Announcements and recognition.

At this time, I would ask uh member of a representative of the public services department of the city if you can meet me at the podium, uh special proclamation presented for Engineers Week.

Whereas engineers use their scientific skills and special specialized knowledge and skills in creative and innovative ways to fulfill society's needs.

And whereas engineers help solve major technological challenges of our time from designing efficient building systems and rebuilding towns devastated by natural disasters.

And whereas engineering has been called the invisible profession because everything around us and things we use every day have been engineered in some way, yet we may not see the engineers behind the scenes or know much about engineering.

And whereas founded in 1951, National Engineers Week is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of and interest in engineering and technology careers.

And whereas Engineer Week is formal collaboration of more than 70 engineers engineering education and cultural societies and more than 50 corporations and government agencies dedicated to raising public awareness of engineers' positive contributions of quality of life.

And whereas Engineer Week promotes recognition among parents, teachers, and students of the importance of technological education and high level of math, science and technology literacy and motivates youth to pursue engineering careers to provide to provide a diverse and vigorous engineering workforce.

And now therefore, I'm Mitch Colvin, mayor of the City of Fayetteville, North Carolina, on behalf of the City Council, do hereby proclaim February 18th through the 24th, 2024 as National Engineers Week.

And I urge all citizens to join me in recognizing the important contributions of engineers to our daily lives.

In witness thereof, I hereundo set my hand and have caused this official seal of Fateville, North Carolina to be affixed this 21st day of February 2024, Mayor Mitch Colvin.

Well, certainly thank you, Mayor Pro Temp, for reading that, and thank you to the engineers.

And uh we'll be remiss, I need to acknowledge our former councilwoman uh Shaquila Ingram who's here.

How you doing, ma'am?

Good to see you.

All right, council as we move forward.

I have another presentation.

I'll turn it over to Councilmember Banks McLaughlin.

Oh, there we go.

Okay, thank you, Mayor.

Um as we um the um Black History Month, I wanted to take the time to um recognize um former council member Miss Mabel Smith.

Um unfortunately she wasn't able to make it today, but I will read the proclamation.

Whereas Mabel C.

Smith is a native and lifelong contributing citizen of Fairville, North Carolina and a former council member who served three terms on the city council from the late 1900s to the early 2000s.

And whereas her interest in politics and activism began when she was just a teenager.

As soon as she was eligible, she began voting and organizing.

She signed up new voters, many people who had never voted before.

She was just 19.

Whereas May 2023, the City of Fairville honored Ms.

Smith with a park in her name.

And whereas the City of Fairville honors and celebrate Ms.

Smith for her fight for disfranchised for always being a fierce advocate for the city, Mabel Smith is a force of possibility and stabilizing influence on those around her.

And now, therefore, I'm Ish Coven Mayor of City of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

And on behalf of the City Council and more than 2,08 citizens, I'm sorry, 208,000 citizens do hereby proclaim February 26th in the year 2024 in honor of Mabel Smith Day.

And again, she wasn't able to make it today because of she's under the weather, but um thank you all for supporting her.

And thank you, Mabel Smith.

All right, thank you, Councilwoman Banks McLaughlin.

And I see they'll give that to uh Miss Denise, her daughter.

I'm sure she'll get it to her mom.

But thank you, Ms.

Smith, for your contributions to the city and uh just change in history, so certainly worthwhile.

Uh, as we move to the next item, we have a certificate presentation.

I'll go back to Councilmember Banks McLaughlin.

Thank you, Mayor.

Um, Miss Tiffany Campbell, if you can um come to the podium.

Um, for those who um do not know who Miss Campbell is.

Look, she's received um quite a few accolades over the last couple of months.

She has um done so much here in our community, bringing people together.

Um, her most recent um events were the hundred black professionals um that was hosted downtown.

Um it was a wonderful turnout to the point where she had to do it again and have um the men involved.

So I wanted to thank you just for your activism.

Um you are um a staple in our community.

You're young.

I hope and pray that you continue to keep bringing people together um and not just um adults, the youth came out, and that's one of the things you also um do.

You work with the youth, um and you have been an advocate against gun violence.

So thank you for your service.

Um, we really appreciate you, and I'm gonna come down and give you this award.

Thank you.

And I was gonna say, um, if your family, I was gonna say if your family and those who support her, please stand if you don't mind.

Thank you.