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Columbia ranked among 100 best communities for young people

Kids play on a playground. The Buddy Pack program sends kids in 32 Missouri counties home with a backpack of nutritious food each weekend, but the program is facing the challenges of rising food and fuel costs.
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KBIA
Kids play on a playground. The Buddy Pack program sends kids in 32 Missouri counties home with a backpack of nutritious food each weekend, but the program is facing the challenges of rising food and fuel costs.

Columbia has been named one of the “100 best communities for young people” by a national organization.

Colleen Wilber of America’s Promise Alliance says the organization looks at communities of all sizes when making the list. She says to receive recognition, a community must truly work together to help youth. She says the Promise Alliance was particularly impressed with Columbia’s Youth Community Coalition.

“More than 80 agencies and organizations coming together and really sort of making sure young people in Columbia from birth through college have the resources that they need and that’s that collaborative spirit that we’re looking for,” said Wilber.

Wilber says this was Columbia’s third consecutive year being recognized and that over the past three years, Columbia has shown commitment to youth in all sectors. She says Columbia was first recognized in 2010 after the city adopted a resolution to be a youth and family-friendly city.