Buford Center Receives Community Grant to Fund ‘Cultural Humility’ Projects

Pictured from left: Brian Treece, Ed.D., Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation program director for community organization and development and education; Kimberly Bash, Foundation program director for collective impact and community collaboration; Robert Braylock, Pharm.D., UF’s intercultural student services director; Crystal Weitz, UF service and community engagement director; Eileen Rucki, UF’s international education director; and Tricia Valasek, UF grants manager.

The University of Findlay’s Buford Center for Diversity and Service has been awarded a $13,400 Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation grant that will fund diversity projects between students and organizations.
The project, titled “Pursuing Cultural Humility,” will pair 10 UF students with community nonprofits and coalitions to bring mutually-beneficial, sustainable initiatives to fruition. Students will be selected from UF’s diverse student body, while the Center for Civic Engagement, a community nonprofit located at UF, will assist with identifying partner organizations for this 8-month endeavor.
The goal is for UF students and community members to have ongoing, intentionally-designed experiences that will enlighten local and campus communities. This engagement will enhance the University’s ongoing off-campus diversity outreach efforts, and will address a regional need, listed in a 2017 “Community Conversations” Foundation report, that showed residents are interested in having a more diverse, accepting and inclusive community.
The grant will also fund collaborative work with the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio, which will offer presentations and seminars to program participants.
“We’re always trying to connect our students with the community,” said Robert Braylock, director of intercultural student services at the Buford Center. “We knew if we could get this financing, we could do something big with it.”
The students will help further infuse diversity and inclusion into the organiztions while also gaining practical experience working with community nonprofits and coalitions. This will enable everyone involved to view people and circumstances with “a wider lens, and reach different demographics,” Braylock said. “The students, who represent varied backgrounds, will be able to contribute a lot for the community, and there will be great mentorship and professional development opportunities for them.”
“Pursuing Cultural Humility” is a pilot project, noted co-organizer Crystal Weitz, director of service and community engagement at the Buford Center. Assessment will be conducted at the end of the spring 2019 semester to determine program effectiveness, she said.
The Community Foundation’s grant assessment criteria included whether projects would have widespread impact, be innovative, and involve collaborating partners or other significant outreach plans.
“For this particular grant cycle, the goal of each grant is to celebrate and build appreciation for diversity in Hancock County,” said Foundation Communications Officer Genna Freed.
For more information on the Buford Center’s Pursuing Cultural Humility program, please contact Chris Sippel, associate vice president for International, Intercultural and Service Engagement, at sippel@findlay.edu; Crystal Weitz at weitz@findlay.edu; or Robert Braylock at braylockr@findlay.edu.
About the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation:
The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation will improve the quality of life in Hancock County through collaborative leadership, responsible grantmaking, and the development of philanthropic giving. Established in 1992 as an outgrowth of a one-time gift from L. Dale Dorney, the Community Foundation has granted more than $23 million to fund projects that support our community. Visit www.community-foundation.com or call 419-425-1100 to learn more about how the Community Foundation is helping our community.