Four Georgia Counties Honored with 2023 NACo Achievement Award

Launched in 1970 the NACo Achievement Awards recognizes counties from across the country for the services they provide. Split between 18 categories, counties have the opportunity to submit programs for recognition in the topics of health, civic engagement, county administration, public safety, and more.

This year, four Georgia counties have been selected as recipients of the 2023 NACo Achievement Awards, with two Georgia counties winning “Best in Category.”

Fulton County:

Fulton County’s Fashion, Art, Culture and Education (F.A.C.E) Program was recently selected as “Best in Category” for the Art, Culture and Historic Preservation section of the 2023 NACo Achievement Awards. The F.A.C.E program was implemented in 2022 and aimed to connect high school students with the knowledge they needed to pursue careers in the art and fashion industry. The program operated on a 40-day cycle where it showcased informative panels and events throughout Fulton County designed to combat deficiencies in talent, lack of diversity and inclusion, and more.

Gwinnett County:

Gwinnett County’s DoCS Mobile Food Program and Volunteer Response was selected as “Best in Category” for the Volunteer section of the 2023 NACo Achievement Awards. The program helped to address the lack of access to food among Gwinnett County residents during the beginning of COVID-19. Using Volunteer Gwinnett, a section of Gwinnett County Government, the program worked with local organizations to deploy 40 to 50 pounds of food weekly to residents. Since its start, over 1,575,283 pounds of food items have been distrubted to Gwinnett County residents.

Henry County:

Henry County received recognition as a 2023 NACo Achievement Award winner for its Henry County Police Department Behavioral Health Program (HCPD Behavioral Health Program). The HCPD Behavioral Health Program was created to assist officers on the road while dealing with mentally ill individuals while on call. The two-fold program provided Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) for all officers and the hiring of a licensed professional counselor, certified in first response to assist officers in determining the proper after care of an individual facing mental illness during or after an arrest.

Rockdale County:

Rockdale County received the 2023 NACo Achievement Award for its War on Litter Program. In March of 2022, Rockdale County introduced its War on Litter Program to address litter issues among county roads specifically in the City of Conyers. Since its starts over 25,000 pounds of litter has been collected and more than 200 employees have assisted with the litter cleanup.

In addition to those noted above, Fulton, Gwinnett, and Rockdale won awards for other programs and initiatives. To view the full list, visit the NACo website here. Congratulations to all the Georgia counties who participated in the NACo 2023 Achievement Awards.