As I begin this column, it is with sadness. We lost Marie Spitzberg in June. But, we have been left a life and legacy to challenge each of us in our daily lives to strive for a better community for all to live in, a deeper respect for people of different faiths and hope that each day can be a better day. She shaped in each person she came into contact with a deep sense of worth and a concern about their neighbor. She also challenged herself to move to new horizons. She learned how to use the internet in the later years of her life. The Marie Award honors the way she lived her exemplary life. We now have the challenge to do the same in our lives.
Marie was able to be part of the 2011 Marie Award event which had as its’ theme, “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats: Democratizing Opportunity.” Arkansas is moving ahead in terms of the per capita income of its residents. The event looked at the need for new and creative ways to educate our youth. The moderator for the evening was Mr. Jerry Adams, President and CEO of Arkansas Research Alliance. The panelists were Dr. Fitz Hill, President of Arkansas Baptist College; Margret Bogle, with the United States Department of Agriculture and speaking about the Arkansas Women’s Foundation project, Girls of Promise; Scott Shirey, the President of the KIPP Schools in Helena and Blytheville, and, Sam Walls, the CEO of Arkansas Capital Corporation.
The Marie Award recipient for 2011 was Dr. Fitz Hill who has had some remarkable achievements in the short time he has been President of Arkansas Baptist College. He has launched a major building program and has stimulated revitalization of the neighborhood through the renovation of many of its houses.
I want to thank the 2011 Steering Committee for their hard work in putting together this fine Marie Award. They were: Jerry Adams; Sam Walls; Vicky Saviers, a member of the Arkansas State Board of Education; Tom Navin, Catholic Charities; and, Heather Larkin, President and CEO of the Arkansas Community Foundation.
We also welcome State Senator Joyce Elliott to The Marie Award Board of Directors.
The 2012 Marie Award will be May 22, 2012 at the Darraugh Center in the Central Arkansas Library System. We will be looking at the prescription drug epidemic in our nation and in Arkansas. Currently, Arkansas ranks first in the nation for the abuse of prescription drugs. This has reached epidemic proportions and has a major effect on our communities and families.
Stephen Copley
Chair
The Marie Award Board
