We recently connected with Khadijah Butler and have shared our conversation below.
Khadijah , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with talking about how you serve the underserved, because in our view this is one of the most important things the small business community does for society – by serving those who the giant corporations ignore, small business helps create a more inclusive and just world for all of us.
There’s no price or protocol on compassion, and Serving the Underserved is the pillar of the Craig D. Butler Scholarship Foundation. CDB Scholarships’ mission is to provide financial assistance to African American seniors in pursuit of higher education in the aftermath of gun violence. Our cardinal principle is to narrow the education gap amongst Philadelphia students as well as change the narrative that black excellence exists.
Khadijah , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Khadijah Butler, Founder, and President of the Craig D. Butler Scholarship Foundation.
CDB Scholarship provides financial assistance to African American college-bound seniors in Philadelphia in the aftermath of gun violence. My foundation was established in January 2020 to honor the life of my father, Craig, for whom the scholarship is named, and to continue his legacy of integrity, generosity, and service after he was shot and murdered at the hands of a 14-year-old in 1999.
My reasons for creating the scholarship fund were two-fold: I wanted to memorialize my father’s death by turning pain into purpose and I wanted to redirect the youth’s focus on education instead of their circumstances. The city of Philadelphia has been dealing with an epidemic of gun violence for years, and I knew I wanted to change the paradigm shift with the impact of education.
Each year, we award (2) $1,000 scholarships to applicants that meet the selection criteria, and to date we’ve awarded 5 scholarships overall.
What sets CDB Scholarship apart from other foundations is we are the only black-owned, women-owned scholarship foundation that serves Philadelphia. We also rally for education advocacy for minority students and bring awareness to gun violence reform.
Our organization takes pride in arming future scholars with the tools, resources, and access necessary to receive an education, which increases their chances of breaking the cycle of poverty. Investing in our youth has a ripple effect of positive actions on the community including an increase in high school graduation rates, creation of economic independence and social mobility, instilling a sense of belonging and fulfillment in the recipients, and promotion of philanthropy. Overall, CDB Scholarships’ pledge to bridge education inequality and mobilize economic growth within our community is boundless.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Starting this foundation was bittersweet. On the one hand, I knew that providing students with financial hurdles to receive an education is a gift that lasts a lifetime. But on the other hand, I knew that this foundation would reopen the wounds of the loss of my father. It wasn’t until I started receiving feedback from others about how impactful this scholarship was that gave me the fortitude to remain resilient.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
The lesson I had to unlearn was being passionate about a cause and meeting a need of a community isn’t enough to be successful, building trust is.
People want to know you, you’re story, who you are, put a face to the brand, a figurehead if you will. They need to be able to establish trust in you before they part ways with their money. Reinventing myself for the greater good of the foundation was daunting at first but necessary nonetheless.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.craigdbutlerscholarship.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cdbscholarship/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Craig-D-Butler-Scholarship-Foundation/100066493839809/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdbfoundation?lang=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4WnqGujZnGlJjFVzbp9QtA