The Regis College annual Founders’ Day benefits communities in need.

“Founders’ Day today is a special day. A day of service. We are the helpers,” said Sister Mary Murphy, a sister of St. Joseph Boston.

Giving back

Each year, the Regis College community in Weston, Massachusetts, pays homage to their founders, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Boston, with a day of service. This year, with service opportunities on campus and off, more than 800 Regis students, staff, and faculty made a community impact for 83 nonprofits in Greater Boston, and as far reaching as Utah, Arizona, and Germany. Here are some highlights:

• Dozens of volunteers rerouted an existing trail segment to higher ground and retired a wet, unsustainable segment, cleaning out water bars to improve the drainage on select trails in the Highland Forest in Weston, Massachusetts.
• Other students gathered on campus to write letters to active military and veterans, then added their letter to a donated book for Operation Paperback. More than 50 boxes were packed with a total of 460+ books being sent to servicewomen and men.
• Regis Honors Program students organized a walk for the community. Proceeds totaling more than $600 went to the Regis Hospitality Center, a university program that distributes healthy, nonperishable foods to those who struggle with food insecurity.

A worthy history

Founders’ Day marks the anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Boston from France on October 2, 1873.

“Service to the dear neighbor without distinction” is one of the core values of the Sisters and integral to the mission of the community. “At Regis, we encourage our students to live out the mission of the Sisters of Saint Joseph by serving others in need,” said Regis College President Antoinette M. Hays, PhD, RN. 

“Now more than ever, the world needs the compassion and values instilled in Regis students by the Sisters, such as welcoming all without distinction, peaceful resolution of conflict, and care for the Earth. Founders’ Day is a way to honor the values of those who founded Regis and is a way in which our mission is manifested through selfless acts that benefit those in the greatest of need.”

A helping hand

After a morning spent volunteering at sites throughout Greater Boston, Judith Heumann, a lifelong activist for people with disabilities, shared her inspiring story via pre-recorded video, highlighting the importance of working collectively for a better world.

“I believe it’s very important for people to see themselves as agents of change,” Heumann said. “It’s important for people to tell our stories.” She encouraged advocating for disability rights within the lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

To kick off the event, Sister Mary Murphy shared remarks about the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston who defied all odds by founding a college for female students seeking a Catholic higher education experience, which because of their sex was not otherwise accessible to them. Sister Mary noted, “We are all better people because we know Regis College.”

Caron Camille, a student in the class of 2023, then proclaimed that “a helping hand is a ray of sunshine in a cloudy world. So, go out there with an open mind and open heart and be the ray of sunshine for someone else today.”

Watch the Founders Day 2022 Recap here.

Founders 2022 Day Recap from Regis College on Vimeo.