The fifth annual conference “Building Strong Neighborhoods Block by Block” was hosted by the Town of Blacksburg on October 8th and 9th, 2005 on Virginia Polytechnic & State University (Virginia Tech) Campus at the Donaldson Brown Hotel and Conference Center in the heart of downtown Blacksburg. Local support for the conference was quite evident as Blacksburg’s mayor, town manager, police chief, a town council member, 20 university student leaders and 30 youth between the ages of 13-16 participated in the festivities.

Highlights of this conference included keynote speaker Michelle D. Simpson, Founder of Inspiring Minds Youth Development Center in Hampton Virginia; President and founder of the Women’s Christian Networking Ministries and a recipient of the 2003 Neighborhood USA Notable Award, tours of Virginia Tech Campus, the Airport, Regional Recycling Center, National renowned SMART Road Facility and several neighborhoods.

Outstanding workshop topics included Sustaining Neighborhood Organizations between Crises, Housing for the Homeless, Substance Abuse, Nuts and Bolts of Youth Involvement, Building Bridges with Law Enforcement, Town Gown Community Relations, conflict resolution, Elimination of Blight through Code Compliance to name a few, contributed to the theme “Building Strong Neighborhoods BLOCK BY BLOCK.”