MARANA - Town of Marana received national recognition on Thursday, September 6 with a Savvy Award from the City-County Communications & Marketing Association for "Marana Town Hall Youth Days". This one-time event brought Town employee kids to the Marana Municipal Complex to learn more about local government services during the initial days of the Arizona state-wide education walkouts.

The intended goal of Marana Town Hall Youth Days was to minimize possible impacts on Town of Marana services by providing a program option for Town employees who did not have alternative child programming on April 26 and April 27. It also provided time for Town employees to find alternative child programming options for any subsequent days of school closures.

"[The event was a] compassionate and heartfelt response to a workplace concern," judges remarked.

Kids ages 6-11 were treated to a diverse itinerary with an emphasis on public service. Fifteen to eighteen kids attended each day. Employees from Town of Marana Communications, Special Events, Police, Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Water, Town Council, Town Clerk, and Engineering departments and Northwest Fire District provided educational programming based on existing lesson plans. Mayor Ed Honea also signed an official proclamation declaring April 27, 2018 as "Town Hall Youth Day". Read the proclamation.

Fifteen employees enrolled their children in Marana Town Hall Youth Days.

"Town Hall Youth Days was an opportunity to respond to employee needs while also enriching their children's education on local government programs and services," said Communications Manager Vic Hathaway.

Town of Marana includes education as a major component in providing quality public services to the community. Town of Marana offers recurring educational opportunities to the public including Marana Police Explorers, Citizens Police Academy, and Internship/classroom programs. Educational tours are also provided to local scout troops and classrooms, employees frequently serve as speakers in classrooms, and educational displays are prominently featured at the Marana Farm Festival and Marana Founders' Day events.

The City-County Communications & Marketing Association announced the 2018 winners of its national Savvy Awards Competition during a ceremony at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee in Wisconsin.

The Savvy Awards, held in conjunction with 3CMA’s Annual Conference, recognize outstanding local government achievements in communications, public-sector marketing and citizen-government relationships. The Savvies salute skilled and effective city, county, agency or district professionals who have creatively planned and carried out successful innovations in communications and marketing. 3CMA accommodates local government organizations of all sizes and budget classes by judging entries in several different population groups.