The St. Joseph’s College community supported student success this week at its Giving Tuesday fundraiser.
On Dec. 1, 90 people raised just shy of $10,000, supporting three campaigns that directly benefit St. Joseph’s College students.
The College is creating a new project, SJC Food for Thought, a campus food pantry in the Center for Wellness to support current SJC students (and when resources allow, staff and faculty) who face hunger by providing immediate non-perishable food choices. The College will use $2,300 in Giving Tuesday donations to get the campaign started.
The program is a campus-wide initiative designed to identify students at risk of food insecurity, to help identify sources of food assistance, to provide food assistance, and to create safe-spaces for personal and confidential conversations about needs.
Following the push to help students in need, the College raised $3,200 to support an SJC and Hope House initiative that aligns their missions of service, social responsibility and spiritual values. The College supports the mission and work of Hope House and has an established grant, The CSJ Dear Neighbor Hope House Grant, which provides financial support to Hope House students to assist them in pursuing their college studies.
The Giving Tuesday fundraiser also raised $4,470 for a scholarship in memory of Joseph Lewinger, 42, a beloved 2000 graduate of SJC Brooklyn who died March 28 from complications of COVID-19.
Lewinger was a proud and devoted SJC graduate who found his passion in educating and empowering the young women at The Mary Louis Academy, as assistant principal. While attending SJC Brooklyn, Lewinger earned the nickname “Mr. St. Joe’s” from the Office of Student Life staff because of his energized personality and unconditional commitment to the College.
