St. Francis of Assisi is perhaps the Catholic Church’s most popular saint. He was known for helping those in need, oftentimes, those who have no one else to help them. Recently, both current students and alumni have made personal sacrifices to follow in the footsteps of this 13th century icon.
On Feb. 17, a group of nine Prep students and two chaperones departed for Cape Girardeau, Mo., the home of their sister school, Notre Dame Regional High School. The principal, Brother David Migliorino, is a Franciscan Brother of Brooklyn, the same community that operates Prep, as well as St. Anthony’s High School, who also sent students. In all, 30 high school juniors and seniors, and eight chaperones sacrificed their February break.
In reflecting on the trip, many of the students commented on how they didn’t necessarily have contact with the people their efforts were benefitting. Oftentimes, the work was mundane — painting, cleaning, organizing, and the like. But the students had the opportunity to see what regular volunteers did, work that didn’t allow them to accomplish what the students did. To the students, these were the heroes.
Prep junior Krista DiMaggio commented how at Birthright, a pregnancy care center in Cape Girardeau, she was made to feel extraordinary given the comments of gratitude she received. Senior Raquel Ramirez commented how she had no hesitation volunteering to travel to the midwest, knowing how important it is to help and give back. Junior Joseph Prisco reflected on Mac’s Mission, an animal rescue organization. He remembered who the organization’s director was only sleeping in two hour stretches, so she could be awake to feed puppies who need to be fed with tubes.
In less than a week, students also got to form lifelong friends, and connect with how people in other parts of the country live. The other Prep students who attended were junior Leila Shanley, and seniors Christian Bahr-Lopez, Jason Ligasan, Joshua Mathew, Kathryn Ruiz, and Michael Velez. The Franciscan Volunteer Program, as it is formally known, is administrated by the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn. This year’s program was organized and executed by Sarah Strohmeyer, director of Notre Dame’s Campus Ministry. Next year, St. Francis Prep will be hosting the annual program.
There are also Prep alumni who make great efforts for causes that pull at their heart strings. Joseph Pantaleo is a 2003 graduate of Prep. A dentist whose practice is in Manhattan, he is the co-founder of Tomorrow’s Smiles Today.
Their mission statement reads: “Tomorrow’s Smiles Today is a non-profit organization made up of volunteers from various medical professions. We collaborate together in order to provide basic medical services and education to those people within the United States and around the world who have no access to medical care. We strive to provide current information and services to those people with the same level of care that is received in the United States. Furthermore, along with our generous donors and global network of volunteers, we are working to establish full-service health facilities in remote parts of the world that lack access to equipment, training and personnel needed to provide these services on a permanent basis to increase quality of life.”
Among many other efforts, Pantaleo is spearheading a project to renovate and revitalize the medical care in Lare, Kenya. This is also where another of Prep’s sister schools, St. Francis Secondary School is located. The project itself is over six years old. According to Pantaleo, “When Tomorrow’s Smile Today was first created we decided to just make a little impact in a small community. This organization has taken a life of its own. In a couple of weeks we will have final product of a medical and dental facility where doctors can teach and learn. This is only the beginning and I am so excited to see the impact on the entire community.”
Pantaleo credits the Franciscan Brothers with helping shape who he is, especially with a “don’t ever give up” attitude. When considering a project to develop with them, the schools president, Brother Leonard Conway, suggested something for the African school. Pantaleo immediately fell in love with the project, and felt this was a great way to give back. Tomorrow’s Smiles Today helps people across the world. It was co-founded by John L. Pfail.
For more information, call 718-423-8810, x292 or go to www.ssempowich@sfponline.org.
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