Sr. St. John Delany Receives Rosemarie Siragusa Award for Youth Advocacy
The Westchester County Youth Bureau and Youth Board have chosen Sr. St. John Delany as recipient of the 2013 Rosemarie Siragusa Memorial Youth Service Award.
A member of the Sisters of Divine Compassion, Sr. St. John Delany has devoted herself to the betterment of the White Plains community for many years. She taught first grade in White Plains for 31 years before founding the Center for Literacy Enrichment and becoming an associate professor in the School of Education at Pace University. At age 90 plus, she still is actively engaged in this work.
The award is named after the founder of the county Youth Board, who also served as its first chair from 1975-1989. The award honors an outstanding individual who has demonstrated a commitment to serving youth and families.
“Sr. St. John Delany is an outstanding choice for this prestigious award,” said County Executive Robert Astorino in announcing the award. “Her commitment to all the youth of the community regardless of social status or ethnicity is legendary. She has left her mark on so many people of all ages, and I know she will continue to inspire generations of young people to follow her example and become teachers.”
One of those was Iris Pagan, director of the Westchester Youth Bureau, who said: “I met Sr. St. John Delany when I was a new teacher. She taught a course at Pace University that prepared for the state’s teachers’ exam. She constantly reminded the class of how special we were, because despite the challenges, we still chose to devote ourselves to education. I am grateful to her for all her wonderful encouragement.”
Sr. Delany was nominated for this award by Eleanor Gisondi of Valhalla, who said: “Sister Delany is a 90-plus year old woman who has a passion for learning, reading and most importantly education. She cannot just be called, ‘Sister.’ That name is not the only one that applies to her. She has earned her title of professor, doctor, leader and founder. She is a person who wears many, many hats.”
Adam has worked in the local news industry for the past two decades in Westchester County and the broader Hudson Valley. Read more from Adam’s author bio here.
