The Fundraising and Development for the Not-for-Profit Organization course in the Communication and Leadership graduate program teaches students how to create development materials. This allows students to build their skill sets while also helping a local not-for-profit organizations.  As part of COM 616, Fundraising and Development for Not-for-Profit Organizations, students complete community partnership service projects.  By the end of the semester, each student creates a development plan, fundraising letters for both new donors and repeat donors, a special event plan, a grant application, a story to be used on the website or in the annual report, an internal case statement and a major gift solicitation for their partnering organization.

Students partnered individually with the following organizations to help them in their fundraising and development departments: Westminster Economic Development Initiative (WEDI), Family Promise of Western New York, Harvest House, Presbyterian Senior Care of WNY, Southwest Key Programs, Hope for Cats, Buffalo Laboratory Theater, Save the Michaels of the World, and The Service Collaborative of Western New York. These graduate students are not just learning skills that will help them in the future, but they are also helping local not-for-profit organizations.

Submitted by: Sara Morris, PhD, associate vice president, academic affairs

Canisius presents its ninth annual Ignatian Scholarship Day, today, in Science Hall and Christ the King Chapel. Presentations will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m.

Students will make poster, oral and media presentations. There will also be performances, and two- and three-dimensional art will be showcased.

You can view the Ignatian Day schedule to plan your visit. This schedule is posted on the ISD portal page within the academic affairs community page in myCanisius.

The day concludes with the Festival of Ensembles, sponsored by the Fine Arts department at 7:30 p.m. in the Montante Cultural Center.

We hope that you plan to attend this event and encourage your students to attend as well.  Thank you for supporting our Canisius students and faculty mentors.

Submitted by: Connie Pileri, assitant dean of students; director, event services

Singer-songwriter Cassandra Kubinski, John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls, and Mary Ramsey of 10,000 Maniacs, recorded a new version of Kubinski’s song “Not So Different” to benefit the college’s Institute for Autism Research.

The newly-recorded single is now available for download on iTunes and Google Play.

“Not So Different” will also be available for purchase on CD on April 16 during Record Store Day at Record Theater in Buffalo. Rzeznik, Ramsey and Kubinski will be available to sign autographs.

All proceeds from the download and CD sales of “Not So Different” benefit the IAR.

The re-recording of Kubinski’s single was the vision of famed music producer Armand Petri, whose credits include work with the Goo Goo Dolls, 10,000 Maniacs and Sixpence None the Richer. Petri’s son, AJ, is autistic and participated in one of the IAR’s programs. After seeing great improvement in his son’s social and communication skills, Petri wanted to help create greater awareness for this community resource.

After hearing Kubinski’s song, “Not So Different,” Petri thought it would provide a tuneful vehicle to shine a light on the need for additional autism research. Petri reached out to close friends to record a new version of the song. Rzeznik, Ramsey and Kubinski offered their full support and recorded the new version of “Not So Different.”

The recording is in collaboration with the Music Industry Program at the State University of New York at Fredonia.

Submitted by Public Relations

A showdown of the two remaining undefeated women’s lacrosse teams in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference takes place at the Demske Sports Complex on Saturday, April 16. Your Golden Griffins battle Monmouth at noon for the top spot in the conference standings. The game will be televised live on ESPN3

Less than two weeks remain in the regular season and the first place team, at the end of the year, earns the right to host the league’s championship tournament.

For additional information, visit www.GoGriffs.com.

Submitted by: John Maddock, associate athletic director, external affairs

The Canisius College Video Institute’s production of the April episode of “Kaleidoscope” premiered earlier this month on WGRZ-TV 2. This 30-minute television program celebrates the religious diversity of our region and is produced in conjunction with the Network of Religious Communities. “Kaleidoscope” will rebroadcast on Friday, April 15 at 6:35 p.m. on Time Warner Cable 20, and Sunday, April 17 at 8:00 p.m. on Time Warner 6 in Olean.

In the first segment, Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein, of the congregation Shir Shalom, speaks with students from the Kadimah Academy about the meaning and celebration of Passover, the eight-day Jewish festival that commemorates the emancipation by God of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt and their freedom as a nation.

In the second segment, host Stan Bratton, PhD, speaks with Rev. Kirk Laubenstein, executive director for the Coalition for Economic Justice; Damone Edwards-Harris, fast food worker; and Gabriel Tyler, healthcare worker, about the history, mission, membership and current efforts of the Coalition for Economic Justice.

Students in the Canisius College Video Institute produce “Kaleidoscope” under the guidance of Barbara Irwin, PhD, professor of communication studies and co-director of the Video Institute, Jamie O’Neil, associate professor of digital media arts and co-director of the Video Institute, and Paula DeAngelis-Stein ’86, MS ’02, a producer with Daybreak Productions, the broadcast arm of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.

Submitted by: Sarah Seiler, graduate assistant, communication studies