The Dominican Sisters of Hope recently gave Mount Saint Mary College a gift of $10,000 to be used towards improving the lives of the college’s students.
The sisters, now located in Ossining, NY, are known for their generosity and commitment to service. Their recent gift to the college consisted of $5,000 for the Mount’s Student Emergency Fund and another $5,000 for the college’s Care Closet.
“God bless the sisters, who continue to live the reality of the four Dominican Pillars: service, study, spirituality, and community,” said Fr. Gregoire Fluet, director of Campus Ministry and Campus Chaplain. “We cannot thank the sisters enough for their continued support of Mount Saint Mary College.”
The Mount’s Student Emergency Fund provides financial support to currently enrolled students who find themselves in unforeseen crisis situations. As the COVID-19 pandemic intensified and the fund was opened up to students with pandemic-related needs, there was a large increase in the number of those who applied for aid.
“So far, the Mount has given $40,000 of support and assistance to students in need,” explained one of the fund’s co-creators, Nikki Khurana-Baugh, Vice President for Advancement. “It has made quite a positive difference in the lives of our students.”
The Care Closet, located at the college’s Campus Ministry, helps those who are in need of personal items. From food to toothpaste, from a pen to toilet paper, these items are available to students. The motto, noted Fr. Fluet, is “Need one, take one.”
Three branches of Dominican Sisters – from Newburgh, Ossining and Fall River, MA – joined together in 1995 to become the Dominican Sisters of Hope.
Long before that, the Dominican Sisters first arrived in Newburgh at the waterfront in April of 1883. At the request of the pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Newburgh, the Dominican Sisters opened Mount Saint Mary Academy, just off of Gidney Avenue. This would become Mount Saint Mary College as we know it today.
With the pillars of study, spirituality, service, and community guiding them, the Dominican Sisters of Newburgh established Mount Saint Mary College as a four-year institution on October 30, 1959. They continue to support the college and guide its mission of service more than 60 years later.