Community Collaboration – One Race, the Human Race

2012 Fiscal Year Funding Amount

$7,374

Project of

Southeastern Libraries Cooperating Legacy Grant SFY 2012 - SFY 2013

Fund Source

Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund

Recipient

Owatonna Public Schools

Recipient Type

K-12 Education

Status

Completed

Start Date

April 2012

End Date

April 2012

Activity Type

Education/Outreach/Engagement

Counties Affected

Steele

Project Overview

Owatonna High School, in collaboration with the Owatonna Public Library and Centro Campesino, brought the author Victor Villasenor to Owatonna. Villasenor is well-known as the author of the national best-seller Rain of Gold. This book has been published in seven different languages and used by thousands of teachers and school systems across the nation as required reading. He is a gifted and accomplished speaker who brought a much-needed perspective to a number of universal themes including “We are all one race. The human race.” The program in Owatonna consisted of having Mr. Villasenor at the high school for two days where he presented to two language arts classes on the first day and worked with a group of minority students and students from the Alternative Learning Center on the second. Also on the second day, he conducted a community event at the Owatonna Public Library for parents and community members. The traveling expenses for the program were shared with the Hennepin County Library as Villasenor also presented there while in Minnesota.

Project Details

280

Competitive Grant Making Body

Board Members and Qualifications

The following are members of the SELCO/SELS Board of Directors. All appointments are made locally by legally constituted governing authorities: library boards, city councils, and/or boards of county commissions. Leo Aeikens - Albert Lea, Sally Baker - Austin, Martha Hauschildt - Brownsdale, Liz Wanschura - Caledonia, Carol Price - Cannon Falls, Denise Mullen - Chatfield, Nancy Smith - Dodge Center, Clint Patterson - Dodge County, Mary Jane Holland - Faribault, Judy Webster - Harmony, Kurt Carlson - Hokah, Marilyn Frauenkron Bayer - Houston, Lori Hopkins - Kasson, Rhana Olson - Kenyon, Robin Yaffe Tschumper - LaCrescent, Andru Peters - Lake City, Barb Payne - LeRoy, Robert Elliott - Lonsdale, Deanna Larson - Mabel, Robert Bruce - Northfield, Thomas Sherman - Olmsted County, John Pfeifer - Owatonna, Kim Aarsvold - Pine Island, Mary Schneider - Plainview, Charles Sparks - Preston, Sara Hoffman - Red Wing, Galen Malecha - Rice County, Diane Moench - Rochester, Valerie Hasleiet - Rushford, Jill Mueller - St Charles, Pat Falbo - Spring Grove, Carol Gross - Spring Valley, Janice Welch - Stewartville, Judith Schotzko - Wabasha, Dave Harms - Wabasha County, Judy Rusert - Winona County, Ann Goplen - Zumbrota

Advisory Group Members and Qualifications

The Legacy Review Committee serves as an advisory committee. The committee shall consist of 11 members representing each county within the SELCO/SELS region, with a majority being current or recent members of the SELCO/SELS Board Of Directors and the remaining coming from the arts and cultural heritage communities. Diane Moench - Olmsted County, Clint Patterson - Dodge County, Gretchen Schade - Fillmore County, Pat Mulso - Freeborn County, Don Regelman - Goodhue County, Drue Ferguson - Houston County, Scott Anderson - Mower County, Marcy Irby - Rice County, Sharon Stark - Steele County, Judith Schotzko - Wabasha County, Jill Mueller - Winona County

Conflict of Interest Disclosed

Project Details: 2012 Fiscal Year

Legal Citation / Subdivision

Laws of Minnesota for 2011 Chapter 6, Article 4, Subdivision 4

2012 Fiscal Year Funding Amount

$7,374

Other Funds Leveraged

$4,582

Direct expenses

$11,956

Administration costs

$189

Number of full time equivalents funded

0.044

Proposed Measurable Outcome(s)

Students will demonstrate an understanding of someone who struggled with many obstacles in his life yet overcame these obstacles with perseverance and respect for others.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the unique gifts shared by being of diverse backgrounds and cultures yet all being of one race, the human race.
Parents and community members will provide positive feedback regarding the author’s presentation.

Measurable Outcome(s)

The students were asked if the program changed their prospective about diversity: the response rate was 14% with strongly agree, 85% with agree, and 1% with disagree. Comments from the students included: “He taught me that everyone has problems in their lives, but if you just think about everything you’ve learned, you can solve problems," “It doesn’t matter where you came from. Whatever race you are, you are important," and “No matter how far down the wrong road you are, you can always turn around even if it’s hard but leads to something great.” Community members responded 12% strong agreement, 80% agreement, 7% disagreement, and 1% strong disagreement that the program changed their perspective about diversity.
Comments gathered from the public event included: “His story about his years in public schools was so sad. I hope we don’t treat children this way anymore,” and “Another way of looking at society and culture.”

Source of Additional Funds

Centro Campesino,
Owatonna Public Library

Recipient Board Members

The following are members of the SELCO/SELS Board of Directors. All appointments are made locally by legally constituted governing authorities: library boards, city councils, and/or boards of county commissions.
Leo Aeikens - Albert Lea, Sally Baker - Austin, Martha Hauschildt - Brownsdale, Liz Wanschura - Caledonia, Carol Price - Cannon Falls, Denise Mullen - Chatfield, Nancy Smith - Dodge Center, Clint Patterson - Dodge County, Mary Jane Holland - Faribault, Judy Webster - Harmony, Kurt Carlson - Hokah, Marilyn Frauenkron Bayer - Houston, Lori Hopkins - Kasson, Rhana Olson - Kenyon, Robin Yaffe Tschumper - LaCrescent, Andru Peters - Lake City, Barb Payne - LeRoy, Robert Elliott - Lonsdale, Deanna Larson - Mabel, Robert Bruce - Northfield, Thomas Sherman - Olmsted County, John Pfeifer - Owatonna, Kim Aarsvold - Pine Island, Mary Schneider - Plainview, Charles Sparks - Preston, Sara Hoffman - Red Wing, Galen Malecha - Rice County, Diane Moench - Rochester, Valerie Hasleiet - Rushford, Jill Mueller - St Charles, Pat Falbo - Spring Grove, Carol Gross - Spring Valley, Janice Welch - Stewartville, Judith Schotzko - Wabasha, Dave Harms - Wabasha County, Judy Rusert - Winona County, Ann Goplen - Zumbrota