Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 8 February 2002 — Page 2

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THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8,2002

set of needs and barriers. We look at the client as an individual. Wedon't do cookbook approaches,” said Feichter. A client currently involved with the case management program that prefers to remain anonymous praises HIP for helping him realize his potential. “When Donnie and Jill (HIP outreach workers) found me. I had 23 cents in my pocket and the clothes on my back. They got me shelter, and I began the different programs here at HIP. HIP is helping me see that I can do other things. The instructors are real sharp. They pull out your abilities, what you are able to do and what you’re not able to do. Whatever I feel I’m not able to do.

HOMELESS Continued from A1 they address that and give me the tools to work with and accomplish things," he said. Recent studies show that a total of 78 percent of HIP clients that participated in case management services improved their housing situation by either moving from the street to a shelter, or from a shelter to an apartment. Astounding figures like these prove that HIP's continuous efforts to bring homelessness to an end, are not in vain. People must realize that although many are fortunate enough to have a house, car and job; there are individuals who aren’t as blessed. You should not look down on those that are less fortunate because whether or not

you choose to accept it — it could happen to you or someone you love. The homeless are not just “druggies and alcoholics” who choose to live on the streets. Oftentimes, they are people who once “had it all” and came upon hard times. Perhaps we should consider the words of Ralph Dowe, HIP’s executive director when he says, “You have bad things that happen in your life. Sometimes that pressure can create a problem. People must understand that there are all kinds of people that are living in homeless situations. We have to be considerate and take the initiative. Many people are just a paycheck away from homelessness themselves.”

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Women of service Chairman of the Indianapolis Recorder Women’s Auxiliary Membership Luncheon Margaret Hubbard (far left) wishes Carolene Mays well on her campaign for State House District 94. Hubbard and Mays are pictured with auxiliary member Louise Battles and auxiliary president Barbara Sebree (far right). Mays, Recorder President and General Manager, served as keynote speaker for the organization’s annual membership luncheon. (photo/C. Guynn)

Diversity initiatives grow to impact business and community

By TYSHA HARDY-SELLERS Recorder Correspondent Census data has shown that the social tapestry of Indiana has changed. Because local communities are seeing an influx of new residents of varying origins, the workplace has changed and diversity initiatives have come to the forefront of management priorities. Last week. Mayor Bart Peterson hosted the inaugural Celebration of Diversity Awards. Peterson said that the message he wanted to send was that in order for the community to grow it must embrace all of its members in the social setting and in the workplace.. What makes corporations and organizations work to embrace differences? Professional training expert Sandra Bryant-Willis, of the consulting and training services company Bryant Willis & Associates, said that to ensure business growth, understanding diversity is imperative. “In a global society, businesses need to grow faster than ever before. In order to increase employee production and loyalty to the company, businesses need to understand their employees. Diversity education is a must.” Bryant-Willis’ company offers three different diversity-training programs. Each program is based on the premise of helping people to respect and value others and communicate effectively based on known information about the person, not perceived. She said that people have difficulty when they base theirdecision on information gained from the primary view of a person, basically the person's appearance (including race, ethnicity, gender, or age). “What needs to be used is the secondary person. It’s the information that people receive after learning about and from the person,” said the 23-year businesstraining veteran. A' ’ ng to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRMa diversity in the workplace is impacting not only the social fabric of corporations, but also the bottom line. Frank Scanlan, media relations specialist, for the organization said that managers are seeing the effects of diversity initiatives. In fact, the organization recently published a survey that illustrates the importance of diversity to corporations and organizations. The survey focused on Fortune 1000 companies and the 100 companies that were cited on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work list. Respondents covered diversity issues such as race, ethnicity, gender, age. religion, disability and sexual orientation. According to the survey, the overall impact of diversity initiatives has been positive. The most frequently indicated positive im-

Valuing diversity How can you tell if a company/organization values diversity? (Key indicators provided by the Society for Human Resource Management) • Diversity at the officer, board of director, and senior management levels. • Diversity amongst the highest salaried employees in the company. • Diversity amongst the company’s workforce as a whole. • Recruiting for new hires in ethnic American publications. • Recruiting at ethnic American cultural or professional events. • Membership in ethnic American professional organizations. • Charitable contributions to ethnic American organizations.

pacts were: improves corporate culture 79 percent; improves recruitment of new employees 77 percent; and improves client relations 52 percent. Only seven percent of the respondents stated that diversity initiatives have not impacted the bottom line of their organization. The only negative impact mentioned was increased complaints and litigation, (one percent). Forty-nine percent of respondents said that diversity measures have positively affected sales outcomes by giving the company a competitive advantage. Todd Campbell, manager of diversity initiatives, for SHRM underscored those facts. Diversity initiatives come in all forms and it covers different aspects of the human being. Diversity initiatives are at the top of managers’ priorities because the marketplace has changed rapidly. Just looking at minority populations, minorities (including African American, Hispanic and Asian) are the majority in six out of eight of the largest metropolitan cities in the nation. The buying power of minorities is $750 million. Companies want and need to understand the people they are selling to and the people who are selling the company for them. About 50 percent of the respondents to the SHRM survey said that they have staff dedicated to diversity initiatives. Budgets are also being designed with diversity measures annually being a line item. “Emmis Communications has strengthened its budget for diversity initiatives," said Kelli LesterBrown, recruitment manager/EEO outreach. Lester-Brown began her work on diversity initiatives for Emmis about a year ago. So far, the company has instituted diversity roundtables, new recruitment and outreach measures.

“Emmis is using various means to attract people of different backgrounds. We have focused our attention on minority media, events, and have contacted organizations such as American Women in Radio and TV, the Indianapolis Association of Black Journalists and the Black Accountants Association. Management is aware and is sensitive to the needs of different backgrounds. They realize that the best workforce is a diverse workforce.” Lester-Brown added the company is currently working on a career tracking approach that will help employees move up in the organization. The experts all agreed that di- * versity awareness and education is not only a 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. occurrence. What is done outside of the corporate walls matter and show the genuine effectiveness of diversity measures. Winners of last week’s Mayors Celebration of Diversity Award said that the diversity measures and outreach initiatives are driving forces in the organizations. They also said that it is important that the results are recognized. Chris Brisco, marketing manager, of Visteon, explained that Visteon, the automotive parts supplier with 2,800 employees, believes in reaching out. The company operates a Family Service and Learning Center that gives retirees, employees and their families the opportunity to work together on various community and volunteer activities. The company has made an effort to reach out to the community. It currently works with IPS School 20 and IPS School 27 through a mentoring program for AfricanAmerican males. A new diversitytraining program is also in development. Additionally, the growth of the Hispanic community in Indianapolis has fueled organizations to embrace differences in terms of language and ethnic backgrounds. Community-wide e celebrations have connected people of different heritages. For example Fiesta Indianapolis hosts the annual Latino cultural event in September where 35,000 have shared in the community’s cultural heritage. “Fiesta is committed to reaching out to the community. Our mission is to bridge cultures,” said Fiesta Indianapolis Inc. board president Carmen DeRusha. In addition to the festival, Fiesta Indianapolis Inc. has developed educational materials for schools and community centers, and has partnered with other community organizations. She added, “The recognition of organizations working to bridge cultures is important. It shows the community that the right things are happening and that we are all integral to the development of our community.”

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