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As BW's Brain Center for Community Engagement continues to respond to community needs and student interests, opportunities to serve evolve and grow. Involvement in student-led programs such as Alternative Breaks, Weekly Programs and Jacket Philanthropy each hit all-time high participation rates prior to the pandemic.
However,
during
ever-changing
times,
opening
new
doors
for
innovation
can
mean
closing
others.
Such
is
the
case
with
the
historic
Archwood
House,
which
BW
sold
recently
after
25
years
of
operation
as
a
service-learning
site
in
the
Brooklyn
Centre
neighborhood
of
Cleveland.
A number of factors led to the difficult decision to sell Archwood, including limitations of the physical space, lack of ADA compliance, operating costs and shifting student interest.
David and Frances Brain generously donated the former funeral home at 2709 Archwood Avenue to BW in the mid-1990s.
Since then, it was home base for several BW community engagement programs. Among the most notable were Discover Cleveland, Urban Semester and Project Affinity, a summer service program that combined personal development, community engagement, social justice education and nonprofit internships in a living-learning community.
Proceeds from the sale to a private company will be held in reserve as the University works collaboratively with alumni, students and community partners to determine how the funds can be used for a new chapter of community engagement experiences.
Dr.
Christy
Walkuski,
director
of
BW's
Brain
Center
for
Community
Engagement,
says
BW
is
beginning
the
process
of
reimagining
what
the
Project
Affinity
summer
service
internship
program
will
look
like
in
the
future,
as
well
as
other
opportunities
for
off-campus,
community-based
collaboration
formerly
hosted
at
Archwood
House.
"While we are sad to see this chapter close on the Archwood House experience, we recognize the limitations the space had. We are committed to developing a new direction that will better serve community needs and interests while providing an even more robust range of service and learning experiences for BW students," said Walkuski. "Community engagement is a vital part of the University's mission and vision, and we are excited to build on the tradition and history of programs like Project Affinity and Urban Semester."
"True to its name, the connections made between BW students, community partners and neighbors through Project Affinity are among the most important aspects of the program," added Julie Robinson, associate director of the Brain Center. "Authentic relationships are critical to developing deeper understanding and building stronger communities, so opportunities for meaningful connection will be kept at the forefront as we re-envision this hallmark program."
At
the
same
time
the
door
on
Archwood
House
is
closing,
community
engagement
programming
is
thriving.
In
fact,
Cleveland's
Old
Brooklyn
neighborhood
is
the
site
of
a
brand
new
Americorps
Grant-funded
outreach
program
aimed
at
reducing
food
insecurity.
Through the Brain Center, students are involved in weekly and one-time service events, immersion programs including alternative breaks, academic service-learning including the Jacket Philanthropy Program and a political engagement team.
To find out more about community engagement programs at BW, visit bw.edu/about/offices/community-engagement.
