Buffalo, NY - Seven members of the Canisius University Class of 2020 have committed to a year of post-graduate service work. The students will dedicate the coming year to living simply, working for social justice and serving those who live on the margins of society, with such organizations as AmeriCorps and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
The Jesuit Volunteer Corp assists in education, advocacy and direct and community service for low-wage earners, homeless, unemployed, refugees, street youth, former gang members, the mentally ill, developmentally disabled, and others who strive to find justice in their lives.
AmeriCorps tutors and mentors disadvantaged youth; fights illiteracy; helps build affordable housing; works to improve health services; manages or operates after-school programs; and helps communities respond to disasters.
Those Canisius graduates who have committed to a year of service are:
- Madeline Beaulieu, a biology major. Beaulieu will devote a year of service to the Loretto Volunteer Program and assist at the Women's Bean Project in Denver, CO.
- Henry Burton, a biology major. Burton will devote a year of service to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, helping at St. Katharine Drexel Academy in San Diego, CA.
- Ashley Dittrich, a biology major. Dittrich will complete her year of service with AmeriCorps, volunteering at the National Civilian Community Corps in Aurora, CO.
- Rachel Joachimi, a Spanish major. Joachimi will complete a year of service with AmeriCorps, assisting at Posada Esperanza in Austin, TX.
- Hanna Kralles, a chemistry major. Kralles will complete her year of service with the AmeriCorps Health Corps Team, volunteering at the Washington AIDS Partnership in Washington, D.C.
- Simon Pratt, a biology major. Pratt will devote a year of service to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, assisting at the Samaritan MInistry of Greater Washington in Washington, D.C.
- Wesley Rider, an economics major. Rider will complete his year of service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, helping at the organization Back on My Feet, in Los Angeles, CA.
One of 27 Jesuit universities in the nation, Canisius is the premier private university in Western New York. Canisius celebrates its sesquicentennial anniversary during the 2019-20 academic year, marking 150 years of Jesuit education and leadership in the city of Buffalo and Western New York. Visit www.canisius.edu/150 for more information about Canisius' milestones and celebratory events.
