St. Thomas Aquinas College Students Hold Santa Fest to Support People to People

St. Thomas Aquinas College communication students recently hosted a Santa Fest to support People to People. People to People has an initiative called Project Joy. Project Joy seeks to provide holiday gifts to children in more than 800 low-income families in Rockland County. Students dressed in holiday-themed costumes for a Santa Fest and joined the #GivingTuesday movement on November 28^th to raise awareness and donations for Project Joy. #GivingTuesday is a “global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.” Diane Serratore, executive director of People to People, states “I am thrilled to partner with STAC students and join the #GivingTuesday movement because Project Joy isn’t just about toys and gifts during the holidays, it’s an opportunity to raise awareness of hunger in Rockland.”

The #GivingTuesday Santa Fest at St. Thomas Aquinas College will feature a festival gathering of scores of Santa-clad students posing for pictures, taking challenges, and enjoying games. Over 800 families in Rockland County will be served from this holiday gift drive all while spreading information about People to People’s mission.

St. Thomas Aquinas College Students put Learning into Action

St. Thomas Aquinas College has been partnering with Rockland County’s largest food pantry, People to People during the fall 2017 academic semester. Communication arts students from the university have be providing public relations and social media marketing for the Rockland food pantry. Public relations students will be creating a PR plan and have been implementing this plan over the semester and social media marketing students have been “designing engaging content plans for an interactive social strategy for the non-profit.”

Executive director of People to People, Diane Serratore, stated “People to People is known for giving back to our community and we are so thankful to do exactly that in more ways than one. I am so honored to be able to provide key experiences for students in the local community and look forward to hearing all of their ideas.” This mutually beneficial partnership reflects both the St. Thomas Aquinas College and People to People’s commitment to serving those that have the least in the local Rockland community.

To read more about this partnership, please visit St. Thomas Aquinas College news.

Peace and Justice in ACCU’s Winter Newsletter

Earlier this week, ACCU released the Winter 2015 issue of its quarterly newsletter, Update. Read it in its entirety here, but be sure to take note of the peace and justice related sections. The highlighted sections include:

Marymount University Students Help Create Urban Farm by transforming an inner Washington, DC land plot into a venue for a “farmers market, public art, a community garden, and more.”

St. Thomas Aquinas Event Focuses on Water, in an effort to raise awareness about water conservation, sustainability, and more.

Mount Saint Vincent Releases Findings on Human Trafficking that show widespread lack of awareness about the issue.

Loras Professor Works to Start Interfaith Dialogue through the recently established interfaith movement called Children of Abraham, which seeks to foster dialogue among the Abrahamic faiths.

Carlow Dedicates LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)-Certified Building, which features advanced technology throughout the building that will save energy and water and reduce waste.

Christian Brothers University, Felician University, Georgetown University, and The University of the Incarnate Word Answer the Call to Action with expansive initiatives to reach out to Hispanic and Latino students pursuing higher education.

 To subscribe to Update, please email Paula Moore.

St. Thomas Aquinas College Hosts Sustainability Event on Water

On Wednesday, November 4, St. Thomas Aquinas College (STAC) of Sparkill, NY held an event to discuss sustainability and water.  STAC’s School of Arts & Sciences, School of Business, and School of Education joined together to host the event, showing how issues around water relate to several areas of study. As part of the national discussion on sustainability, the event featured four presenters, each sponsored by one of the College’s Schools:

• Dr. John Rosko, associate professor of biology in the School of Arts and Sciences at the College
• Peter Coy, Economics editor of Bloomberg Businessweek magazine, sponsored by the School of Business
• Don Distante, director of planning at United Water (NY), sponsored by the School of Business
• Dr. Matthew Harke, a post-doctoral research scientist at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, sponsored by the School of Education.

The presentations, given by the above speakers respectively, focused on:

• Sparkill Creek and the local water supply
• “Making Water More Liquid”
• “Water Resources: Current Issues and Future Solutions”
• “It’s Not Easy Being Blue-Green”, a study on fresh-water algae

For more information about STAC’s sustainability efforts, visit the College’s Global Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility website.

How does your campus promote water sustainability? Let us know! 

Peace & Justice in ACCU’s Fall Newsletter

ACCU just released Update, its Fall 2014 newsletter! You can read it in its entirety here, but be sure to pay special attention to the sections devoted to peace and justice. These highlights include:

• CRS Student Ambassadors encourage and facilitate informed action for justice
• Saint Louis University holds prayer vigils for Ferguson
• Benedictine University president earns a diversity award
• St. Thomas Aquinas College receives a recycling award
• the Ignatian Solidarity Network hosts a U.S. delegation to El Salvador
• Loyola University Chicago welcomes ‘Dreamers’
• ACCU has launched a new blog (but you already know that!)

To subscribe to Update, please email Paula Moore.