Resilient Relief Effort In January 2011, a group of Centenary students, faculty and staff members teamed up with their colleagues from Drew University through the Centenary Disaster Relief Program to travel to New Orleans for the sixth consecutive year to help rebuild the homes of families devastated by Hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and Rita. “My first year, there were cars in the pools in the backyards, boats in the middle of the streets,” Neil Andrito, Director of Residence Life and manager for this year’s trip, told The Daily Record. “Now, the worst you see is the empty lots, which is not good for the community but a sign of progress.” Since the volunteer effort began in 2006, more than 600 Centenarians have participated in the service initiative and have volunteered more than 35,000 hours and raised nearly $350,000 needed to continue helping the people of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. During the 10-day trip in January, the project’s mission focused on the rebuilding of homes in St. Bernard Parish and helping this resilient community through two nonprofit organizations, the St. Bernard Project and the Community Center of St. Bernard. This was the third time Centenary worked with the St. Bernard Project, which was recently featured on the cover of U.S. News and World Report as one of the country’s Top 10 socially innovative organizations.
Joining the Fight Against Cancer Inspired by the experience of family and friends who have battled cancer, the Omega Rho fraternity participated in several efforts to fight this devastating disease. Last November, fraternity members worked with Centenary’s Admission Office and the Women’s Basketball team to raise money for Livestrong, Alex’s Lemonade Stand and Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Earlier in the year, the fraternity participated in the Warren County Relay for Life, which raised more than $50,000 to benefit the American Cancer Society.
Omega Rho brothers lent their support to fight cancer.
Agents of Change Some classes talk about positive change. Sociology students from Centenary are actually doing something about important national and global issues. Associate Professor of Sociology Kitsy Dixon challenged students to raise consciousness about critical concerns such as autism last semester. As a result, one of the class’ “Social Change and Movement” teams held an Autism Walk-a-Thon to benefit Autism Speaks on November 6, 2010. Other projects spearheaded by class members addressed pediatric cancer, alcohol education and the enforcement of women’s rights in Iran.
New Scholarship for Service In keeping with Centenary’s commitment to serving the local and world communities, the College has established a scholarship that rewards incoming students who have demonstrated a strong track record for social responsibility throughout their high school years. The Centenary Community Service Scholarship provides up to a $10,000 annual award to students who have volunteered with organizations including community or service clubs, scouting, and environmental, civic, cultural or historical groups. Vice President for Enrollment Management and Strategic Branding Diane Finnan said the College was delighted to acknowledge students who have demonstrated a strong ethic of helping others. “Service to others is at the cornerstone of who we are at Centenary,” she said. “We were founded to provide educational opportunities to people without access to school, and we continue to address the changing social needs of our communities daily. Whether it is sorting food at the local food bank, collecting coats during the winter, feeding the homeless in New York, or rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina, service is at the very heart of who we are as a community.” For more information, visit centenarycollege.edu/scholarships. The Centenarian 9