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Villa Maria College hosts first collegewide service day as part of 2019 Heritage Days

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Mon, Sep 30th 2019 07:25 pm

On Saturday, Oct. 5, Villa Maria students, faculty and staff will join forces in an effort to make the Buffalo community a better place through service.

As part of 2019 Heritage Days, Dr. Donald Monnin, vice president for mission, has organized Villa’s first collegewide service day. Heritage Days are an annual series of events that commemorate those who founded the college, the Felician Sisters. Heritage Days also serve as an opportunity for the Villa community to reflect on the core values that drive everything done at the college.

“This service day is an excellent way to live out our Felician Franciscan core value of ‘solidarity with the poor,’ ” Monnin said. “It will expose participants to the challenges faced out in the real world and enable them to see that, working together as a group, we can make a difference. We often feel powerless alone, but sharing our talents and time will give hope to those that struggle and give meaning and purpose to those that want to make our community a better place.”

Some of the locations at which the Villa community will be serving include:

•716 Ministries (rehabbing a house)

•Bailey Avenue Business Association (theater renovations, cleaning out lots, assist local merchants)

•Buffalo City Mission store on Dick Road

•Goodwill Industries store on Union Road

•New Generation Ministries Church on Doat Street (various indoor and outdoor activities)

•Our Lady of Black School on Amherst Street (various projects at the school)

•Saint Columba-Brigid Church on Hickory Street (computer work, window cleaning, room renovations)

•Seneca/Babcock Senior Center on Genesee Street (room painting)

•St. Vincent de Paul Center on Main Street (serving at soup kitchen, thrift store, other projects)

•Little Portion Friary Homeless Shelter on Main Street (general house cleaning, kitchen help)

•St. Luke’s Mission of Mercy on Walden Avenue (serving meal, sorting clothes, other activities)

“The Felician Sisters were strong, bold, visionary women, and they still are,” said Dr. Matthew Giordano, Villa’s president. “If you are ever looking for inspiration to create change – to go about doing the hard work, day in and day out, of making yourself and the world a better place – look no further than the sisters. In an era when we heroize many people too quickly, they exemplify the courage and selflessness that true heroism entails. I look forward to spending a day truly living the college’s mission alongside students and colleagues.”

To learn more about the college’s service day, follow Villa Maria on Facebook (http://www.Facebook.com/VillaMariaCollege) and Instagram (@VillaMariaCollegeBuf).

For more information, call 716-896-0700 or visit www.villa.edu.

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