Columbia Foundation name change

       Once upon a time Columbia and Howard County were two very different places.  There was a liberal Columbia Democrat Club and a more conservative Ellicott City Democrat Club.  Ellicott City had Buell's and the Forest Diner and Columbia had Mrs. Z's.  In the 1960's when racial diversity was a central component of Columbia, some of Howard County was still trying to accept the new civil rights legislation in public accommodations.   Urban-raised Columbians sometimes felt like an anomaly in a rural county.
      Today the distinctions between Columbia and the rest of Howard County have been greatly reduced.  Much of this has occurred as former Columbians have moved to newer, larger housing outside the boundaries of Columbia.  Columbia has "spilled over" into much of the rest of the County.  The liberalism of Columbia is now a reality in most of Howard County's voting patterns.
        In light of this reality one of Columbia's oldest institutions has decided that it is time for a name change.  Last week the Columbia Foundation decided to change its name to the Community Foundation of Howard County.  The Foundation has for most of its history funded programs that benefited the entire county inspite of its name.  The name change is probably long overdue.  Below is the public announcement of the name change from the Foundation.

"The Columbia Foundation, which raises, manages and distributes funds to support Howard County nonprofits, will change its name to the Community Foundation of Howard County to better reflect Howard County's growth, the foundation's diverse donor base and the geographic scope of communities served. The new name will take effect May 15th, the day after the foundation's Spring Party."

"As Howard County's only community foundation, it is imperative that we evolve along with the community we serve," said Earl Armiger, chair of The Columbia Foundation's board of trustees. "The board of trustees unanimously approved a resolution to change our name to be more inclusive of the community."

"Columbia-founder Jim Rouse established the foundation, the first community foundation in Maryland, in 1969 to facilitate philanthropy and help create a nonprofit infrastructure in Howard County. In the 1960s, Howard County was home to approximately 60,000 residents, and the surge in population in the 1970s and 1980s was primarily in the villages that comprise Columbia. However, as a result of expanded patterns of housing and development over the past two decades, Howard County is currently home to more than 294,000 residents spread throughout the county."

"Last year, The Columbia Foundation funded 100 nonprofits whose services affected more than 178,000 residents throughout neighborhoods in Columbia and as far east as Elkridge and Savage, as far south as Fulton and North Laurel, as far west as Glenwood and Woodbine and all the communities in between."

"We are all one Howard County community, and our name should reflect that inclusiveness," said Beverly White-Seals, president and CEO of The Columbia Foundation. "As the community has grown, its needs have grown, and we have grown to meet those needs. What remains the same is our commitment of service to each of our donors and charitable funds, to nonprofit organizations and the community. Working together, we're able to leverage collective knowledge, creativity and resources for a greater impact than any one of them could make alone."

P.S.

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P.S. 1

From the Columbia Association:

    "  CA’s new World Languages Café offers free, friendly way to learn new languages, increase fluency (4th Wed of the month).    Next Cafe is  at Wegmans. Whether  it  is  in  English,  en  français,  en  español,  or  in  Arabic,  Farsi,  German,  Hebrew,  Hindi,  Italian,  Japanese, Korean, Mandarin,  Portuguese,  or Russian,  there  can  be  a  table  with  friendly  faces  and good  conversation  at  Columbia  Association’s  (CA)  World  Languages  Café.

      The  World  Languages  Café  provides  monthly  evenings  of  conversation  and  culture  for  people  to speak  a  language  they  know  or  are  learning,  increase  their  fluency  by  speaking  and  listening,  meet  others who  enjoy  learning  languages,  pick  up  useful  phrases  to  use  when  traveling  —  or  even  to  recall  a  childhood language.

       These  gatherings  are  free  and  are  appropriate  for  adults,  as  well  as  college  and  high  school students (who should be in level 4 or 5).  They  will  be  held  on  the  fourth  of  the  month year-round at  the  Wegmans  Café,  located  at  8855  McGaw  Road  in Columbia.  People  are  invited  to  come  upstairs  and  join  the  language  table  of  their  choice,  whether  they  want to  drop  in  or  stay  the  entire  time.  On  their  way  up,  participants can  purchase  a  drink,  snack  or  dinner  to  bring with  them. Language  tables  are  hosted  by  native  speakers  who  will  facilitate  conversation;  these  gatherings  are not  grammar  or  vocabulary  classes.

      Check  www.ColumbiaAssociation.org/Multicultural  for  the  languages  that  will  be  offered  each month. If we do not have a native speaker, we may not be able to host a language, although if there are two or more people, they can always practice together. If you would like to be a native speaker table host, please contact me. We have guidelines for table hosts as well as conversation starters. For  more information,  contact  laura.smit@ColumbiaAssociation.org  or  call  410-­715-­3162. "