Envision Utah © 2006

Recognizing Visionary Achievement That Benefits Us All

The Coalition created the Common Good Awards in 1996 to annually recognize both a public sector and a private sector entity whose actions or mission benefit the community as a whole.

• Previous Honorees
• Keynote Speakers

Previous Honorees

American Express and American Express Centurion Bank for charitable giving and outstanding volunteer support to 200 organizations annually;
Catholic Community Services’ tireless efforts to assist the poor and alienated for over 60 years;
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation for supporting hundreds of Utah non-profit organizations;
George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation’s staggering giving of $30 million annually for educational, medical, cultural and societal opportunities throughout the state;
First Security Bank’s commitment to community involvement and philanthropy;
Intermountain Health Care’s Community Health Partnerships for their significant philanthropic efforts to the sick and afflicted, regardless of their ability to pay;
Kennecott Corporation for modernizing its facilities to become one of the cleanest in the world;
Larry H. Miller Charities and the Utah Jazz for their excellence as corporate neighbors;
Nature Conservancy for preserving unique natural lands and critical wildlife habitat;
NuSkin Enterprises for being a good corporate neighbor to local, national and international organizations;
Ogden City School District’s strategic plan which serves as a model for other districts to follow;
Road Home’s efforts to help individuals and families become self-reliant;
Stampin’ Up! for making a difference in people’s lives in Utah and around the world, such as through supporting the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Ronald McDonald House Charities, tsunami disaster relief, and helping individuals affected by the September 11th tragedy.
State of Utah’s Quality Growth Efficiency Tools Committee for identifying how Utah could grow without sacrificing its quality;
O.C. Tanner Company for giving 10% of its gross income to benefit the less fortunate among us;
Verl Topham of Pacificorp/Utah Power for championing many causes to help Utah’s citizens;
Volunteers of America, Utah for serving people of all faiths in the areas of homeless outreach, substance abuse detoxification and treatment, and senior services – and for inviting people of all faiths to become involved;
2002 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Utah-based athletes for inspiring the light in each of us; and
Sorenson Companies for their long history of contributing to organizations serving the common good.

10 Years of Diverse Keynote Speakers
Providing thoughtful reflections upon our community’s hopes, challenges and opportunities.

“What I have learned from my own experience is that … our only course of action is to provide all of our children with ample opportunity to pursue their passions and their dreams. Our level of understanding is too meager to allow us to foresee which of the children in our midst will be the next Beethoven, Modigliani or Martin Luther King.” (Dr. Mario Capecchi, a world-renown genetics researcher.)

“What makes life worth living? To live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy.” (Dr. Stephen R. Covey, well known author and management consultant)

“Utah’s fate in the next few decades could easily parallel California’s. Or, alternately, Utah’s destiny could be fashioned differently, i.e., by taking hold of the future, rather than drifting into it, our options unclear and unexamined.” (Dr. David P. Gardner, former chairman of the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation and president of the University of Utah)

“The question is not whether Utah will invest in its citizens, but rather at what point we will invest and for what purposes. Every high school drop out who is unable to enter the workforce costs the state and fails to reach his or her potential. Every welfare recipient costs the state thousands of dollars per year. Every inmate costs the state over $30,000 per year. Contrast those costs with the cost of a high school diploma or college degree.” (J. Bernard Machen, former president of the University of Utah)

“We need to look outside our own places of worship for people needing help. When we meet our Maker, we will not be asked, ‘How many positions did you hold?, but rather, ‘How many people did you help?” (President Thomas S. Monson, a member of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Foundation)

“One might ask, ‘Do you want our community to consist solely of conservatives or solely of liberals?’ I confess that question doesn’t make much sense to me. It seems a bit like asking, ‘What do you want on your car, an accelerator or brakes?’ A car without either is a car without much of a future.” (Bishop George Niederauer of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City)

“Utah will be on the world stage and we want to present ourselves as a progressive region ready to host nations from around the world. These Olympic games will provide Utahns with the opportunity to showcase the quality of life, economic strength and natural environment that we enjoy as citizens of this beautiful state.” (Mitt Romney, president and CEO of the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics Organizing Committee)

“The global marketplace is creating a flat world that really presents opportunities.” (Cecil Samuelson, president of Brigham Young University)

“Most of us don’t feel like we are members of a community. We just live or work next to each other. The great missing conversation is about why and how we might be together.” (Dr. Margaret Wheatley, management expert and best selling author)

“Quite simply, the futures and fortunes of Utah and the University of Utah are inextricably intertwined. Questions of how states achieve economic prosperity circle back to education and the research coming out of universities that turn into usable technology.” (Michael Young, president of the University of Utah)