8/22/2005
Media Contact:
Steve Campbell, [317] 327-3622 |
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Mayor Peterson seeks nominations for outstanding diversity in business
INDIANAPOLIS - Mayor Bart Peterson is seeking nominations for the fifth annual "Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Awards," the award he created in 2001 to honor businesses and organizations that have excellent records in workforce diversity, opportunities for diversity education and communication within the organization, activities that encourage diversity in the community and leadership in developing supportive diversity strategies throughout the organization.
"In my first month in office, we held a summit to celebrate our diversity and to discuss our community’s rich racial, ethnic and religious heritage," Mayor Peterson said. "We determined, among other things, that we need to support the private sector in its efforts to reflect the society in which we live. The Celebration of Diversity Awards has highlighted the best Indianapolis has to offer in terms of diversity and inclusion."
Last year’s luncheon attracted its largest crowd with more than 1,000 local residents to honor six award winners: Hawthorne Elementary School, Noble of Indiana, Roche Diagnostics, The Westin Indianapolis, Clarian Health Partners and Choices, Inc.
Choices was awarded the "Sam H. Jones Award" for the business or organization with the strongest performance in all categories. The Mayor named the award in honor of Jones, the first president of the Indianapolis Urban League and a tireless advocate for peace, justice and understanding in Indianapolis.
This year the Diversity Awards Committee will continue to focus on the great strides that corporations and organizations are making to develop, promote and celebrate real diverse talent, which in turn supports the city’s efforts to create a vibrant and world-class community.
The Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Award is an outgrowth of Peterson’s January 2000 Summit on Race Relations, which brought together hundreds of Indianapolis residents to bridge the gaps that sometimes exist between people of different races, religions and backgrounds. The summit received a national "Best Practices" Award as a model for the rest of the nation to follow.
A nomination form is available online at www.indygov.org/mayor or by calling (317) 327-3601. Nominations are due by Monday, October 17, 2005. The award winners will be honored at the Celebration of Diversity Awards Luncheon on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2006.
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