CACMA Award Presented to UMC Connection
The UMC Connection Receives a
2008 Diversity Service Recognition Award
See photos below -
(Boulder, CO) On February 18, the UMC Connection Games Area (located in the University Memorial Center at CU-Boulder) was awarded a 2008 Diversity Service Recognition Award. This award is sponsored by the CU Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs (CACMA) and is given to campus units in recognition of their continuing efforts to create a diverse and supportive, learning, working, and living environment, as well as their commitment to promoting an understanding of multicultural issues. The Connection was nominated for the award by the UMC EDGE (Encouraging Diversity Growth for Equity) team. The application was proposed and written by Glenda Schofield.
The Connection won the award due to its commitment to provide a welcoming place for all persons to relax, kick back and have fun. By going out of their way to create an environment conducive to inclusiveness, openness and acceptance, the Connection flourishes as a diverse place for students and public groups to enjoy themselves. They have particularly gone out of their way to make the facilities accessible for those with disabilities and limited mobility by creating a fun physical space equipped with accessible bowling lanes, ramps and bumpers, plus they can also enjoy pool, arcade games, foosball, air hockey and more.
Connection Manager Dana Kusjanovic and her student staff work on a weekly basis with campus groups and community organizations to provide their services to diverse populations of people with a wide range of physical, developmental and cognitive disabilities. Some of the following groups that have worked with the Connection and benefited from their services are:
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CU Push Club – a fraternity outreach group that coordinates wheelchair users for regular outings that include bowling and promotes social interaction
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EXPAND – a Boulder Parks and Recreation program that promotes physical participation of people with a variety of disabilities alongside people without disabilities. (Photos of EXPAND program enjoying the Connection are included.)
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Imagine Colorado – a support service for people of all ages with developmental delays and cognitive disabilities
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Halcyon School – a special education school associated with Boulder High School
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Boulder County Mental Health System
The UMC Connection is committed to facilitating openness to promote the participation of all community members in their programs and events, and to maintaining the University’s interaction with these organizations and their members.
Dana Kusjanovic has recently taken a new step in the Connection’s continued commitment to community education and collaboration by working with a Boulder High School job developer and coach. This includes employing disabled students at the Connection, which will provide them with real world work experience and positive interaction with the University and Boulder communities.
As the heart of campus, the UMC provides an atmosphere of inclusiveness that allows for free and open exchange of ideas, as well as the development of significant relationships and understanding between all cultures in the university and the community at large.
The UMC’s definition of diversity is all-inclusive, encompassing ethnicity, race, gender, age, class, sexual orientation, national origin, religion/belief, ability, political views, and veteran’s status. It is a definition that includes the valuing of individual and group differences, respecting the perspectives of others, and communicating openly.
The Connection, University Memorial Center
1660 Euclid Ave, corner of Broadway
University of Colorado – Boulder
www.colorado.edu/umc/theconnection
EMAIL: theconnection@colorado.edu
303-492-6338
PHOTOS OF THE BOULDER PARKS & RECREATION PROGRAM, "EXPAND," DURING A VISIT TO THE UMC CONNECTION
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