The 2018 Community Leadership Award was presented to the Dignity & Respect Campaign Appleton at our 15th annual banquet on November 4, 2018.
With the launch of its Dignity & Respect Campaign on January 16, 2018, the City of Appleton became the 101st city in the country, and the first in Wisconsin, to participate in this nationwide program. ESTHER has chosen this campaign to receive its Community Leadership Award for 2018, recognizing both Mayor Tim Hanna and Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator Karen Nelson for their imagination, leadership and sustained support to build a community that celebrates inclusion of all ages, cultures and backgrounds.
While Appleton has had a diversity and inclusion position on staff since 1997, the campaign represents a new level of focus and outreach. Dignity and respect have become watchwords in the management of the city. The campaign has strengthened the city’s connection with existing community organizations focusing on diversity and inclusion, and it is encouraging public participation in a variety of offerings – conversations, films, concerts – that lift up diversity and model inclusion. Most important, the campaign has encouraged a community-wide focus on “making our world a better place for all to live—with all of our differences.”
