Friday, May 01, 2020

Alumni influence during Covid 19 Pandemic

CARDINAL SPELLMAN HIGH SCHOOL
Where boys and girls with dreamsbecome men and women of vision!
Dear Spellman Family, 
It is with great pride that I announce the launching of Spellman Spirit, a pilot storyline series providing updates about how our community is shining bright during these trying times. Spellmanites carry a sense of service and compassion that is unmatched and unrivaled. Each act of kindness and selflessness, further strengthens my unwavering commitment to see Spellman weather the storm of the COVID pandemic. 
The goal of Spellman Spirit is to broaden our reach within our existing community, with the hope of expanding to a larger audience using our social media channels. We want to reaffirm that we are indeed "Spellman Strong". Our community has performed countless acts of kindness during the past several weeks: from donating hot meals to frontline workers; caring for family members during their last moments; buying groceries for those under quarantine; praying for the sick; patrolling the streets to ensure our safety; and simply getting up each day with the dedication of maintaining a sense of normalcy - whether via homeschooling or teaching remotely. 
Spellman Spirit is comprised of four storyline panels: Food Forward, Healthcare Heroes, Community Courage and Spellman Strong. In an attempt to leave you feeling inspired and make you smile, we are thrilled to shine a spotlight on the following trailblazers.
Healthcare Heroes
Peggy Brennan Lynch '86 is Nurse Practitioner at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer for 30 years. She was moved from her regular position in Urology to Employee Health. There she has been clearing Sloan’s employees to return to work as they recover from the virus.


Corey Williams '94 is a Nurse Practitioner at Westchester Square Hospital, the designated COVID-19 hospital in The Bronx. Due to the nature of his work, he was able to care for his Aunt, Marilyn Joyner, in her last moments after she tested positive for the virus. May she rest in peace. Corey is also the uncle of Olivia Barrios-Johnson, star of our postponed Aida production and member of the 2020 graduation class. Here, Corey is seen on the unit opening a box of donated hot meals, provided by Nick Mancini '10 & Posto 22. 
Community Courage
Fr. Luke Leighton, CFR, Assistant Spiritual Director at Spellman, along with the other clergy working at St. Anthony Shelter for Renewal in The South Bronx, have been pillars of hope. From providing meals and daily Mass to the homeless men quarantined at the shelter, to handing out bags of groceries to local community members in need, they are living examples of what it means to uplift those who are less fortunate. 
Together, let's carry forward this new tradition at Spellman, where we share inspiring stories in an effort to uplift each other during times of crisis. This project will serve as a reminder that we care for one another's well-being as a community of faith.
We want to hear from you! If you have an inspirational story to share, or just want to highlight the outstanding work of an alum, please emailalumni@cardinalspellman.org* andwrite "Spirit" in the subject line for a chance to be spotlighted in our next update or featured on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter pages.
Let's continue to take care of each other!
In Christ,
Daniel O'Keefe
President and Principal



*All stories should not exceed 600 characters and must include the name and graduation year of the alum, his/her job title and place of employment (if currently employed), and a brief description of what he/she is doing to positively impact their communities. All pictures must be in JPEG or PNG format and sized to 800x600 pixels to be web compatible. 
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