope the example set by these communities provides inspiration for others to take action."

Boys Town will receive a $2,500 grant, signage identifying the community as one of the nation's 100 Best Communities for Young People, and access to America's Promise Alliance's community development resources.

The 100 Best competition is part of the Grad Nation campaign, a large and growing movement of dedicated individuals, organizations and communities working together to end the dropout crisis. The goal of Grad Nation is to raise the national high school graduation rate to 90 percent by 2020, with no school graduating fewer than 80 percent of its students on time.

In its sixth year, the competition experienced its greatest interest to date with nominations from more than 320 communities representing all 50 states, Washington, DC, the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Winners were chosen by a distinguished panel of judges that included 2012 National Teacher of the Year Rebecca Mieliwocki, 2012 National Superintendent of the Year Heath Morrison, National Urban League President Marc Morial, and GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard.

Two youth representatives also were named as selection panelists. These include Austin Bargmann, 15, from Brighton, Colo., a two-time 100 Best winner, and Ashley Levanduski, 17, from Paso Robles, Calif., who serves as a volunteer coach with an America's Promise partner organization, The First Tee, an international youth organization that introduces golf and its inherent values to young people.
A list of all 2012 winners can be found at AmericasPromise.org/100Best.

Boys Town, established in 1917, is a private, not-for-profit home that offers Intervention and Assessment Services, Treatment Family Services, Foster Family Services, In-Home Family Services and Child and Family Support Services.