The 10th Anniversary Spirit Awards: Celebrating a Decade of Dignity May 14, 2009

Celebrating compassionate activists who make a difference every day in the lives and future of those served in area nonprofits, Designs for Dignity announces the 10th Anniversary of The Spirit Awards. The event is hosted on Thursday, May 14, from 6pm to 9pm at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark Street in Chicago, and features cocktails, delicious dinner stations, a fabulous silent auction and raffle. The annual fundraiser honors individuals and organizations within the design industry whose support of this mission exemplifies that design truly matters. This year, The Kohler Company is honored as the first recipient of The Founder’s Award, Aimee Nemeckay of Susan Fredman Design Group is the recipient of The Spirit Award, and InterfaceFLOR is to be presented with the Sustainability Award. Approximately 500 guests are expected to attend and support Designs for Dignity at this historic event showcasing a decade of dignity by design.

Initiated in the belied that human beings are entitled to, and nurtured by, living and working within creative environments, Designs for Dignity provides pro bono design services to area nonprofits. The spaces created treat design as an art and science, utilizing uniqueness and innovation to instill dignity, hope, and comfort in each organization’s employees and respective clients. Many of the organizations whose spaces have been transformed work to guide people on a road to recovery, and include: childcare facilities, food pantries, assisted living centers, shelters for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, tutoring centers and single occupant rooms for homeless individuals. The projects are as diverse as the benefiting organizations: creating comforting counseling rooms, constructing supportive learning environments in classrooms, and increasing lighting and ventilation in art therapy rooms are only a small sample of the ways in which the lives of human beings have been improved through design.

Official Website: http://www.designsfordignity.org