Alumni couple serve underprivileged students
Pictured from left to right are: Bishop David A. Zubik, NCEA President Karen Ristau, Mary Calland, Dean Calland and Asia Harris, Seton scholar.
Dean and Mary Calland, both 1979 Notre Dame Law School alums, were recently recognized by the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) with the 2009 Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Award. The award is presented annually to exemplary individuals whose support and service impacts Catholic education.
The Callands have been instrumental in helping underprivileged students in the Pittsburgh, Pa., area through their work with the Crossroads Foundation. Mr. Calland serves as president of the board for the foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping at-risk inner-city youth in the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Through the foundation, disadvantaged Pittsburgh-area teenagers receive scholarships to attend Catholic high schools. Crossroads provides these students with a strong foundation through one-on-one counseling, skills workshops and leadership/character development programs. In exchange, Crossroads students must meet minimum GPA, attendance and community volunteerism requirements.
“Seeing at-risk students develop both personally and academically through a Catholic education is extremely rewarding,” says Mr. Calland, a founding shareholder at Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C. The Callands have made significant personal donations to provide scholarships for Crossroads students, and also helped the Crossroads campaign to raise $6.5 million.
