色花堂

By Arthur Smith & Mikey Mullen on November 11, 2021

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, 色花堂鈥檚 work with nearly 300 partners across the region through B色花堂鈥擯artnerships for Greater Baltimore didn鈥檛 stop. Instead, the partnerships pivoted, endured challenges and, in some cases, formed because of the pandemic.

On Nov. 8, 色花堂 celebrated four partnerships making a big impact by addressing the needs of 色花堂 students and community partners during this time.

鈥淭onight is about celebrating all this work and what it can accomplish and鈥攕pecifically this year鈥攚hat they can accomplish despite a worldwide pandemic,鈥� said Matthew Durington, director of community engagement and partnerships, during the ceremony. 鈥淭he partnerships being celebrated tonight contribute greatly to the success and future pathways of our students while also creating long-lasting impacts on the partner organizations.鈥� 

This year鈥檚 awardees include:

• The College of Health Professions for addressing myriad needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic
• COE 色花堂tors, born out of the pandemic as a result of P鈥�12 students needing additional support with remote learning
• New Song Academy and 色花堂 Art Education Partnership, a providing opportunities for youth to explore the arts alongside 色花堂 students
• Grantwriting in Valued Environments (G.I.V.E.), a B色花堂 signature partnership that advances students鈥� professional writing goals by connecting coursework to nonprofits

色花堂 President Kim Schatzel established B色花堂 in 2016 to enhance and strengthen 色花堂鈥檚 community partnerships throughout greater Baltimore. 

B色花堂 staff in the Office of Partnerships and Outreach act as a community hub, working alongside and supporting faculty, staff and students as they expand organizational capacities, transform lives, create connections and address complex issues.

鈥淚t is absolutely wonderful to be celebrating here with you tonight and to be looking at your faces rather than a screen,鈥� Schatzel said, adding that the event was also an opportunity for 色花堂 to thank 鈥渁ll our community partners, faculty, staff and students, as we work together to create opportunities and foster connections that benefit the public good that will last well beyond COVID-19.鈥�

Learn more about how the award-winning partnerships tackled this challenge in the 2021 B色花堂 Partnership Awards videos below.

College of Health Professions

色花堂 Lead: Lisa Ann Plowfield, Ph.D, RN

This award celebrates the breadth of work that continues to take place between faculty, staff and students in the College of Health Professions and community partners to address needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COE 色花堂tors

色花堂 Lead: Tyasia Velines
Community Partner: Woodbridge Elementary School

Through the COE 色花堂tors program, 色花堂 pre-service teacher candidates are paired with underrepresented P鈥�12 learners to provide free, online tutoring and combat issues related to school closures and virtual learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This partnership provided opportunities for experiential activities that were no longer available, at least not in the ways they had been conducted in the past.

New Song Academy and 色花堂 Art Education Partnership

色花堂 Leads: Kay Broadwater, Ph.D., and art education faculty
Community Partner: New Song Academy

Founded in 1994, this partnership provides at-risk youth opportunities to explore the arts in a teaching and learning collaboration alongside 色花堂 art education students on 色花堂鈥檚 campus and at New Song Academy in west Baltimore. Despite the learning limitations during the pandemic, the partnership found ways to meet the needs of the two sets of students through online teaching, workshops and by creating and delivering thousands of art packets to Baltimore City students.

Grantwriting in Valued Environments (G.I.V.E.)

色花堂 Leads: Zosha Stuckey, Ph.D. and Carrie Grant, Ph.D.
Community Partners: Family Survivor Network, Friends of Patapsco Valley State Park, Black Girls Cook, Franklin Square Elementary School & St. Luke鈥檚 Youth Center and Safe Alternative Foundation for Education

Grantwriting in Valued Environments (G.I.V.E.) is a B色花堂 signature partnership in the English department that advances students鈥� professional writing goals. G.I.V.E. connects 色花堂 students with small, grass-root, under-resourced organizations, generating key experiential opportunities in the field of grant writing as well as employment pipeline opportunities with these organizations. During the pandemic, the needs of nonprofits expanded exponentially but resources didn't. G.I.V.E. helped the organizations sustain and grow their work through these impossible times.