Vol. 19, No. 31

May 18, 2000

Student volunteers contribute to the community

Through volunteerism, UD students are making a difference in the community in several different roles-such as mentors and tutors in local schools, participants in charitable walks, firefighters, collectors for food banks and helpers for those with disabilities, to name a few. Two ceremonies were held recently to honor student volunteers who have given of their time and talents to help others. The first was the Volunteer Awards ceremony, sponsored by the dean of students office on May 9 at the Perkins Student Center. The second was the Town & Gown Committee Award for Community Service, held May 11 and conducted by the city of Newark in the Municipal Center Courtyard. Volunteer Awards The Volunteer Awards Ceremony included the presentation of the Nikki Woolf Volunteer Award to Cheri Mischler, CHEP 2000. The award honors the late Ms. Woolf, a UD student who died in a traffic accident in 1993. In presenting the award, Dennis Woolf spoke of his daughter's "love in trying to help people." He also dedicated the award, in part, to Zachary Holtzman, a family friend and UD freshman, who was killed in a train accident in 1999. Mischler has spent much of her time helping children with special needs. While student teaching and tutoring, she has asked to work with severely disabled children, and with the goal of teaching in special education. She has volunteered with the Delaware Special Olympics, coaching several sports and assisting with swimming. She has raised money for the organization for the past five years by jumping in the ocean in the Polar Bear Plunge. At the YMCA in the Appoquinimink School District, she has worked with children with special needs, teaching them living skills and sports during the before-school care and summer programs. She worked at Green Acres Day Care, helping children with special needs, and has been a babysitter for three young children with disabilities. Also at the ceremony, Jane Moore, dean of students office, awarded the Outstanding Volunteer Organization of the Year awards to Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity and Operation Smile. Phi Sigma Pi, led by president David Petrucci, EG 2000, is dedicated to upholding the ideals of scholarship, leadership and fellowship on campus and in the community. The fraternity has taken part in fundraising walks for charity, volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House and A.I. du Pont Children's Hospital, collected food for the Delaware Food Bank, helped with the Main Street Clean-Up, visited the Delaware Psychiatric Center through the VOICE program and worked for the blood drive for the Blood Bank of Delaware, plus several other activities. Operation Smile is led by Clif D'Mello, AS 2000, and benefits children around the world with facial deformities, such as cleft palates and lips, by giving money for operations or care. Through various activities flower sales, date auctions and fashion shows?the student group has raised money to help a hearing impaired individual, distributed information and sought patients in the Phillipines and South Dakota when members traveled in those areas and helped to form a new group at Goldey Beacom School of Business. Receiving honorable mention were Best Buddies, which matches college students with individuals with disabilities; and Phi Kappa Tau fraternity for its annual 5K for Bruce, which raised $6,000 for the Make-a-Wish Foundation this year. The first 5K was for Bruce Peisino, a Christiana High School student who was paralyzed while playing football, and other races have raised money for young people paralyzed in accidents. Town & Gown Awards The Town & Gown Award recognizes outstanding University student volunteers who have served the Newark community. This year, 39 students were honored at the ceremony. Nominated by Girls Inc. for mentoring, story reading, teenage programs, tutoring, infant care and other activities were Jennifer Barrack, CHEP 2000; Amy Baskin, AS 2000; Marsha Blitshtein, AS 2002; Lara Bollinger, CHEP 2000; Kiya Crippen, CHEP 2000; Ilana Doris, AS 2000; Amanda Frick, CHEP 2000; Sarah Hammell, CHEP 2002; Meaghan O'Rourke, AS 2002; Amy Wagenseller (Americorps), CHEP 2001; and Lara Weitsen (Americorps), CHEP 2000. Nominated by the Chesapeake Bay Girl Scouts Council for leading Brownie troops, Girl Scout troops and presenting programs were Jessica "Amber" Burke, AS 2003; Moira Conway, AS 2001; Eileen Cotugno, CHEP 2000; Brienne Keener, AS 2002; Lisa Kutzing, AS 2002; Natalie J. Miller, AG 2001; Sarah Ponzio, AS 2000; Jennifer Rutan, AS 2000; and Laurie Santo, AS 2002; Lianne Bishop AS 2002 and Rebecca Gardner, CHEP 2002, volunteered in Downes Elementary School HOSTS program, and Karen Levitt, CHEP 2002, was in the HOSTS program at West Park School. The Aetna Hose, Hook & Ladder Co. cited volunteer firefighters Joseph Papariello, AS 2000, for pushing fire back to allow the rescue of an unconscious person, and Tripp Wagner III, AS 2000, for rescuing an unconscious person. Corinne Bria, AS 2002, was cited for participating in the Best Buddies program at the Mary Campbell Center. Erin Cooper, BE 2001, was an overnight supervisor for Emmaus House Programs. Clif D'Mello, AS 2000, was active in Operation Smile. Jennie Gallagher, AS 2002, volunteered with the Newark Arts Alliance. Lori Henry, HN 2000, volunteered with Cooperative Extension's Delaware Safe Kids Coalition. Erin Malick, CHEP 2000, was cited for leadership in Habitat for Humanity. Dana Miller, AG 2000, volunteered at Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research Cheri Mischler, CHEP 2000, worked with the Special Olympics. Sarah Rosenberg, AS 2002, assisted a UD student with learning disabilities. Jessica Sozio, CHEP 2001, was a Ronald MacDonald volunteer. Emily Sweeney, CHEP 200, organized Panhellenic women to educate people on new parking lot procedures in Newark. Abby Weiss (Americorps), CHEP 2000, presented programs at the Claymont Community Center. Marissa Weiss, CHEP 2000, started S.C.E.N.E., a non-alcohol event planning group. Dawn E. Wright, AS 2001, volunteered at Nanticoke Memorial Hospital and with the UD Emergency Care Unit and performed for Clowns for Medicine. Sue Moncure