University Honors gets grant to further work with CHUM BY AMANDA HASS/STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT
The University of Minnesota Duluth Honors Program was awarded a $3,000 grant to continue work with the Steve O’Neill Apartments through Church’s United in Ministry or CHUM.
“Our honors president last year did remarkable work initiating the grant,” Ryan Goei, director of UMD Honors Program, said.
The grant is called the Public Engagement grant. It was given to the Honors Program by the University of Minnesota system.
The grant was fought for by the students. The former Honors president wrote the draft of the grant to help the Honors Program do more with the programs CHUM has proposed to them.
According to Kallie Quinn, public relations director of UMD Honors, CHUM has been in Duluth for around 40 years and their mission is to combat homelessness in Duluth.
CHUM and the UMD Honors Program paired up last year to work with the people in the Steve O’Neill Apartments.
“We have a means to give, so we should,” Quinn said.
“Honors is pairing with CHUM because of their social justice mission,” Goei said. “We have nothing to do with the religious aspect.”
The Steve O’Neill Apartments are located on Fourth St. between First and Second Ave.
“The apartments are for families with chronic homelessness,” Quinn said
Last year, the Honors Program participated in fundraisers to accomplish goals set for the apartments. The community was very responsive to their fundraising, raising $10,000 in three weeks.
“Last year our goal was to furnish every bathroom in the apartments with a towel for each person,” Quinn said.
The Honors Program met that goal and exceeded it by providing other hygiene products like shampoo and soap.
“There are 50 apartments in the complex and they are either totally filled or very close to it,” Goei said. “The grant will help foster the partnership (between UMD Honors and CHUM).”
The Honors Program would like to build the relationship with the apartment residents by providing community programs. Prospective programs include barbeques, tutoring workshops, yard games and UMD tours.
“The point of having the Honors students there is to build trust and show the kids that they can be like these motivated students,” Goei said.
According to Goei, the workers at CHUM see the cycle of homelessness these kids experience and want to break that cycle.
“The partnership with CHUM and Honors students will help break that cycle and open doors for those kids,” Goei said.
The students in the Honors Program will be volunteering to keep the partnership alive but anyone is encouraged to volunteer.
“The more, the better,” Goei said.