X.U. hosts summer speaker series on community partnerships

The Community Building Institute is hosting a series of conversations to explore the benefits of forming lasting positive partnerships in community. Explore examples of community partnerships making positive change. Hear from practitioners, neighborhood residents and partners who have taken the plunge and are working together to form lasting partnerships that are improving the places we all live, work, and play. These are informal, conversational sessions, so come prepared to hear some great ideas and share your own. All will be held at Xavier’s Cintas Center where there is plenty of free parking. Individual workshops are $25 each. If you register for all three, the package is $60.

Deadline to register for the July 22nd workshop is July 18. Click here to register. For more information, contact Trina Jackson at communitybuildinginstitute@xavier.edu.
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July 22, 2011 from 8:30-10:30 a.m.
“The School/Community Connection” Parents are an essential part of school/community partnerships. Come and hear what Ellen Schumer of Community Organizing for Family Issues (COFI) has been doing to connect parents and schools to their communities in Chicago. Rolonda Smith from Parents for Public Schools will also be here to talk about the Parent Leadership Academy and other activities in Cincinnati. Please join us for some great ideas about how to recruit parents to your efforts and better connect schools to our neighborhoods.

Speakers: Ellen Schumer, Executive Director of COFI, Chicago, IL.; Rolonda Smith, Executive Director of Parents for Public Schools, Cincinnati, OH

August 12, 2011 from 8:30-10:30 a.m.
“Corporate Partnerships in Community” Business and corporate neighbors can be seen as both asset and problem. Finding common ground between businesses and residents can be a challenge. Come hear from corporate citizen Pete Strange at Messer Construction and neighborhood principal Tom Boggs of Bond Hill Academy about the decades-long relationship that has deeply connected Messer Construction to Bond Hill and to educating neighborhood children. Peg Moertl of PNC Bank represents a different kind of community partner. PNC bank has been opening new branches, making loans, and making grants to support community initiatives in communities across Ohio and the Midwest. Peg will share her experiences with partnerships locally and throughout the region, and talk about how to strike a constructive partnership.

Panel: Peter Strange, Chairman, Messer Inc.; Tom Boggs, Principal, Bond Hill Academy; Peg Moertl, Senior Vice President, PNC Bank.

September 9, 2011 from 8:30-10:30 a.m.
“Community-University Partnerships” The "thousand pound gorilla" in the room, a hospital or university can be the best and worst of community partners. It has lots of resources, generates lots of activity, and potentially has lots of jobs, but can carry lots of baggage. Institutional expansions, safety, and an uneven distribution of power and influence are issues that institutions and the neighborhoods they live in have to grapple with. Strong institutional partners can help create transformational change for communities; they can also create long lasting scars. Xavier University and Evanston have been in both places. Ms. Anzora Adkins and Dr. John Kucia will talk about maintaining an ongoing relationship that is mutually beneficial. Dr. Carol Scheerer and Stacy Hill-Simons will talk about their specific work at the new Evanston Academy (formally Hoffman Parham School).

Panel: Dr. Carol Scheerer, Chair, Department of Occupational Therapy, Xavier University; Anzora Adkins, President, Evanston Community Council; John Kucia, Administrative Vice President , Xavier University; Stacey Hill-Simons, Principal, Evanston Academy