The National Conference on Citizenship has presented its Graham Award for Exemplary Public Service to Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
The organization chartered by Congress more than 70 years ago works to improve civic life in America in several ways: It encourages volunteering, participation in elections, helping those in need and other forms of community engagement.
The award was previously named for Benjamin Franklin.
Renamed for former Fla. Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, his daughter and former Congresswoman Gwen Graham presented it to the mayor at the organization’s annual conference on Dec. 10 in Washington, D.C.
“It is a humbling honor to have received the inaugural Graham Award for public service,” Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said in an email. “This recognition is a testament to our shared commitment to building a brighter, more equitable future.
“Inspired by the legacy of the Graham family, I remain dedicated to ensuring that every resident of Miami-Dade County has the opportunity to thrive,” she said.
Bob Graham, a member of the family that founded the Town of Miami Lakes, was 87 when he died in Gainesville on April 16, 2024.
When Gwen Graham gave the award to Levine Cava, she described her father’s belief in the importance of civic engagement for everyone.
She said her father was proud of the development of the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at his alma mater, the University of Florida.
“The Center prepares students for effective civic engagement, public leadership, and public service in local and international communities,” she said then. “The Center informs students, Floridians, and Americans of the resilience of our American democracy and our national commitment to support democracy here and abroad,” Graham said.
Her father would have been “delighted” to see the inaugural Graham Award presented to Levine Cava, “an outstanding individual working to strengthen citizenship in America,” Graham said then. “It would mean so much to him to have the first recipient of the Graham Award be the great mayor of Miami-Dade County, his birthplace and home,” she said.