College Station Center Aims to Bring Cultures Together 

A new venue opening Monday in College Station is part of one man's lifelong goal to increase communication between people of different cultures and religions. Local Turkish businessman Fercan Kalkan said he has dedicated his life to bringing people from Turkey and the United States closer to understanding their differences and their similarities. "It is my belief that only if the Turkish people invest in the U.S. and Americans invest in Turkish people will we understand each other better," said Kalkan, who leads annual trips for local business leaders to Turkey. "The only way I can improve the cooperation is if we see each other's cultures and countries." Kalkan's newest venture is the Cultural Center, which offers space to people of all faiths and cultures wanting to engage in dialogue and learn about different beliefs. (June, 4, College Station, Texas)

To celebrate the grand opening, organizers have invited Bryan's and College Station's mayors, local church and religious leaders and state Rep. Fred Brown, R-College Station, for a brief ceremony with refreshments and speeches. The reception is open to the public and will be at 9:30 a.m. in Suite 114 at 4031 E. 29th St., in Bryan. The venture, from paying rent to the office's remodeling and painting, has been funded by Kalkan, who owns real estate in College Station and Bryan. He said he's opening a similar center for international business people in Houston. "It's open to all organizations," said Kalkan, who received his master's and Ph.D. degrees from Texas A&M. But Kalkan and other organizers emphasized that the center would cater primarily to Turkish citizens and to promoting Turkish culture. The center will serve as the headquarters for two national organizations: The Raindrop Foundation and The Institute of Interfaith Dialogue. Both organizations are expected to have part-time volunteer representatives who will staff the facility seven days a week. Alpaflan Fahin, an international doctoral student at Texas A&M, will serve as the representative for the Institute of Interfaith Dialogue. The nonprofit organization seeks to "bring together communities of different faiths in order to promise compassion, cooperation, partnership and community service through interfaith dialogue and conversation," according to officials from the organization. Fahin said his work at the center is based on his deeply-held belief in the need "to establish peace and friendship between people of diverse groups." "It doesn't matter to which religion we belong," he said. "We have more similarities than differences." At the center, Fahin said he hopes to organize interfaith dialogue dinners, cooking classes and English as a Second Language and SAT courses for international students, as well as celebrate religious and official holidays from different cultures. "We are so happy to have a place to serve our community and enrich diversity in our society," he said. The Raindrop Foundation is a non-profit organization established in Houston in 2000 that aims to help people in the United States understand Turkish culture and to help Turkish people adjust to life in America, according to officials from the organization. Bryan Mayor Mark Conlee said he plans to attend the opening. "It's important to foster international relations," he said. "There are lots of different religions [in our town]." Bilal Erturk, president of Texas A&M's Institute of Interfaith Dialogue chapter, also said he plans to be active at the center. "The Cultural Center is hopefully going to create grounds where people of different faiths can come and talk about their common values and come to know each other better," he said. n Janet Phelps' e-mail address is This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

By JANET PHELPS

Eagle Staff Writer