Kindred Credit Union Limited and Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo continue as partners to support the success of the Centre for Peace Advancement
KITCHENER, ON – Kindred Credit Union, formerly Mennonite Savings and Credit Union (MSCU), has renewed its commitment to support the Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement (CPA). The CPA’s change of name reflects the name change of its donor.
The CPA came into being in 2011 as the result of a gift to Conrad Grebel University College of one million dollars from Kindred Credit Union, then called MSCU. In 2014, the CPA officially opened, fulfilling the shared dream of a space dedicated to collaborative peace innovation and education. Susan Schultz Huxman, president of Conrad Grebel University College, is delighted by the successful collaboration between the two like-minded organizations. “We have been thrilled with the level of activity, impact and partnership between Grebel, the credit union, and University of Waterloo around cutting-edge peace initiatives,” says Schultz Huxman.
Since opening its doors, the CPA has supported a wide range of activities in all of its priority areas. This has included: naming an inaugural Research Fellow; providing mentorship, training, and seed funding to 12 new peace-related initiatives through the Epp Peace Incubator program; and engaging over 7,000 community members through school workshops, public events, and Grebel Gallery exhibits. CPA director Paul Heidebrecht is convinced this is just the beginning: “We are well-positioned to harness and channel the passions, ideas, and skills of a new generation of peacebuilders, social innovators, and community partners to tackle the biggest and most pressing problems of our day.”
About Kindred Credit Union
Kindred Credit Union (Kindred) is a member-owned financial cooperative based in Kitchener, Ontario. Kindred’s values-centred approach is woven into everything we do and makes us the one-of-a-kind choice for people across Ontario who want to connect their values and faith with their finances. Kindred has eight full-service branches in Southwestern Ontario offering a complete range of banking, investing, and borrowing products and services. For more information please visit kindredcu.com.
About Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement
The Kindred Credit Union Centre for Peace Advancement is located at Conrad Grebel University College on the campus of the University of Waterloo. It aspires to attract peace innovators; to be a state of the art academic hub that incubates and advances collaborative, inter-disciplinary, multi-sector peacemaking. The CPA is currently home to over two dozen peace practitioners working for affiliate organizations and members of the Epp Peace Incubator program. Participants also include Grebel faculty, staff, and graduate students. For more information please visit uwaterloo.ca/centre-peace-advancement.
About Conrad Grebel University College
Founded in 1963 by Ontario Mennonites, Conrad Grebel University College is an Anabaptist-inspired liberal arts college affiliated with the world-class University of Waterloo. The college’s mission is “to seek wisdom, nurture faith and pursue justice and peace in service to church and society.” Grebel’s core values include inspired teaching, scholarly excellence, compassionate service, community building, active peacemaking and global engagement. Grebel’s signature academic programs include: Music, Peace and Conflict Studies, Theology, and Mennonite Studies. The College offers two graduate programs in Theology and Peace and Conflict Studies. For more information please visit uwaterloo.ca/grebel.