2011 International Faith and Spirit at Work Awards Announced

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and the International Faith and Spirit at Work Conference awards committee have announced the recipients of the 2011 International Faith and Spirit at Work Awards.

This year, Circle of Life Hospice in Springdale, Ark., and the University of Winchester in the United Kingdom will receive awards. Alan Lurie, managing director at Grubb and Ellis in New York and an ordained rabbi, will be honored with the International Faith and Spirit at Work Leadership Award.

The International Faith and Spirit at Work Award is given to organizations that have implemented specific policies, programs or practices that nurture faith and spirituality in their organization.

The International Faith and Spirit at Work Conference will be held Nov. 7-9 in Fayetteville at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development at Walton College.

Circle of Life Hospice is committed to nurturing the spirituality of their patients and their employees. The organization holds monthly debriefings to support the staff in dealing with their grief in the work that they do. They offer complementary therapies such as meditation, contemplative prayer, healing touch, guided imagery and progressive relaxation exercises to patients and employees. Circle of Life Hospice contracts with a licensed art therapist to work with staff, and the hospice offers music therapy with harpists, pianists, guitars and a dulcimer group. The hospice also has a pet therapy program, designed for patients, but which also allows staff to engage the pets. The butterfly garden at Circle of Life Hospice creates a serene space where gentle smells, soft textures and deep and vibrant colors are designed to awaken the senses and invite participation in the natural beauty. The hospice has many other practices that nurture the human spirit that they will describe at the conference.

The University of Winchester was selected for nurturing its students and staff through programs such as Exploring Vocation, Prayer Styles in a Busy World and Spiritual Intelligence as well as through supporting staff in a multicultural, multi-faith environment. The university is committed to caring for and nurturing its staff professionally, personally and spiritually and involving them in the university’s mission. The university also has an innovative values-driven food policy. They are the only university in the United Kingdom to offer entirely free-range meat and eggs in all its food service. The university uses a program called Cater for LIFE, “because we endeavour to use Local suppliers, we are Independent caterers, Fair because we are a Fairtrade university and use many Fairtrade products in our catering, and Ethical because we encourage sustainable life choices and embrace good practices in our operation such as reducing food miles, promoting recycling and efficient waste management.”

Lurie receives the International Faith and Spirit at Work Leadership Award for his integration of faith and spirituality in his workplace and for his leadership in inspiring others to do the same. Lurie’s inspirational and spiritual work at Grubb and Ellis, his book Five Minutes on Mondays: Finding Unexpected Purpose, Peace and Fulfillment at Work, his public speaking and his workshops are being recognized as significant contributions to this field of study.

The awards will be presented on Monday, Nov. 7. Speakers at the conference will include the award recipients; John Tyson, chair of the board of Tyson Foods Inc.; Bill Pollard, former chairman of the board of The ServiceMaster Co.; Don Soderquist, retired senior vice chairman and chief operating officer for Walmart Stores Inc.; Cindy Wigglesworth, founder and president of Deep Change, and Lynne Sedgmore, executive director of the 157 Group of further education schools and colleges in the United Kingdom and senior fellow of the University of Surrey.

A complete agenda and registration link can be found on the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace conference web page. For more information contact Judi Neal, director of the Tyson Center for Faith and Spirituality in the Workplace, 479-575-3721, jneal@walton.uark.edu.