Effective Family Communication
The Listening Award
Each year an individual making a difference and who exemplifies “listening” in the community is presented with the Listening Award. The plaque on award reads: “By listening to the shell you may hear the ocean and the conversations that you helped make possible”.
The Listening Award
The listening award is pictured below.
The following are the prior recipients of the listening award:
Jerry Katzin
2009
Jerry was the first person to recognize the potential and benefit of the Our Little Blue Box process of communication to foster familial peace. Jerry grew up in Chicago and graduated from the University of Chicago in 1939 where he also received his law degree in 1941. Jerry was a Partner /Managing Director of Kuhn Loeb in New York and then Lehman Brothers where he was one of the nation’s leading experts in financing public works and instrumental as the longtime financial advisor to the National Rural utilities cooperative in bringing electricity to rural America. He served on over 20 corporate boards of directors, including Qualcomm from 1987 to 2005 and the Price Company from its early days through its merger into Costco.
Jared Seide
2010
Jared is the Executive Director of Center for Council. He has designed, piloted and coordinated council-based programs in prisons, assisted living facilities, youth groups and a variety of non-profit, faith-based organizations, social service and law enforcement agencies. He coordinated the “Co-Mentoring Project,” for emancipated foster youth, the “Organizational Wellness Project,” for the staff of scores of community-based organizations, the “Inmate Council Program” active in more than twenty prisons throughout California. He was awarded the American Correctional Association’s Innovations in Corrections award. He initiated the “Trainer Leadership Initiative,” supporting emerging council leaders serving impacted communities, and the council-based “Peace Officer Wellness, Empathy & Resilience” (POWER) Training Program for law enforcement and correctional officers.
Jared has coordinated, mentored and facilitated council programs at over a dozen schools in Southern California and has led trainings and retreats focusing on reconciliation and community-building throughout the U.S., and in Poland, Rwanda, France, Colombia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Jared directed the “Center for Council Practice” initiative of The Ojai Foundation, the antecedent of Center for Council.
https://www.centerforcouncil.org/team-bios.html
Jill Quigley
2011
Jill identified the need to teach students at San Diego Jewish Academy skills for listening and respectful communication. She authorized a one-year pilot program using the principals of Our Little Blue Box and the facilitators of the Ojai Foundation. Jill received her M.A. in Jewish Studies in 2002 from Emory University where she specialized in modern Jewish history. She received a B.A. in English from Arizona State University in 1996, where she pursued course of study focusing on literature and religious studies. She was an administrator and English and Jewish Studies teacher at San Diego Jewish Academy. Early in her career, she taught English at Carmel Middle School and Durango High School.
Glenda Sacks
2012
As a teacher and single mother raising two daughters, Glenda gathered and saved ideas to engage her daughters about meaningful topics that impact their lives as they grew up. Many of the ideas and games involved money topics. Her daughters have both grown up to be well adjusted adults with a healthy relationship with money. As an educator, Glenda has continued to gather and save ideas and has shared them with parents. Glenda is Director of Hillel at USD. She studied Psychology at University of Cape Town.
Jeffrey Sitcov
2014
Jeffrey formed Photocharity in 2001 to help homeless youth through donations of signed music memorabilia. As President of Doors of Change, Jeffrey leads a group of mostly volunteers to help homeless youth. Jeffrey has received awards locally and nationally, including the Channel 10 Leadership Award, Torrey Pines Bank Circle of Excellence Award, La Mesa Rotary “Peacemaker of the Year Award,” and the Jewish Family Services Volunteer of the Year Award. He was also a national semifinalist for the Volvo for Life Award.
Stephen Bishop
2018
A native San Diegan, Stephen is a world-class guitarist, singer and songwriter. The beautiful theme song from the movie Tootsie called “It Might Be You” touched the hearts of millions of listeners. He has recorded hit songs including: “On and On” and “Save It for a Rainy Day”. Stephen’s answer to a request to help homeless youth was “Yes!” He headlined a concert on 12/22/18 at the Katzeff residence that raised over $4,000 for homeless children in San Diego.
https://www.stephenbishop.com/
Jack Tempchin
2018
While Jack is humble and unassuming, he has outsized talented as a songwriter. Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019, he has such hit songs as: “Peaceful Easy Feeling”, “Slow Dancing”, “You Belong to the City” and “Already Gone” to his credit. A San Diego native living in Encinitas, he answered to the call to help homeless youth and added his voice and talent to the fund-raising concert.
Bob Veres
2019
A voice and conscience of the financial planning community, Bob identified “Active Listening” as an essential ingredient to deepen relationships between advisors and their clients. Advisors, or anybody who practices “Actively Listening” knows that the reward of truly listening is profound. Through his numerous articles, books and presentations, Bob imparts the message that there is nothing more important than someone feeling listened to.
Neville Billimoria
2020
In 2020, Neville facilitated zoom conversations for people who felt isolated by the Coronavirus. He warmly and reassuringly facilitated conversation so that participants felt connect and listened to. Neville also produces a weekly blog called Soul Food Friday containing wit and wisdom that imparts positive and meaningful energy. He is a graduate of UCSD and is Mission Fed’s SVP of Membership and Marketing for Mission Federal Credit Union.
Joshua Lazerson
2022
On June 20th 2022, Joshua started the Listening Project as an experiment. He positioned two chairs adjacent to one another and posted a cardboard sign inviting people walking, by in a north country San Diego public park, to sit down with him and he would listen to them without expectations or judgement for about 45 minutes. For many of those who took him up on his offer their experience were profound. For Joshua himself the time of listening to others was life changing. Joshua wants to invite other to join him in his Listening Project.
https://www.thelisteiningproject.us