MARCH 5, 2007
TILTON KELLY + BELL NAMED COMPASSIONATE EMPLOYER

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CHICAGO, IL – Tilton, Kelly + Bell (TKB) has been named one of the most compassionate employers in the country by a nonprofit group called The Compassionate Friends, based in Oakbrook, Ill.

TKB, a Chicago-based architecture and design firm, is one of eighty-one employers, representing 33 states, recognized for showing extra sensitivity to bereaved employees following the death of a child.

“Support for our employees during a devastating personal loss is our responsibility and the very least we can do,” said TKB principal, Martha Bell. “To be recognized for it is a kind gesture, but we do it because we truly care.”

The Compassionate Friends describes itself as the nation’s largest self-help bereavement organization with nearly 600 chapters serving all 50 states, Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico. Their mission is to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive.

Generally nominated by the persons they have directly helped, these employers are receiving Compassionate Employer Recognition in 2007 for going above and beyond the normal policies of most companies in helping their employees when the death of a child occurred.

“When a child dies, families begin a grief journey that follows them through all parts of their lives,” said Patricia Loder, Executive Director of The Compassionate Friends. “Today the need for support in the workplace so often takes a back seat to the demands of the marketplace. These 81 employers, large and small, public and private, are being recognized for providing the compassion and understanding that is vitally needed in the bereavement process.”

Tilton, Kelly + Bell (TKB) is a service-oriented, woman-owned architecture and interior design firm with a strong commitment to meeting client objectives via innovative, problem-solving design solutions. Its diverse clientele includes major developers, real estate brokers, contractors, government agencies, not-for-profit organizations, corporations, and individuals in both ownership and tenant roles. With a high level of service in all stages of the design process, TKB’s collaborative problem-solving approach has earned numerous design awards from the American Institute of Architects at the national, state, and local levels.