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Greetings!
In this fast paced and hectic world, Twiga Foundation is trying to find a quick and easy way to communicate and keep in touch with our friends and partners. We know how busy you are but we hope this simple summary of work that Twiga is doing in our various areas of focus will be of interest and value to you. As you can see, Twiga's work takes me to many communities around the country. You will also see from this list of travels, no project stands alone. The relationships and outcomes are connected and integrated. We hope this newsletter gives you the opportunity to reflect on some of the many innovations taking place around workplace issues. We are also pleased to announce the development of our new Wellness Program. We believe that wellness and flexibility go hand-in-hand in a family conscious environment. Please let us know if this information is helpful to you. We also hope that you will follow Twiga on our blog, on Facebook and on Twitter!
Patricia J. Kempthorne
Founder
Executive Director
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| Twiga Foundation |
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816 W Bannock St.
Boise, Idaho 83702
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Alfred P. Sloan Award
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation enlisted the expertise of the Families and Work Institute of New York in partnership with the Institute for a Competitive Workforce at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Twiga Foundation, Inc. to create the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility. The Sloan Award honors organizations that have made commitments to workplace effectiveness and flexibility as a tool to enhance business and employees' success. These winners rank in the top 20% of employers nationally in workplace flexibility. The 2009 winners will be announced soon.
The support of our elected officials is vital to this conversation. We are thankful to have the support of Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho and Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas. On May 18 they submitted a statement to the Congressional Record recognizing and honoring the 2008 winners. Go to the Twiga website to see the Congressional record statement. |
 Where in the World is Patricia?
January-The first part of 2009 was very busy for Patricia. In January Patricia traveled to D.C. for a meeting with AARP, and then to Savannah, GA to participate with Workplace Flexibility 2010 in Step Up Savannah, a Community Policy Forum addressing the needs of Savanah's low-income workforce.
February- In D.C., Patricia met with Workplace Flexibility 2010 for the National Advisory Council on Workplace Flexibility, and then back in Boise, The Twiga Foundation and Workplace Flexibility 2010 hosted a Listening Session with Senator Mike Crapo, where CEOs and Human Resource Directors from some of Idaho's largest employers participated in discussions about exploring new opportunities through workplace flexibility, and how Idaho's leadership can participate in informing the national conversation on this timely topic.
March- Patricia spoke at the annual Women's Leadership Conference about workplace flexibility in Spokane, WA, and after some family time in Coeur d'Alene, Patricia was in Dayton, OH for the Professional Development Luncheon hosted by the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce, speaking on "Creating an Effective Workplace in an Economic Recession."
April-April travels were built around the holidays so Patricia stayed in Idaho for the first part of the month and presented, with Bob Davis, the Research Highlights from the States as Employers-of-Choice (SAEC) to representatives of the state of Idaho. Workplace flexibility was highlighted on a radio and TV interview during that time.
May-May began Phase IV of the When Work Works project and a celebration of five significant years of identifying workplace flexibility as a strategic business practice with organizations in 30 cities and 3 statewide initiatives. Patricia met in New York City with the leadership of the Families and Work Institute in partnership with the Institute for a Competitive Workforce at the USCC, and confirmed that Twiga is committed to continue to promote workplace flexibility as a key component to the way work gets done in the 21st century.
June- June found Patricia in Seattle at the WorldAtWork Total Rewards Conference and from there to St. Louis for Parents as Teachers Board of Directors quarterly meeting. She returned to Idaho to speak at the Idaho Charter School Conference and learned more about how educators value workplace flexibility for both themselves and their student's parents. |
Developing the Workforce of the Future
Research shows that children build math and science skills from the earliest years of life and that play provides a natural learning lab for such development. Block play offers a rich opportunity for early math and science learning and the development of social, emotional, language, motor and cognitive skills.
The Twiga Foundation, Inc., located in Boise, Idaho, is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with the University of Idaho for the exclusive license to produce and distribute Block Fest™, a program designed to help parents support the development of pre-math and science skills through block play for children ages 8 months to 8 years.
The Twiga Foundation, founded by Idaho's former First Lady Patricia Kempthorne, is dedicated to inspiring, promoting and maintaining family-consciousness in the home, the workplace and in the community. The Twiga Foundation is currently involved across the nation with various projects addressing the qualities of a creative and productive American workforce for the 21st century. Kempthorne said, "With the addition of Block Fest™ to enhance the Twiga Foundation mission, we are investing in family-consciousness at home and the development of the workforce of the future."
Visit the BLOCK Fest™ website to learn more about BLOCK Fest™ and our partnership. www.blockfest.org |
 Top Ten Reasons Why Businesses Should Offer Wellness Programs to Their Employees:
#10-Build camaraderie among employees
#9-Show employees that management cares about them
#8-Bring positive attention to the company
#7- High retention among employees
#6-Increase productivity and presenteeism
#4-Maintain a healthy and happy employee base
#3-Empower employees to take control of their lives both at work and at home
#2-Reduce health care costs
#1-It is the right thing to do
To learn more about building a wellness program at your organization contact: Heather Myklegard at hmyklegard@twigafoundation.org |
States as Employers of Choice (SAEC)
The Alfred P Sloan Foundation contracted with the Twiga Foundation and the Center for Aging and Work at Boston College to conduct a survey of employment challenges and demographics in the state public sector workforce. The Twiga Foundation is now presenting the Research Highlights from those surveys at workshops for state human resource professionals. In these state on-site workshops we are discovering innovative new business strategies to respond to today's unprecedented labor market. Twiga Foundation has presented these workshops in: New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Washington, Minnesota, Delaware, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Idaho. States scheduled for visits are Michigan, Montana, and Wyoming.
Visit the Boston College website for more information. | |
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About Us
The Twiga Foundation, Inc., founded in 2005, is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to inspiring, promoting and maintaining family-consciousness at home, in the workplace and in the community.
Family-consciousness begins with an awareness that family is at the heart of our society. More proactive than reactive, this awareness helps us understand that we can maximize our lives and find life in our work when we are conscious of our families - including care giving, individual and family health, community health and safety, education, transportation, environmental concerns, housing, career development and mobility and many other areas that intersect our lives.
Twiga is dedicated to being a voice for family consciousness to strengthen each individual's commitment to themselves, their family and their community. As we focus on the workplace we find workplace flexibility to be a key component in addressing the mismatch between the workplace and family needs. Our efforts are centered around bringing to light an understanding of workplace flexibility as a good business strategy that, additionally, helps to insure a strong workforce for the future through healthy families and communities.
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