Calling The Kettle Gold
2/27/08
ST. LOUIS — A few days before St. Patrick’s Day, Maryville University’s School of Health Professions will help a homeless shelter bearing the saint’s name. Health Professions students and faculty will be at the Hilltop Village Schnucks on Olive Boulevard on March 14-15, participating in the 5th annual Pot O’ Gold Kettle Drive benefiting St. Patrick Center.
Michael Kiener, Ph.D., CRC, assistant professor and coordinator of the rehabilitation counseling program at Maryville (right), said Charles Gulas, Ph.D., dean of the School of Health Professions, pushed for the partnership with St. Patrick Center. Not only is it an “easy way for students to be involved,” but gives a “real life connection with class and reality,” said Kiener, who volunteers as a counselor at the Center on Fridays. While the School of Health Professions is coordinating this effort, all Maryville faculty, staff and students are invited to volunteer, Kiener noted.
Volunteers can sign up for one of the six time slots in the two-day event to collect donations. The Pot O’ Gold Kettle Drive will run from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday and Saturday, March 14 and 15. Last year, 14 Schnucks stores participated in the charity event; 31 stores are expected to participate this year, said Kiener.
The St. Patrick Center is the largest provider of homeless services in Missouri, with 22 programs serving more than 9,000 persons annually who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The Center helps individuals and families move from homelessness to independence in a measurable, cost-effective manner. For more information or to participate in the event, contact Kiener at mkiener@maryville.edu.
Maryville University is a private institution offering approximately 50 undergraduate, seven master¹s and two doctoral degree programs to 3,422 students. Ranked by U.S. News and World Report as one of America¹s Best Colleges, Maryville University prepares its students for successful and meaningful careers. Among Maryville¹s most recent graduates, 94 percent are employed or attending graduate school. Approximately 15,000 alumni work and live in the St. Louis region.
– by Samantha Timmerman, student writer, Marketing and Public Relations Office