Friends Center at Guilford College will be the beneficiary of a $110,000 “Field of Interest Endowment” from the Piedmont Interfaith Council to enhance the center’s work on campus and within the broader community.

Wess Daniels, William R. Rogers Director of Friends Center and Quaker Studies, said it’s “a tremendous honor to be entrusted with this endowment.”

The Piedmont Interfaith Council began meeting in 1983 and originally gathered at Dana Auditorium on the Guilford campus for an Ecumenical Celebration of Thanksgiving designed to unite individuals from all religious, racial and cultural backgrounds in the spirit of community.

Earlier this year, the Council decided to restructure and reduce overhead costs by coming under the umbrella of the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. Under this new structure, earnings from the endowment will be distributed by the Foundation to the College for the purpose of providing annual support for the interfaith initiatives.

“It is an honor to carry the Piedmont Interfaith Council’s work forward in this way and at this time,” said Wess. “Especially in this time where so much attention is put on scapegoating and demonizing the other, a gift like this enables Friends Center staff and Guilford College to sustain programs that build appreciative knowledge across our beautifully diverse college community.”

Friends Center supports not only the Quaker ethos at Guilford, but also fosters the interfaith dialogue within the College’s diverse student body. This is showcased through the work of Multifaith Coordinator and Chaplain for Students Meagan Holleman, who hosts weekly interfaith meetings for worship, interfaith programming on and off campus, and other endeavors.