Saint Joseph's Honors Alumni for Service, Dedication

Related Media

Dick Kelly

PHILADELPHIA, PA (10/10/2011)(readMedia)-- Whether working to shelter underserved populations in South Jersey or creating transformative experiences of faith justice, Saint Joseph's University alumni Dick Kelly '59 and Sean Sanford '97 are putting the Catholic, Jesuit ideals instilled in them as students into action every day. In recognition of their outstanding service, as well as their loyalty and dedication, the Saint Joseph's University Alumni Association will honor them on Friday, Oct. 14 with the Rev. Joseph S. Hogan, S.J., and Ignatius Awards at the 31st Annual Alumni Gala.

"Dick and Sean are truly 'men for others,'" says Gina Mazzulla '90, president of the Saint Joseph's University Alumni Association. "They have embraced the Jesuit ideal of service and used it to impact the lives of countless individuals both at Saint Joseph's and particularly in South Jersey."

Bestowed annually upon an alumnus or alumna who exemplifies Christian principles and outstanding loyal service to the University, Kelly receives the Hogan Award for his dedicated volunteer work at SJU,, as well as with several non-profit organizations committed to creating housing for underserved populations in South Jersey.

Kelly's long list of volunteer roles with the University spans five decades, initially serving on his reunion class committee and providing outreach to fellow alumni working at IBM. His engagement continued while his three daughters - Denise, Fiona and Monique - attended SJU throughout the 1980s and 90s. He spent the better part of two decades as a member of the University's Alumni Board of Governors and later on the National Alumni Board, serving as president of the Alumni Association from 2001 through 2003.

Today, he is an active member of the University's Council of Presidents and serves on the Advisory Board of the College of Arts and Sciences. He established the Richard J. Kelly and Marilyn J. Kelly Scholarship in 2007 and received the Brother Bartholomew A. Sheehan S.J. '27 Award from the Law Alumni chapter in 2006.

A South Jersey native who attended Camden Catholic High School, Kelly's commitment to service extends well beyond the SJU community. He spent fifteen years on the board of the St. Joseph's Carpenter Society, a non-profit organization which has provided rehabbed and new housing to more than eight hundred families in Camden, N.J. Presently, he is completing his fifth year as a member of the South Jersey Leadership Team for Good Counsel Homes, a non-profit that provides housing and support for pregnant, homeless women.

Sanford was recognized with the Ignatius Award as an alumnus from the last 20 years who has devoted efforts in the service and promotion of SJU and for living a life of "service for others" consistent with the principles of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. The 1997 SJU graduate is the founder and president of the Center for Faith Justice in Lawrencevill, N.J., which creates transformative experiences of 'faith in action' and educates individuals and communities by facilitating programs that integrate spirituality, community service and social justice.

Sanford started the Center in 2007 after a decade of experience working with schools, churches and other non-profit organizations. He previously served in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, the Catholic Community of St. Charles Borromeo in Skillman, N.J., and as the first lay executive director at St. Joseph's Seminary in Princeton, N.J.

As a speaker and consultant to religious, educational and non-profit leaders, Sanford addresses topics including pastoral ministry, justice education, activism, and social entrepreneurship. In 2009, he co-presented a lecture in SJU's Catholic Intellectual Series.

A campus leader as a student, the philosophy major received the Student Organizational President's Award for three consecutive years beginning in 1995. It was also during his time as an undergraduate that Sanford began to put his faith into action, co-founding the Coalition for Justice. In addition, he participated in the Search Retreat, Project Appalachia, and the Northern Ireland Experience and served as a volunteer with Homeless Outreach and Habitat for Humanity.

Sanford, whose wife, Lisa, is a fellow graduate of the Class of 1997, is currently a doctoral candidate at Temple University. His academic research focuses on Catholic studies in the American context, religious identity and social theory.

For more information on the recipients or to purchase tickets to attend the SJU Alumni Gala, visit http://alumni.sju.edu/gala.

Contact: Phil Denne, Associate Director of Development and Alumni Communications, pdenne@sju.edu, 610-660-3262

Background: Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1851, Saint Joseph's University advances the professional and personal ambitions of men and women by providing a demanding, yet supportive, educational experience. One of only 141 schools with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter and AACSB business school accreditation, Saint Joseph's is home to 4,600 traditional day students, 700 College of Professional and Liberal Studies adult undergraduates and 3,500 graduate and doctoral students. Steeped in the 450-year Jesuit tradition of scholarship and service, Saint Joseph's was named to the 2010 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for General Community Service. The University strives to be recognized as the preeminent Catholic comprehensive university in the Northeast.