Amanda Liebrecht, a second-year pharmacy student from McComb, has been awarded a Newman Civic Fellows Award, sponsored by the KPMG Foundation, for her efforts in establishing a Sunday school program in Ada for the Catholic parish.
Liebrecht, along with several classmates, organized a Sunday school in which young children are supervised during the Sunday morning Mass service and a child-friendly lesson is provided for the children. The ONU students take turns preparing lessons for the children, which include Bible stories, a craft/project, some games, and a snack.
“It's a big help to the parents of the kids so there are fewer distractions in the Mass, and I also believe it’s very important for the children to be taught their faith at an understandable level,” Leibrecht said.
Comment from Father David J. Young
Father David J. Young, pastor of Our Lady of Lordes Church and Newman Center in Ada, said, “She's an especially hard-working and a devoted young woman.
Adding: "The preschool at Our Lady of Lourdes has really taken off, in terms of family involvement and in building an even stronger connection between our local parishioners and our college students.
"There are several ONU students who have been helping with the little children, and they have really developed a great rapport with the families. Amanda is one of the kids' favorites, and, even outside of the preschool setting, I often hear the children refer to her as their ‘teacher from church.’
"I have visited the preschool a couple of times, when I've been able, and the youngsters can sometimes be quite a handful. Amanda has shown herself to be supremely patient and kind, no matter how challenging a child might be, and she maintains a genuinely positive attitude, which many of our parishioners have noticed and have appreciated.”
From across the country, college and university presidents ⎯ all members of Campus Compact ⎯ have nominated promising student leaders who have demonstrated an investment in their community to be Newman Civic Fellows. Through service, research and advocacy, these Fellows are making the most of their college experiences to better understand themselves, the root causes of social issues, and effective mechanisms for creating lasting change.
As these students tackle community challenges, they provide fresh energy and perspective, inspire and mobilize others, and develop their own skills and potential. This year’s record amount of Fellows will leverage an even greater capacity for engagement and change through online networking.
In keeping with their generation’s emphasis on networks over hierarchies, Newman Civic Fellows will share ideas and materials to further their work through an exclusive online community especially for Fellows.
ONU President Daniel DiBiasio, who nominated Liebrecht said:
“Amanda is a civic-minded problem-solver with a specific focus on small communities. Her passion and spirit toward seeing this process through has aided the community on a myriad of levels, including the church, the parents and the small children who are now able to learn at an age-appropriate level, while their parents can participate in the mass, undistracted.
"This, combined with her involvement with Habitat for Humanity and her career aspirations of pursuing a doctoral degree in pharmacy, have earned Amanda respect as a leader, a problem-solver and an individual who is capable of achieving many more civic-minded projects that will, in turn, bring improvements to local communities and beyond.”
Lebrecht added, “I have tried to make service an integral part of my life. I believe that I have been blessed in so many ways, especially by being able to attend college and pursue a degree in pharmacy, so my natural response is to want to give back and try to be a blessing for others.
"So far, Our Lady of Lourdes parish, Habitat for Humanity and Residence Life have been organizations through which I strive to give back, but I am always searching for more avenues to serve or roles that I can fill.
"I hope to begin contributing from a medical standpoint next year, when I have my pharmacist intern’s license, through community outreach and health education opportunities. Even beyond college, I plan to continue to be civically engaged within my future church, my profession, Habitat and any other avenues I find along the way.”
