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City/Town Snapshot: City/Town Snapshot: Glendale, AZ
Glendale Glitters Celebrates 20 Years of Positive Impact on the Community
What began as a grass-roots community pride initiative 20 years ago has turned in to an award-winning holiday tradition for families across the state of Arizona. In
1994, Glendale Glitters started as an event to draw people to the newly-revitalized downtown area. The Mayor and city staff asked residents to donate money to purchase
the first lights used to light up historic Murphy Park. As Glendale now prepares to begin its 20th Glendale Glitters event, kicking off the city's season of six events,
it's important to reflect on the impact that these festivals have on the community.
The most obvious impact is on the Glendale business community. The festivals, after all, were planned to draw people to the downtown. Over the years, numerous downtown
businesses have communicated that the city's festivals are integral to the success of their businesses. In addition, the economic impact of the Glendale Glitters opening
weekend alone totals around $1.3 million annually and brings people from across the state and region.
The second impact that Glendale festivals create is the community pride with actual residents and their families. A contest for Glendale residents to appear in a Glendale
Glitters television commercial resulted in many entries from those who wished to tell their story about their experiences. The following comments and accounts were caught
on camera: "You have to see it to believe it and appreciate it…Glendale is everything you want a hometown to be." and "Glendale Glitters means a lot to our family because
we go every year." Event staff and downtown merchants have been told often by families that it is an annual tradition, with many folks attending as children that are now
bringing their children. The impact is felt by these stories from Glendale residents and many visitors to the area that truly demonstrate the importance of the event in
the community and to residents' quality of life.
Finally, the city's festivals have a lasting impact through the money that is funneled back in to the community through a partnership with the Glendale Civic Pride Ambassadors (GCPA).
The GCPA is the non-profit partner at Glendale's annual special events. The group's volunteers work the beverage booths at the events, earning a portion of the proceeds for their
organization. GCPA, in turn, donates the money earned from the festivals back into the community. Non-profit groups benefitting from festivals proceeds have included: Westside
Food Bank, Ballet Arizona, The Boys and Girls Club, Glendale Historic Preservation Commission, Reading Council, Sunrise Lions Club, The Phoenix Symphony, Devereux Arizona, Glendale
Police Museum, Glendale Arizona Historical Society, Glendale Rose Society, Habitat for Humanity, Luke Air Force Base military family assistance, Mountain Ridge High School Marching
Band Inauguration trip sponsor, various Glendale Parks and Recreation programs, and Glendale Fire Department's Alternative Response Team and Certified Emergency Response Team.
Nancy Lenox, president of the organization, commented, "We really take pride in being part of every event, and welcoming visitors to our downtown area." This civic service group,
founded in 1994, has given back a total of $285,000 to community organizations, over the last 18 years, in keeping with their mission to help promote the economic, social and
cultural vitality of Glendale.
"The Civic Pride Ambassadors are a huge support to the community and because of their fundraising they are able to supply generous donations to the Glendale Fire Department's Crisis
Response program," said Lynette Jelinek, community outreach coordinator for the Fire Department. "That money enables us to provide much needed resources to people in traumatic
situations. We are grateful that we have a collaborative mission to serve the citizens of Glendale."
For more information on Glendale festivals including dates for all upcoming events, visit www.glendaleaz.com/events. To
view the Glendale Glitters television commercial with favorite family memories, visit http://youtu.be/irz5usSk8D0.
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League of Arizona Cities and Towns
1820 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-258-5786
Fax: 602-253-3874
http://www.azleague.org
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