Mount alum earn awards

Roswell, Ga., resident Jeanne Buzek Stelten and Braselton, Ga., resident Diane Burke Stephens were honored with the 2007 Alumni Career Achievement Award from the College of Mount St. Joseph at the reunion convocation in June.

Stelten received the award for her lifelong dedication to service to her community and family. She graduated from the Mount in 1950 and began a career as a nurse at Good Samaritan Hospital. Twenty years ago, she volunteered to assist disabled people by driving them to appointments and shopping.

After graduating from the Mount in 1967, Stephens began a career with the American Red Cross that lasted for more than 30 years. After her retirement, she continued as a volunteer with a Red Cross chapter in Atlanta and trained to serve as a national consultant on the Critical Response Team for the Administrative Function. After Sept. 11, 2001, she served as the American Red Cross liaison with the Department of Defense at the Family Assistance Center in Alexandria, Va., where she assisted families affected by the attack on the Pentagon.

New associates include Pat Cheney, Patricia Froehle, Karen Martin, Barry Mersmann, Jacquie Jones and Ethel O’Connor. Rita Wesseling is not pictured.

ST. LAWRENCE DEANERY

Sisters of Charity have new associates

Seven individuals made commitments as Associates of Mission of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati recently. Pat Chaney, Patricia Froehle, Jacquie Jones, Karen Martin, Barry Mersmann and Ethel O’Connor made their commitment on June 10 at the Sisters of Charity Motherhouse in Delhi Township. Rita Wesseling made her commitment on May 27.

Associates in Mission of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati commit to a relationship centered upon living and spreading the Gospel message, serving the spiritual and corporeal needs of God’s people and sharing friendship, faith and action with the community.They offer one another, and the Sisters of Charity, mutually enriching relationships with the opportunity to share faith and the awareness of how the Gospel impacts our lives and our world.

ST. ANDREW DEANERY

McNick alum earns Silver Star

Warrant Officer Five David Cooper, a 1978 Archbishop McNicholas High School alumnus, received a Silver Star for gallantry in combat in January, followed by the Valor Award from the American Legion Aviators’ Post 743 in New York.

Cooper was recognized with the Silver Star following a mission in which he was operating an AH-6 "Little Bird" helicopter against enemy forces during a raid. His courage and gallantry under hostile fire directly contributed to the successful execution of this mission. If not for his actions, the ground forces would have sustained significant casualties.

Cooper is in his 22nd year of Army Service and is a veteran of multiple deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. He is the most decorated soldier in the Army for 2006 and currently serves in the 1st Battalion 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) (SOAR) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

DAYTON DEANERY

Alter teacher to be AP reader/scorer

Bonnie Walter, a teacher at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, was recently selected to participate in the annual reading and scoring of the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) examinations in biology.

Readers are trained specifically to read and score one essay question on a specific topic and then work in groups of eight readers. Each AP reader reads exams all day for seven days and receives professional development credit in return for their efforts.

"This reading and scoring activity draws upon the talents of some of the finest teachers and professors in the United States," says Trevor Packer, executive director of the Advanced Placement Program at the College Board. "We are very grateful for the contributions of educators like Bonnie Walter."

Approximately 2.3 million examinations in 20 different disciplines were evaluated this summer by more than 8,000 readers from high schools and universities.

ARCHDIOCESE

Junior high leadership camp has slots to fill

Looking for an opportunity for your 7th- or 8th-grader to finish off the summer with a challenging and fun activity? Open slots for campers are still available in the 2007 Junior High Summer Leadership C.A.M.P. (Catholic And Mighty Proud) scheduled for Aug. 3-5 at Pleasant Vineyard Retreat Center in Camden.

Sponsored by the Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry (OYYAM) and funded by the Kramer Foundation for Catholic Education, the weekend retreat offers youth leadership and faith sharing skills. Retreat staff includes youth ministers from all over the archdiocese who have skills and a deep respect for junior high youths and their needs.

Parishes are encouraged to consider sponsoring young people in their parish for this faith formation activity. For additional information, contact the OYYAM office at 937-223-1001.

COURTESY PHOTOS

Some of the parishioners from St. Augustine Church who are involved with the "Join Hands Day project.

SPRINGFIELD DEANERY

Parish promotes life with special project

As a "Join Hands Day" project, the women of St. Augustine Church in Jamestown followed the theme "Promoting Life." Knowing of no one more enthusiastic or more dedicated to promoting life than their pastor, Father Frank Klamet, the parish’s Catholic Ladies of Columbia collected and assembled baby items to make gift packets for Father Klamet to distribute to the families of newborns he visits.

Each of the 24 packets included receiving blankets, sleepers, onesies, socks, bibs, diapers and miscellaneous items. CLC members asked other parishioners for donations, and the religious education students of the parish made cards to enclose in the packets to welcome the newborns.

The project was so successful that the parish plans to continue it as a service project for St. Augustine Church.