CBE Companies Announces Establishment of Racial Equality Training Fund in Partnership with Waterloo Community Foundation

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Tom Penaluna (Chairman and CEO, CBE) announced today that CBE has donated to establish a fund, in conjunction with the Waterloo Community Foundation, to which contributions can be made in support of the Waterloo Police’s efforts to improve race relations in our local community. These funds will be directed towards the City of Waterloo, Iowa with the goal to assist the City in improving race relations between the Police Department and the Black Community. The City of Waterloo’s new Police Chief, Joel Fitzgerald, has proposed sweeping changes to give officers the very important and relevant training needed to perform their duties in the following areas:

• Procedural Justice/Implicit Bias/Reconciliation Training
• Critical Incident Team Training
• De-escalation Instructor Training
• First Line Supervisor Training

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Penaluna commented, “Earlier this week, I shared CBE’s corporate commitment with our staff to do our part and address social injustices and racism. When our leadership team made those commitments, we understood that government leaders, corporate leaders, and other influencers must move beyond just saying politically correct statements and must take actions to address the decades of discrimination that Black Americans have had to face. CBE strongly believes that everyone has a right to live freely without discrimination, and we stand together to make real and lasting change to impact Black lives.  More importantly, we have been listening to those in our local communities on how to best initiate change, and we want to share the initial steps CBE will take toward our commitments. It is our hope that this additional support will lead to improved race relations between the Police Department and Black Community. Our goal is to raise $250,000.00 to assist with this vital community need. We invite other businesses and citizens of Waterloo to join us in donating to the fund. Again, we know these are initial steps and there is so much more listening, understanding, and action that needs to take place for real change to occur. Many Black Lives have been lost needlessly, and it’s up to every one of us to commit, to act, and to create a better future.”

Donation Information

Racial Equality Training Fund
Waterloo Community Foundation
P.O. Box 1253
425 Cedar Street
Waterloo, IA 50704