Left to right: Kylie Estrada, incoming president of Dominican Scholars of Hope; Laura Kohlmann, president of the board for Baby Steps Baby Pantry; Arianna Chero, current DSH president, and Susan Surprise, founder of BSBP.
Mount Saint Mary College’s Dominican Scholars of Hope (DSH) recently donated $320 to the Baby Steps Baby Pantry (BSBP) at Christ Lutheran Church in Newburgh, N.Y., as part of the scholar club’s end-of-the-year award ceremony.
Through a Krispy Kreme doughnut fundraiser, the DSH raised the money for the pantry, which provides infant supplies for families in need in the local area. Each month, families who are part of the program are provided with a week’s worth of diapers, wipes, wash, and cream.
Susan Surprise, one of the founders of Baby Steps, and Laura Kohlmann, president of the board for the pantry, were grateful to accept the donations in person.
Rooted in the values of the Judeo-Christian and Dominican heritage of the college, DSH is a nonacademic living and learning community for highly motivated Mount students. DSH is directed by the four Dominican pillars of spirituality, study, community, and service, the guiding values of Mount Saint Mary College. It’s overseen by advisor Charles Zola, Assistant Vice President for Mission, Director of the Catholic and Dominican Institute, and associate professor of Philosophy.
The Baby Steps ministry marks its tenth anniversary this year. Originally, the organization served 18 families and now serves 150, distributing 8,500 diapers a month. Neither SNAP nor WIC benefits can be used for these products, so the ministry provides an essential resource to the families it serves. All donations received by Baby Steps are directed to these products.
This is the eighth year the Dominican Scholars have hosted fundraisers to benefit BSBP.