Caritas Awards Ceremony recognizes commitment to service and social justice

04/03/2007

The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University campus ministry offices host the annual Caritas Awards Ceremony Monday, April 16 at the Teresa Reception Center, Main Building, College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph.

The event begins with a reception at 5 p.m., followed by the awards program at 5:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

This year’s recipients of the award are Kristin Roehl, a senior liberal studies major at CSB from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.; Dylan Sheldon, a senior French major at SJU from Battle Lake, Minn.; Samantha Henningson, CSB alumna ’04; and Jeffrey Corey, SJU alumnus ’94.

Since 1995, one upperclass student from CSB, one upperclass student from SJU, a CSB alumna and SJU alumnus have been chosen to receive the Caritas Award, which recognizes commitment to both service and social justice. The alumnae/i receive $1,500 to give to a volunteer organization in their name, and each student receives $500 for a volunteer organization of his or her choice.

Roehl has helped countless people around the globe. She has served in the CSB Campus Ministry office since September 2003. Rohel served as an English teacher at a primary school in Beibei, China, in 2005. She served in the Border Immersion experience at the Annunciation House in El Paso, Texas, in January 2005; at the Red Lake Reservation in October 2004 in Red Lake, Minn.; with Project Angel Heart, March 2004 in Denver, Colo., and with the Student Coalition for Global Solidarity from September to December, 2003.  Roehl also participated in the BEGIN In Service program through Service Learning at CSB/SJU in September 2003 in the Twin Cities area, and was a leader in the program in September 2004.

Sheldon is passionate about peace and justice issues. He was introduced to the Student Coalition for Global Solidarity (SCGS), and went on several School of the Americas Watch (SOAW) trips. Sheldon chaired the United Students Against Sweatshops committee, and helped set up and organize an Amnesty International group at CSB/SJU. The group sponsored a Human Rights Week for the first time in spring, 2006, and helped organize the second event in late March. He also became president of SCGS and helped organize the SOAW trip. Sheldon worked on issues for social and political advocacy, including a trip to Washington, D.C., to protest the Iraq war; petitioning and lobbying for various foreign policy issues including the war and military policy in Latin America; and local policy issues concerning the environment.

Henningson lived in the Izerda house for two years while attending CSB. She worked at the Writing Center and was involved in a number of organizations that promoted peace, justice and understanding. She continues to make contributions in St. Paul, where she now lives. She coordinated a neighborhood project to create mosaic panels for a neighborhood mural. Henningson also believes change can be made through literature and art. She organized a spring break service trip for Hamline University students to study street art and graffiti in Chicago. She is also volunteering as campaign manager for an individual running for St. Paul City Council. She served with Americorps for two years as the liaison between Hamline and Hancock Elementary School, furthering relationships between the two schools. She tutors elementary students, coordinates the volunteer program at Hancock and works to get undergraduate students involved in the greater community.

Corey was a founding member of Student Advocates Against Sexual Violence at CSB/SJU while attending SJU. Today, he works as director of Northern Communities Land Trust in Duluth, Minn. Through his help, low income people become home owners and the issue of affordable housing is on the minds of many people in that city. Corey has also been involved in teaching classes on nonviolence to groups of men who batter, and with Men as Peacemakers. He and his partner, Michele Flatau (CSB ’94), were part of Duluth Catholic Worker for two years.

The Caritas Awards were established in 1995 with support from an anonymous donor. To further the “culture of service” at CSB/SJU, the Caritas Awards commend active members of service and social justice and recognize them for making the campuses, communities, nation and world a better place to live.