Deadline for nominations is March 1, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS (January 14, 2019) — The Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (GIPC) is now accepting nominations for the 18th Annual Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Awards. The awards are presented to businesses and organizations throughout Marion County that embrace, celebrate, and apply holistic inclusion practices, promoting participation of a diverse people in order to improve the workplace environment and to make the community a better place to live, work, and raise a family. For the third year in a row, event proceeds will support Project Indy, Mayor Joe Hogsett’s summer youth employment initiative.

Recognition will be given for outstanding performance in each of the following categories:

  • Leadership in Diversity: This award is presented to an organization that leads with vision to develop and support diversity strategies that result in diversity at the top of the organization;
  • Workforce Diversity: This award is presented to an organization that strives to improve diversity at all levels of the organization;
  • Excellence in Youth Employment (Youth Employer of the Year): This award recognizes an organization that has shown a commitment to offering several youth and young adults in Indianapolis the opportunity for that first job and embraces a culture that promotes the personal growth of those individuals through mentoring and advancement;
  • Sam H. Jones “Best of the Best”: Named in honor of the Indianapolis Urban League’s first president, who was a tireless advocate for peace, justice, and racial understanding, this award recognizes exemplary performance in all aspects of diversity.

The nomination form and award criteria can be found at indygipc.org/mcod/nominations. Nominations must be submitted by Friday, March 1, 2019. Winners will be recognized at a luncheon on Thursday, April 11, 2019, at the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott.

About Project Indy

Project Indy provides meaningful opportunities for at-risk youth, giving hundreds of local young people job experience, useful skills, and safe and productive alternatives to crime and gangs over the summer months. The program comes at no additional cost to taxpayers, funded through federal grants, community organizations, and donations from leading corporations such as Genesys. In 2018, the initiative added a new workforce preparedness program – Job Ready Indy – designed to provide soft skills training and prepare Project Indy youth for a diverse array of career paths.

About GIPC

Founded in 1965, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee (GIPC) is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization that provides a forum in which leaders of the public and private sectors of Indianapolis can work as partners to study, discuss, and address issues of concern and areas of opportunity which affect the progress of the city. Driven by business and civic leaders, GIPC represents the bipartisan alliance that is a continuing example of public-private partnership in Indianapolis.

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CONTACT
Beth White
(317) 327-3820
Beth.White@indygipc.org

UPDATE (February 26, 2019): The deadline for submission of nominations has been extended to Friday, March 8, 2019.