BUFFALO, NEW YORK – March 16, 2026 – , a private, Catholic college providing a pathway for students to build careers of achievement and lives of purpose, will host its Spring Soirée on Thursday, April 23 at from 6 – 8 p.m. at The Buffalo Club, 388 Delaware Ave. This annual fundraiser, which includes a cocktail reception with hors d’oeuvres, live entertainment, and a raffle, celebrates all who empower the spirit of Trocaire, including honoring three deserving individuals and organizations.  

This year’s award recipients include: 

• Ģ����ý President’s Award – Goodwill of WNY This award is presented to a person, group, organization, or corporation whose partnership with Trocaire advances the college’s mission, vision, and Mercy values, and supports current and Trocaire students and alumni. Goodwill has been a vital partner, providing essential services and career pathway support that align with a shared commitment to breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering individuals to achieve meaningful employment.  

• Distinguished Alumni Award – Michele A. Ladouceur ‘01 This award recognizes a graduate who embodies Trocaire’s tradition of excellence and serves as an inspiring example to fellow alumni and current students. Ladouceur is chief operating officer at Heathwood Assisting Living & Memory Care and a former Trocaire board of trustee and alumni board member. Her professional accomplishments and steadfast commitment to Trocaire reflect the values the college seeks to cultivate in every graduate and underscores her deep and sustained dedication to the college’s mission. 

• Outstanding Student Award – Nicholas R. Osman ‘26 This award is presented to a current student who has demonstrated outstanding academic achievement and commitment to Ģ����ý. Osman is expected to graduate this year with a degree in radiologic technology. Throughout his time at Trocaire, Osman as served as rad tech club president where he spearheaded a highly successful bake sale to support Radiating Hope and the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk. He also played a leading role in organizing the May pinning ceremony, providing outstanding support for Student Life and his graduating class.  

Proceeds from the Spring Soirée support tuition assistance for Trocaire students. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit trocaire.edu/alumni-and-friends/events/.  

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About Ģ����ý 
Founded in 1958 in Buffalo, NY by the Sisters of Mercy, Ģ����ý is a private, career-oriented Catholic college that empowers students with the resources and supportive environment needed to achieve their academic goals. The core mission is to allow each person to be a valuable contributor to the workforce needs of the community. Trocaire offers bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, certificates and workforce development programs in healthcare, veterinary sciences, business, and technology. Trocaire ranks in the top one-quarter of colleges and universities for return on investment by Georgetown University and is designated as an Opportunity College and University by the Carnegie Classifications with a Higher Access, Higher Earnings classification. Visit  for more information and follow Trocaire on,  and . 

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Mark Your calendars for Trocaire’s annual fundraiser – Spring Soiree!

The event will be Thursday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. at The Forbes Theater at 500 Pearl Street. The event honors several deserving individuals and organizations with proceeds supporting tuition assistance for Trocaire students.

The event will feature cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dinner, dessert, a short awards program and after party networking.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit .

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Service in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy is a key part of the Ģ����ý experience, one that has continued throughout the pandemic despite logistical challenges. This summer, students participated in a group project to support a local non profit: .

Grace Guest House supports patients and their families by providing a haven and place of respite when they are receiving care at regional healthcare facilities. It seeks to enable families to focus on their loved ones while tending to the well-being of those families, out-patients and caregivers referred through regional healthcare facilities. ​Grace provides overnight stays and day respite in a secure and peaceful guest house that provides a caring and compassionate environment 24/7, is walking distance to Mercy Hospital and a complimentary shuttle drive away from all of Buffalo’s healthcare facilities.

Trocaire’s MAP students raised two car loads full of non perishable items off the organization’s wish list, volunteered at the House and served as volunteers at its signature fundraiser, Ride with Grace. Ģ����ý also served as a sponsor for Ride with Grace, which is a motorcycle safety and awareness ride that hosted 154 riders. They covered 125 miles, guided by 8 police escorts and supported by 30 sponsors, 52 volunteers. The event raised close to $50,000, all to support families’ stays with Grace House.

Grace seeks to enable families to focus on their loved ones while we focus on the well-being of those families, out-patients and caregivers referred to us through regional healthcare facilities. ​Grace provides overnight stays and day respite in a secure and peaceful guest house that provides a caring and compassionate environment 24/7, is walking distance to Mercy Hospital and a complimentary shuttle drive away from all of Buffalo’s healthcare facilities.

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Spring 2021 Efforts Result in $1,740 Impact in Local Community

April is National Volunteer Month, and Trocaire is marking the occasion by highlighting some of the recent good work by the college’s Mercy Action Project (MAP).

What is MAP?

Service is in Trocaire’s very DNA as a college founded by the Sisters of Mercy. As part of Trocaire’s commitment to its Mercy heritage and the impact service makes in the community, every student must participate in MAP before graduation.

This co-curricular learning experience provides local service opportunities that integrate Trocaire’s mission while connecting that service to a student’s career path. The purpose of MAP is to promote a campus culture committed to personal enrichment and service in the spirit of the Sisters.

Spring 2021 MAP students had the opportunity to serve in a group project supporting (JFS).

Immigrant and Refugee Resettlement Project

One of the ways JFS assists the local refugee, immigrant and asylum-seeking population is by welcoming them to their new homes and providing household necessities to get them started. This spring, MAP students—with help from the generosity of the Trocaire community—collected 20 baskets of household goods to help that effort, which will be placed in houses awaiting their new refugee and immigrant residents.

MAP students raised more than $1,000 worth of basket items, in addition to $500 in gift cards that will allow JFS Resettlement Project families to purchase items needed to settle into their homes themselves.

Catherine McAuley, foundress of the Sisters of Mercy, would be proud as our students committed to working in the name of one of the Sisters’ Critical Concerns, Immigration,” said Colleen Steffen, coordinator of community-based learning at Trocaire. “These baskets give dignity to those needing it most by helping them to set up their home with blankets, comfort items, cleaning supplies and emergency items as they begin new lives.

COVID-19 Relief Fund

MAP students also supported JFS’ COVID-19 relief fund by selling 48 succulents in one week, resulting in $240. These funds will go to benefit the three groups JFS has identified as suffering most as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic: children, families and senior citizens.

COVID-19 has definitely shifted the way service and volunteering looks in our world,” said Steffen. “Despite this adjustment, our Spring 2021 MAP students have stepped up and made a difference. We each have the power to carry the Mercy legacy forward, and I am proud to see our students make this impact in our community.

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After the pandemic postponed Ģ����ý’s gala last year, the annual fundraising event is going virtual on Thursday, April 29 at 7 p.m. Spring Soirée is open to the entire community, and proceeds from the event directly support student tuition assistance.

In addition to featuring an online silent auction of valuable packages of giveaways from local businesses, restaurants and services, Spring Soirée celebrates the individuals and organizations that empower the spirit of Trocaire. This year’s award recipients include:

• The Distinguished Alumni Award is being given to Karen Chiantella Camacho ’96, MBA, BSN, RN-BC, CPHIMS. Following a five-year career as a bedside nurse, Karen pivoted to roles in consulting and nursing informatics. She currently works at PointClickCare as their product escalations manager, where she ensures all clinical software issues are prioritized and addressed appropriately. She is a longtime member of the Trocaire Alumni Council and is the current Council chair.

• The Ģ����ý President’s Award goes to KeyBank in partnership with the First Niagara Foundation. The organizations donated a gift of $100,000 to Trocaire in December 2019, which will be used as an endowed scholarship, providing generations of Trocaire students with the financial support they need to continue their educations uninterrupted.

• Finally, Medical Assisting graduate Amanda Gillespie will receive the Outstanding Student Award. Amanda is a United States Army veteran and served a tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2012. While enrolled at Trocaire, Amanda maintained a 4.0 GPA while also balancing a job as a medical receptionist. She graduated in May 2020 and was immediately offered a job working in a surgery center as the lead for its COVID-19 specimen collection program.

For more details on Trocaire’s Spring Soirée, including how to purchase tickets, make a donation or secure a sponsorship, please visit: .

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It is with profound sadness that I inform you of the passing of Dr. Dennis DePerro, president of St. Bonaventure University. Dennis was diagnosed with COVID-19 around Christmas time, and had been hospitalized since that time. While he was stable for a while, complications from the virus proved too many to overcome.

As you come to campus today and over the next couple of days, you will notice that our flag is flying at half-staff. This is to honor Dennis’ legacy as a higher education professional, and his commitment to the values of Catholic higher education. A graduate of Bishop Timon High School, Dennis was South Buffalo born and raised, with his education and outlook influenced by both the Sisters of Mercy and the Franciscan Friars. Dennis’ family members have graduated from Trocaire, and he has been a true friend to the college and to me personally.

Several local Catholic Colleges are flying their flags at half-staff to not only honor Dennis’ legacy, but also to recognize all of the lives that have been lost as a result of this pandemic. Please keep Dennis’ family in your prayers as they work through this difficult time. Also keep the St. Bonaventure community in your prayers as they struggle to overcome the loss of their campus leader.

Rest in peace, Dr. Dennis DePerro.

Bassam M. Deeb, Ph.D.

President

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Lawrence E. Christ, a business consultant, executive and owner with nearly 35 years of experience, including in the roles of Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operations Officer. Christ is an Orchard Park resident.

Angela M. Laviano Hamister, who holds a Masters of Business from Northeastern University. She is the former director of programs at the Martin House Restoration Corporation and a resident of Amherst.

Kathy Jamil, MS, who has more than 20 years of experience in education and is currently director of education at United Way of Buffalo & Erie County. She is a resident of Lackawanna.

Christ’s and Hamister’s terms began Jan. 1, 2021. Jamil’s term begins June 1, 2021.

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Just in time for the first week of the spring semester, Jasmaine West, a Ģ����ý nursing student, has received a refurbished car thanks to the generosity of Travelers and the National Auto Body Council’s . Through this collaboration, businesses representing all facets of the collision industry – insurers, auto repair shops, paint suppliers, parts vendors and others – partner to refurbish and donate vehicles to individuals and service organizations in need.

On Wednesday, West received the keys to her 2014 Buick Verano, newly restored by Gerber Collision located in Tonawanda.

Receiving this vehicle will mean stability with traveling back and forth to school and work, in addition to being able to provide for my family,” said West. “It’s good to know that working hard and being able to beat the odds can be noticed, and I am extremely grateful!

Derrick Gunter, coordinator of Trocaire’s Pathways to Nursing Success program, was made aware of Recycled Rides last year. He soon nominated West, who graduated from Trocaire in 2020 with her associate’s degree in nursing and is now earning her bachelor’s degree while working as an LPN at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital.

A mother of three and caregiver for her own mother, West commutes from her home in Niagara Falls to Trocaire’s South Buffalo campus several times a week for her classes, program requirements and to serve as a mentor for other nursing students. In addition, she is a leading member of the Infinity Club, a student club that strives to increase diversity in the healthcare field, and volunteers in the community when she can, such as her time at Schiller Park Senior Citizen Center.

Jasmaine has been part of the Trocaire family since 2017 and is a motivated and honorable scholar who seeks to have an impact on the healthcare field,” said Gunter. “Like so many of our students, she is doing an excellent job with continually balancing her academic, professional and family obligations – which will now be a little easier to manage thanks to the generosity of Travelers and the Recycled Rides program.

Through Recycled Rides, more than 2,500 vehicles valued at $36 million have been donated in communities across the country since 2007.

For more than a decade, our team has participated in the Recycled Rides program and worked with the National Auto Body Council and local auto body shops to help people in need,” said Nick Seminara, executive vice president and chief claim officer at Travelers. “We’re dedicated to supporting our communities, and we’re pleased to be able to provide Jasmaine and her family with a safe and reliable vehicle.

For more information on Recycled Rides, visit its .

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In this issue of the Trailblazer, produced in the midst of this unprecedented year– we wanted to highlight the resiliency, persistence and adaptability that make our Trocaire family so unique and indomitable. 

Learn about how Trocaire pivoted to remote learning and working earlier this year, and how we’ve worked to assist our students and keep them on track despite the many challenges 2020 has brought.

Read about some of our amazing alumni who have persevered through hard times and come out on top, and about the innovative offerings our academic programs have created to facilitate learning and career growth for members of the community, even during the pandemic.

And so much more! Thank you to ALL who made this year’s Trailblazer possible!

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The SonoSim software simulates a broad range of life-like clinical ultrasound scenarios with both normal and abnormal pathologies for students in the college’s Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) and Echocardiography (Echo) certificate programs. The experience also includes gel pads and “sonosimulator” wands, which replicate the experience of using an actual ultrasound probe on real patients.

The Foundation funded the initial purchase of the program in 2019. The cutting-edge software includes content lectures, hands-on assignments to obtain images and measurements and a concluding test. This sort of simulation provides a training environment where students can practice essential competencies until they are proficient.

“We are indebted to the Cummings Foundation for its support for year two of our SonoSim technology, which provides new and continuing DMS and ECHO students an unparalleled opportunity to develop real-world ultrasonography clinical skills,” said Trocaire President Bassam M. Deeb, Ph.D. “This technology proved invaluable this spring amidst the new COVID-19 reality as students were able to complete their clinical requirements using SonoSim, allowing Trocaire to continue meeting Western New York’s critical need for skilled healthcare professionals.”

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