Publicis Groupe and Cravath Swaine & Moore Honored by Fountain House
MARCH 22, 2007 - Publicis Groupe LLC and Cravath, Swaine & Moore were honored on Capitol Hill on Thursday, March 22nd by Fountain House and Representative Gary Ackerman (D-Queens/Long Island) and Senator Hillary Clinton for their respective 50- and 17-year commitments to employing Fountain House members, all of whom live with major mental illness.
Research has shown that members of Fountain House-model employment programs retain jobs longer and earn higher wages than other psychiatric rehabilitation programs.1
Representative Ackerman presented Publicis Senior Vice President, Steve Schwartz, with the award, “As a long-standing employer of Fountain House members, Publicis has provided thousands of people with disabilities with opportunities for meaningful work. Publicis was one of the very first employers of Fountain House members – hiring the first member over 50 years ago. Publicis’s leadership serves as an example for other companies. It is an honor to present this award today for your contributions to expanding employment opportunities for people with mental illness.”
Tamera Luzzatto, Chief of Staff for Senator Hillary Clinton presented the award to Cravath Partner Bill Brannan, who has served on the Fountain House Board of Directors since 1999. “I am proud to present this award to Bill Brannan and the Cravath, Swaine & Moore law firm in New York City for the important role you are playing in encouraging other leading law firms to hire people with disabilities. Not only are you a steadfast employer of members of Fountain House, you have become a national leader in expanding employment for people who are working to recover from mental illness. On behalf of the National Clubhouse Employment Expansion Project I congratulate you on receiving this award and thank you for being a good corporate-community partner.”
The event was hosted the National Employment Expansion Project (EEP), a coalition of Fountain House-model programs, corporations, policy makers, and allies of the mental health movement. EEP is dedicated to expanding the number and improving the quality of employment opportunities for people with mental illness, while raising the visibility of the successes of the mentally ill in the workplace.
Sixty-six corporations nationwide have joined EEP’s efforts by actively encouraging their corporate colleagues to develop transitional jobs for and to hire men, women, and young adults with mental illness.
Fountain House President and EEP Co-Chair Kenn Dudek attended the ceremony: “The companies like Publicis and Cravath that have partnered with Fountain House, and other programs like it around the country, are exemplary employers in their communities. Fountain House is proud to work with them to help all people with mental illness reach their full potential as employees, neighbors, and productive citizens.”
Publicis and Cravath were among 42 corporations honored by two dozen legislators and their aides at this event. Other honorees included law firm Sovereign Bank, Staples, MetLife, Marriott, and Trader Joe’s.
