Partnership honored a third consecutive time with the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility
Marsha Basloe, executive director of Durham's Partnership for Children, accepts the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Excellence in Workplace Flexibility from Kathy Hoffmeier, director of talent and workforce development.
The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce's Talent and Workforce Development Initiative in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation honored Durham's Partnership for Children for a third consecutive year with the 2008 Alrfed P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace on May 21 at the Sheraton RTP. The award presenatation was given during a luncheon hosted by the Durham chapter of the Society for Human Resource Managers.
Selection of award recipients is based on a national survey that more than 35 participating local chambers of commerce send out to prospecitve small, mid-size and large businesses.
In addition to the Partnership being recognized for supporting flexible schedules, job sharing and part-time work arrangements, the Partnership also cultivates employees from multiple generations. For instance, the Partnership enables retirees to return to work and lend their longstanding expertise while setting their own schedules. The partnership also supports work schedules for parents of young children and employees who are returing to school.
"This third time honor is a testament to our commitment to make sure employees have work life balance and flexibility ,” said Marsha R. Basloe, Executive Director of Durham’s Partnership for Children, a Smart Start Initiative. “It is gratifying to be recognized by The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce for our commitment in making our workplace work for our employees."
The Sloan Foundation and its project, When Work Works, has produced a report to share how businesses both large and small can incorporate policies that promote work/life balance and at the same time support increased productivity, employee retention and absenteeism.To learn more about this national initiative, visit www.whenworkworks.org
Download the report Making Work "Work": New Ideas from Winners of the Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.
Merck Company Foundation supports Docs For Tots NC Initiative with $10,000 grant
Agnes Speight, Public Affairs Manager for Merck, pictured center, presents a $10,000 check from The Merck Company Foundation during a Board of Directors Meeting on May 15, 2008. She is pictured with Durham's Partnership for Children co-chairs Angie Welsh and Michael Palmer.
Durham's Partnership for Children is grateful to The Merck Company Foundation for its donatation of $10,000 for the Docs For Tots NC Initiative.
Docs For Tots NC is a civic engagement program aimed at health professionals, particularly pediatricians and pediatric residents, to become involved in activities to support the healthy development of young children and families through educational activities.
The Docs For Tots chapter in North Carolina will be implemented at the Pediatric Resident Program at Duke Children’s Hospital and Health Center. Through a partnership with Durham’s Partnership for Children and Duke University Children’s Hospital and Health Center, plans call for building a county-wide network of physicians in clinical practices as well to speak to policies and practices that improve the health and development of infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.
The grant will help support the new Docs For Tots coordinator, Julia Wacker, who was recently hired through Duke Children's Hospital and Health Center to work with pediatric residents on advocacy opportunities across the Durham community.
“The $10,000 grant from The Merck Company Foundation demonstrates the community commitment to build better connections between early childhood education and preventive health care that can collectively change conditions for Durham’s families with young children, birth to age 5,” said Durham’s Partnership for Children Executive Director Marsha Basloe. “We appreciate the support of Merck, a true Corporate Champion for Children, and look forward to future opportunities to partner for efforts that benefit young children.”
The Merck Company Foundation is a US-based, private charitable foundation. Established in 1957 by Merck & Co., Inc., the Foundation is funded entirely by the Company and is Merck's chief source of funding support to qualified non-profit, charitable organizations.
“The Docs for Tots NC initiative fits with the foundation’s vision to help improve the health and well-being of families,” said Agnes Speight, Public Affairs Manager for Merck. “By arming doctors with engagement opportunities to educate the community about young children’s health, this program has the ability to reach parents, early childhood educators and Durham residents from all walks of life.”
Annual Funded Partners Meeting recognizes the collective work of the Partnership's funded programs
Marie Milliren, a nutritionist with Durham Health Department's Child Care Nutrition Program,a Smart Start funded program, shares a story of a child care provider that adopted better nutrition practices.
Durham's Partnership for Children hosted an annual program to thank its funded partners for their work serving young children, families and early childhood educators to make sure children have what they need to be prepared for kindergarten and life.
More than 40 representatives from 21 programs attended to share their important work and share stories on the sustained impact their particular service made on children, families and early childhood educators.
Durham's Partnership for Children would like to thank all of the people who work to build a comprehensive system of care that supports the healthy development of children and their families across Durham County. Our funded partners truly are an essential piece to Durham's Smart Start system.
Fox 50 sponsored parent focus group sheds light on parenting issues, resources
Members of the Fox 50 Creative Team.
The local partnerships of Durham, Chatham, Orange and Wake counties teamed up with the creative team at Fox 50 to sponsor a focus group of 15 parents of young children to get feedback on what parenting issues are important to them and how parents search for and access resources.
The 90-minute focus group which was held at First Presbyterian Church on June 5 was the basis for developing public service announcements for parents.
The creative services team, led by Kevin Koble, Fox 50 Creative Services Manager, (pictured above far right) helped to facilitate the discussion.
"Your feedback is important for us to generate ideas that resonate," he said. "This has been very helpful."
One focus group participant, who was a new Durham mother, said she was amazed how parents access resources in a variety of ways. "Many times it's the old fashioned word-of-mouth way that I learn about what services are offered for me and my family."
