Awards, Activities & Initiatives

Jennifer Koon Peacemaking Foundation

The Jennifer Koon Peacemaking Foundation supports peace and peacemaking as distinctive and active processes. Peacemakers foster and maintain positive and supportive relationships that model respect for individuals and groups and the environment that we share. The foundation is closely tied to the Peace and Social Justice Studies Program offered at St. John Fisher College, which examines peace and social justice as achievable goals, and as valid, desirable, and rewarding endeavors.

Jennifer, in whose honor and memory her parents established the foundation, was murdered during her sophomore year at St. John Fisher in 1993. During her brief life, she exemplified the characteristics that we honor every year with student and community awards.

Jennifer Koon Courage Awards

The Awards are given to a Fisher student and to a member of the Rochester community. Nominations for the Awards should include:

• a nominating letter that addresses the Courage Award criteria
• a brief candidate biography
• a curriculum vitae (if available)
• any other specific information that highlights the candidate's eligibility.

Please include the candidate's name, phone number, email, and mailing address, as well as your own name and contact information.

Courage Award Criteria:

Courage in peacemaking is often witnessed in gentle and humble ways. Recipients of the Jennifer Koon Courage Award will be persons who are committed to peacemaking and who strive to make the world a better and more peaceful place in some or all of the following ways:

• Actively demonstrates respect for all persons, regardless of the situation
• Promotes peace and peacemaking among peer groups
• Strives for peace through creative mediation and conflict resolution
• Helps others become more peaceful persons through tact, empathy, and patience
• Encourages dialogue among persons with opposing viewpoints
• Displays compassion and wisdom, loving "the other" through it all

Please mail or email nominations for the Jennifer Koon Courage Awards to:

Linda MacCammon, Program Director
Peace and Social Justice Studies Program
St. John Fisher College
3690 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14618

Email: lmaccammon@sjfc.edu

The Peace and Social Justice Spirit Award

Nominees for the PSJS Spirit Award are Fisher graduates who over the years have lived in the spirit of Fisher's Mission and Creed, embracing the values of "goodness, discipline, and knowledge" and dedicating themselves to lives of "intellectual, professional, and civic integrity, in which diversity and service to others are valued and practiced."

Nominations for the Award should include:

• a nominating letter that addresses the Spirit Award criteria
• a brief candidate biography
• a curriculum vitae (if available)
• any other specific information that highlights the candidate's eligibility.

Please include the candidate's name, phone number, email, and mailing address, as well as your own name and contact information.

Spirit Award Criteria:

• The candidate graduated from Fisher at least ten years ago
• The candidate has dedicated significant time and effort to activities (either professionally or in a volunteer capacity) that work for social justice, peace, civil rights, public health, child welfare, economic justice, education, environmental protection, or other social goods.
• The candidate demonstrates in his-her work many of the qualities and values of the Fisher Creed, which include respect, open-mindedness, integrity, diversity, responsibility, education, leadership, and growth.

Please mail or email nominations for the PSJS Spirit award to:

Linda MacCammon, Program Director
Peace and Social Justice Studies Program
St. John Fisher College
3690 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14618

Email: lmaccammon@sjfc.edu

Fr. Joseph Trovato Fund

In his fifty years in the priesthood and his thirty years as Chaplain of the College, Fr. Trovato's devotion to the principles of Catholic social teaching has inspired many Fisher students to commit their own professional lives to furthering the cause of peace and social justice in the world. As we move into the 21st century, the Fr. Joseph Trovato Fund ensures that his legacy endures at Fisher.

The Fund was established by Fr. Trovato in 1989. In addition to Fr. Trovato's generous support over the years, the Fund also receives donations from alums who share Fr. Trovato's values and vision. The monies are used to support scholarships and community service, to further the study of social justice issues, and to promote student and faculty awareness of and participation in public programs and events that address the systemic roots of injustice in our community and the greater society. Interested in contributing to the Fund? Contact the Development Office at 585.385.5224.

The Reverend Joseph A. Trovato Lecture

Throughout his career at Fisher, Fr. Joseph Trovato's devotion to the principles of Catholic social teaching has inspired many Fisher students to commit their own professional lives to furthering the cause of peace and social justice in the world. The Fr. Joseph A. Trovato Lecture is given by a distinguished scholar who shares Fr. Trovato's commitment to the cause of peace and social justice.

Students with a Vision (SWAV)

Students With A Vision (SWAV) is a student club affiliated with the Peace and Social Justice Studies Program. SWAV is dedicated to promoting & providing community service & outreach work through engaging opportunities on both a local and global scale. SWAV members have volunteered with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, Foodlink, the Rochester City School District, and others. The club also raises awareness and encourages active participation in global humanitarian concerns. Want to join the fun and make a positive difference? Contact SWAV at swav@sjfc.edu.

About PeaceWorks of Greater Rochester

Vision:

• To introduce, recognize, and encourage peacemaking in our communities.

Mission:

• Facilitate learning activities concerning peacemaking through the Peace and Social Justice Studies Minor Program at St. John Fisher College
• Coordinate community programs for discussion of peace-related topics
• Assist with the annual Jennifer Koon Courage Awards Program
• Assist the Center for Dispute Settlement in its community and peer mediation programs.

Members:

• Jennifer Koon Peacemaking Foundation, St. John Fisher College Endowed Fund
• Center for Dispute Settlement, Rochester, NY
• Peace and Social Justice Studies Minor Program, St. John Fisher College

Want to become a member? Contact Hank Stone at hstone@rochester.rr.com for more information.