Henrico County’s general government departments and Henrico County Public Schools earned a combined 25 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) for innovative programs and initiatives in 2020.
Henrico’s awards stemmed from 35 entries and are the most of any county in Virginia for the 15th consecutive year. The county’s total is the seventh most nationally, following San Bernardino County, Calif.; Los Angeles County, Calif.; Montgomery County, Md.; San Diego County, Calif.; Maricopa County, Ariz.; and Miami-Dade County, Fla. Those counties have populations between 1 million and 10 million residents; Henrico has about 331,000 residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates.
NACo’s Achievement Awards program recognizes groundbreaking programs and initiatives in 18 service categories, including children and youth, county administration and management, libraries, risk and emergency management, and human services.
“These awards are well-deserved and shine a light on the outstanding work that employees of Henrico County and Henrico County Public Schools do every day for our community,” County Manager John A. Vithoulkas said. “But these award-winning programs reveal more than a county workforce focused on excellence and customer service. They also show our commitment to serving with compassion and heart, to leading and innovating and to building a community that’s vibrant, engaging and welcoming to all.”
Henrico has earned 680 NACo awards since 1985. The 2020 awards recognize the work of six general government departments and Henrico County Public Schools (HCPS). HCPS collected 13 awards; Henrico County Public Library, four; Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services, three; Human Resources, two; and General Services, Police Division and Public Relations, one apiece.
Henrico’s award-winning programs and their submitting agencies are listed below.
- A No-Cost Camp Expands Access to Robotics, Engineering and Coding, HCPS
- Leading and Mentoring the Future, HCPS
- Queens United, HCPS
- What’s Christmas Without Toys?, HCPS
- CTE NOW: Podcast Explores, Promotes Career and Technical Education, HCPS
- #LifeReady Expo, HCPS
- Building the Future, Brick by Brick, HCPS
- VARP Helps Students See Careers From the Top Down, HCPS
- Who Kept the Dogs In?, HCPS
- Creating a Culture of Life-Ready Learners, HCPS
- Pooling Resources: Swimming Partnership Makes a Community Safer, HCPS
- Making Professional Development Meaningful for Assistant Principals, HCPS
- Cosmetology Advisory Council Leads Way to Mentorship Program, HCPS
- Advanced Digital Literacy Skill Building at the Library, Henrico County Public Library (HCPL)
- LGBTQIA+ Book Group, HCPL
- Multilingual Storytimes, HCPL
- Trailblazers Wall: Community History at the Library, HCPL
- Youth Leadership Program, Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services
- Office Based Opiate Treatment Program (OBOT) — Whole Person Treatment, Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services
- REVIVE Training, Henrico Area Mental Health & Developmental Services
- Emerging Leaders: Professional Development for Non-Supervisors, Human Resources
- A Double Win: Changing Lives Through Second Chances, Human Resources
- Savings and Sustainability with Solar Renewable Energy, General Services
- Threat Assessment, Police Division
- My County Academy: One County, One Community, Public Relations
