Desert Alliance Selected for National Honor
Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack has announced a national honor awarded to the Coachella Valley's Desert Alliance for Community Empowerment (DACE).
Issued by the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA), the 2008 National EDA Excellence in Economic Development Award was given to DACE for exemplary achievements in effectively utilizing innovative, market-based strategies to improve economic development in the local community. Congresswoman Bono Mack nominated the group for the award.
"The Desert Alliance for Community Empowerment provides critical services to our region at a time when people need it the most," said Bono Mack. "Through its collaborative and innovative approach, DACE is strategically involved in efforts to boost our local economy and enhance quality of life for residents of Eastern Riverside County.
"Under the leadership of Jeff Hays, DACE is a valuable asset to the entire region and is most-deserving of this honor. I am proud that this exemplary organization has been recognized nationally with this prestigious award, and I join many throughout the Coachella Valley and Eastern Riverside County in extending my congratulations and thanks to DACE and its entire staff."
For its outstanding community-based partnerships to enhance economic development, DACE earned the 2008 National EDA Excellence in Economic Development Award in the category of "Excellence in Community and Faith-Based Social Entrepreneurship." EDA's annual competition is open to nonprofit organizations, local, state and regional government entities, universities and colleges. The winning nominations were evaluated for this honor in eight different categories by a distinguished panel of economic development experts.
DACE is a non-profit organization established in 1999 to serve the Desert Community Empowerment Zone (DCEZ), which encompasses nearly 4,200 square miles within eastern Riverside County. Initially one of only ten federally designated Rural Empowerment Zones in the United States, the DCEZ was created to help eastern Coachella Valley's rural communities facing severe social and economic conditions. DACE helps the DCEZ implement its a strategic plan to leverage federal funding to promote sustainable economic and community development, thus improving the quality of life for residents within the Empowerment Zone.