OJRV Honored as Nominee at Annual Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Awards

Operation: Job Ready Veterans (OJRV) was honored to be recognized as a nominee at last week’s 23rd Annual Mayor’s Celebration of Diversity Awards. Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett, the Office of Minority and Women Business Development, EmployIndy, along with over 50 local employers and 400 attendees gathered on May 9th at the Culinary and Conference Center at Ivy Tech Community College to hear about the state of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and to celebrate local organizations.

During the event, seven organizations were recognized for their contributions in promoting DEI efforts within Indianapolis’ professional sectors. OJRV was nominated in a brand-new award category, the Excellence in Service Community-Based Organization (CBO) Award. This award “celebrates a non-profit community-based organization that provides excellence and inclusive workforce development services to Marion County residents and employers.”

OJRV Regional Director, Central Operations, Kim Dart attended the event on OJRV’s behalf and met up with former OJRV client Brenda Owens. The event offered an excellent opportunity for OJRV to learn about DEI best practices and community experiences and to discover how local leaders are implementing DEI efforts in their organizations. Additionally, this year’s awards event focused on the importance of youth employment in Marion County, which has been a particular focus for Mayor Hogsett. Since 2016, through a collaborative partnership with Project Indy, nearly 18,000 young adults in Marion County have secured employment opportunities that will set them up for future success.

OJRV is honored to be among the nominees for this new award and celebrates along with all the award winners who are working to provide inclusive workforce development services to improve the lives of Marion County’s residents. Marion County is sure to grow stronger with organizations like those that attended the awards event leading the way. OJRV is proud to be a part of that movement toward positive growth and inclusivity.