-- (05/12/2003) Wilkes-Barre - Msgr. Michael J. Delaney of the Church of Saint Gabriel, Hazleton, and Dr. Michael A. MacDowell, President of College Misericordia, will be jointly honored as the recipients of the Mary Bevevino Community Service Award at the Luzerne Foundation's Annual Meeting and Reception on May 14. The event will be held at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts.

The Luzerne Foundation presents the award each spring to acknowledge leaders from the county for their service, dedication and commitment to help build the community. It is the highest honor the Foundation bestows, according to Charles M. Barber, Executive Director of the Foundation.

Msgr. Delaney is known in the Hazleton area for his advocacy work with Hispanic immigrants, political refugees, the elderly and the homeless. He has served on the Greater Hazleton Area Human Relations Coalition and is currently the President of the Hazleton Interfaith Ministerium. He has served on several advisory boards, ranging from the Hazleton Chapter of the Red Cross to Hospice Saint John and the Hispanic Ministry Advisory Board. Monsignor Delaney is also active in the Greater Hazleton Area Civic Partnership, the Hazleton Diversity Challenge Steering Committee, and the Hazleton Housing Coalition.

A graduate of Bishop Hoban High School and the University of Scranton, Msgr. Delaney earned his master's degree in Divinity from Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora, NY. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Diocese of Scranton in 1985 by Bishop James C. Timlin, D.D.

Dr. MacDowell, the twelfth President of College Misericordia, joined the collage in 1998. During his second year as president of the college, he helped establish its Women with Children program, which allows single women to study for their college degrees by providing them with free college housing while subsidizing their tuition and child care. In addition to serving on the Dallas Visioning Committee, he has been instrumental in establishing the Back Mountain Historical Association.

Dr. MacDowell is the immediate past vice-chairman of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, where he remains on the Board and chairs its Governmental Affairs Committee. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Great Valley Technology Alliance and is past chair of the Council of Presidents (COPs), a collaborative effort of Luzerne County's five public and private colleges and universities. He also serves as vice-president of the Northeast Pennsylvania Boy Scout Council.

A native of Santa Monica, California, Dr. MacDowell previously served for nine years as a vice-president at Hartwick College in Oneonta, New York (1989-1998). Prior to joining Hartwick, he was president of the National Council on Economic Education in New York City for twelve years. In addition to his presidency, he holds an Ed.D. and professor of economics.

The 2003 Annual Meeting and Reception is by invitation only. For more information, call The Luzerne Foundation at 822-5420 or e-mail the Foundation at luzernefdn@aol.com.