Salt Lake City, Utah, USA - The Salt Lake City Interfaith Roundtable officially kicked off Interfaith Month 2013 with a special breakfast meeting on January 31 at the Salt Lake Downtown Marriott Hotel, which also recognized the annual World Interfaith Harmony Week, February 1-7.
Interfaith Month is the highlight of the Roundtable’s year, and an important part of meeting its goal of fostering understanding and cooperation among faiths. “This is a wonderful opportunity to view area faiths from their perspective, as opposed to misinformation or rumor,” says Roundtable Board Chair Alan Bachman.
Roundtable Board Member J.B. Singh, President of the Utah Sikh Temple, offered the morning prayer in both Punjab and English. He was followed by the presentation of the Roundtable’s 2013 Interfaith Awards:
Media Awards for excellent coverage of our diverse community
Joseph Walker, Deseret News faith and religion reporter
Colleen M. Scott, Salt Lake Interfaith Roundtable Media & Education Chair, for her tireless efforts on behalf of the Roundtable in getting our media coverage in place for all the events.
Awards for excellent service to the Roundtable
Wendy and Michael Stovall, editors of “The Roundtable” newsletter, for their dedication to promoting harmony, understanding, and inclusion through the written word, presented by Josie Stone, Chair of the Interfaith Month 2013 Committee.
Judy Wight, Interfaith Musical Tribute Chair, for her dedication to promoting harmony, understanding, and inclusion through the diverse world of music, presented by Elaine Emmi, Roundtable Secretary.
The guest speaker was Dr. David A. Parker, a nationally recognized anti-bullying advocate. He is a professor of teacher education at the University of Utah, and associate director of the U’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Center for Community of Caring Institute.
Dr. Parker related his personal experiences with bullying while growing up in New York City, and credits his mother with teaching him to find the positive, rather than negative, in trying circumstances. He asked everyone to look at each other as a human being who deserves respect and friendship.
He also announced that the National Center for Community of Caring will close on June 30. He said that he enjoys living in Utah, and wants very much to find a position that will allow him to continue his mission to eradicate bullying.