Drew University to Showcase Civic, Community Service

During the school year, students from Drew University partner with community organizations to serve others – they collect and donate food, plant trees, knit hats, raise money for cancer research, teach English and do many additional projects.

On Thursday, Drew students and the organizations they work with will be recognized at a Civic Engagement Showcase and Awards Ceremony. The awards will recognize leaders in civic engagement on the Drew campus and in the greater community and the showcase will highlight campus organizations and their work.

Among this year’s award recipients is the Marion Bolden Center in Newark, which is receiving The Creative Community Award. The center, located on Broad Street in Newark, provides academic support, career training and a study center for high school students in Newark. Drew professors and students partner with the center in its drama program and help high school students produce original plays.

This year’s showcase and awards ceremony is taking place on April 24 from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Ehinger Center’s Crawford Hall on Drew’s campus at 36 Madison Ave. in Madison. It is open to the public.

The showcase will feature more than 15 active student organizations  - everything from first responders, volunteers who work at the Jersey shore, students who help with disaster relief and perform community service during spring break. In addition, senior civic scholars will be presenting their projects, student award winners from the Arts of Respect program will be performing and there may be a dramatic presentation from high school students from the Bolden Center.

In addition, awards will be given in five other categories to this year’s winners. They are:

·      The Graduate Student Community Action Award- Elena Cusmir

·      The Collaborative Action Award – Volunteer Resource Center

·      The Faculty Leadership Award – Wendy Kolmar

·      The Staff Leadership Award – Tina Notas

·      The Thomas D. Sayles Jr. Student Award for Outstanding Service to the Community: Lucianna Silvestri C’14 and Carolina Caicedo C’15

·      The Ben Salmon Service Recognition Award – Kristina Farmer C’14

If you are interested in attending this year’s showcase, please contact Drew’s Communications Dept. at 973-408-3628.

About Drew University

Drew University is a private, liberal arts university located in Madison, N.J., just 29 miles west of New York City. Ranked among the top liberal arts institutions nationwide by U.S. News & World Report, Forbes and Washington Monthly, Drew is also listed in Princeton Review’s Best 378 Colleges. The Drew promise—We Deliver Full-Impact Learning to the World—emphasizes the university’s commitment to borderless education that enables a student’s greatest success in a globally connected world. Drew has a total student enrollment of more than 2,000 in three schools: the College of Liberal Arts, the Caspersen School of Graduate Studies and the Drew Theological School. The undergraduate program offers degrees in 30 different disciplines, while Caspersen and the Theological School offer degrees at the master’s and doctoral levels.