GEORGETOWN, Del., Dec. 19, 2005 – Sussex County Council recently received honors from the First State Community Action Agency for its four decades of partnership and assistance to those residents in need in Sussex County.

First State Community Action Agency, in November, recognized the County Council with a plaque for its “40 years of support and commitment” to the non-profit agency. First State, based in Georgetown, performs a variety of social services, from coordinating housing rehabilitation and community clean-up projects to offering job training and home ownership programs.

The agency helps some 10,000 Delawareans a year, with the majority of those in Sussex County.

“Sussex County has worked hand-in-hand with First State to improve the living standards of those residents in real need here in Sussex County,” County Administrator Robert L. Stickels said. “The County Council believes everyone in Sussex County deserves to have their most basic needs met and to live in some degree of comfort.”

As a show of its support, Sussex County in four decades has distributed more than $100,000 in grants to the organization to help build stronger communities.

On top of that, in the past two years alone, the county has directed $125,000 more to First State in the form of Community Development Block Grants, largely for community improvement projects.

Bernice Edwards, executive director of First State Community Action Agency, said the county’s support has meant a better life for thousands of residents.

“The county has been a great partner for First State, and all of the council members, including Mr. Stickels, have been true champions of our cause,” Edwards said. “They have supported us as we have supported the community.”