AvalonBay Communities (NYSE: AVB) was honored with the 30th Spirit of the City Award by the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City in May. The company raised more than $400,000 for the church's education, arts programs and social welfare programs, including a homeless shelter, legal services and a soup kitchen.

"We are grateful to the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine for honoring AvalonBay's Fred Harris, David Bellman and Rachel Loeb with the Spirit of the City Award for their work on Avalon Morningside Park," says AvalonBay CEO and Chairman Bryce Blair. "These individuals embody AvalonBay's commitment to enhancing the lives of its residents."

REIT of the Year Lexington Realty Trust (NYSE: LXP) received the "REIT of the Year" award at the Excellence in Property, Investment and CMBS awards, sponsored by Real Estate Finance and Investment magazine. Lexington was recognized for having a financially successful year despite the credit crunch. Behringer Harvard REIT I Inc., and First Industrial Realty Trust(NYSE: FR) also were nominated. Behringer was recognized for its strength in acquisitions and First Industrial for its expansion efforts into Belgium. "It was a great honor for Lexington to be recognized by such an important industry publication for our accomplishments in 2007," says Lexington's CEO Will Eglin.

Working 9-to-5: REITs Recognized for Workplace Excellence

Many companies strive to support the needs of their employees, but two REITs, Washington Real Estate Investment Trust (NYSE: WRE) and Parkway Properties (NYSE: PKY), recently went the extra mile.

WRIT was awarded the 2008 Workplace Excellence Award from the Alliance for Workplace Excellence. "The award was an honor to receive in recognition of a corporate culture that cares about employees," says the company's Executive Vice President Laura Franklin.

The award was given to WRIT for its commitment employee and family friendly policies and its dedication to corporate social responsibility.

Parkway Properties was also recognized for being a great place to work. The REIT was named one of 50 best places to work by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in early summer. This was the second time Parkway has been on the list.