PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – September 25, 2020 -- A Pace University nursing student who founded an international first responder organization in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes in Haiti has won a 2020 Jefferson Award, a prestigious national honor that recognizes America’s top change makers and ordinary citizens who are doing extraordinary acts of public service.
In selecting Jacqueline Cassagnol for a National Award for Outstanding Public Service, Multiplying Good, the nonprofit organization that administers the Awards, cited the Rockland County resident’s on-the-ground life-saving volunteer work in Haiti and her subsequent creation of Worldwide Community First Responder, Inc., which provides health education, first-aid and disaster preparedness training to people in the United States and Haiti. Since the organization was established in 2011, it has educated and trained more than 350,000 community members in critical life-saving skills.
Cassagnol, a doctoral candidate in nursing at Pace’s College of Health Professions, is the first student from Pace to earn the national honor, and the third member of the Pace community. She joins an impressive list of people who have earned an award that is often considered the “Nobel Prize for Public Service.” This year’s other national winners include actress and activist Kristen Bell, Youth Villages CEO Patrick Lawler, and TOMS clothing brand.
“I couldn't be prouder of Jacqueline Cassagnol’s many accomplishments, now including becoming Pace University's first-ever student national Jefferson Award winner,” said Pace President Marvin Krislov. “Pace students are committed to serving our community, and Jacqueline embodies that. I'm impressed and inspired by her leadership, hard work, and dedication. She is truly deserving of this great honor.”
Over the past four decades, the list of Jefferson Award recipients has included hundreds of national figures — both public and private —more than 63,000 unsung heroes, and tens of thousands of employees and young people that represent the good that is happening in communities across the country. The list of winners includes an impressive who’s who of cultural icons, political dignitaries and everyday community members and volunteers.
“For nearly 50 years, we’ve used recognition to inspire everyone to find a way to serve others,” explained Hillary Schafer, CEO of Multiplying Good. “By celebrating service on a national stage, we elevate the spirit of America, the resiliency of its people, and the good that is all around us.”
“Jefferson Award recipients represent the highest level of service to others,” Schafer continued. “By telling their stories, we encourage them to do even more and inspire others to make a difference through service.”
The Jefferson Awards is the nation’s largest and longest-running awards ceremony honoring public service. The Awards, which are traditionally held twice a year at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., were entirely online this year. It was presented as a one-hour streaming video and aired a collection of inspiring stories that celebrate unparalleled service to others. It also included special recognition of One in a Million awards campaign winners who've had a positive impact through service in the face of crises.
Pace University, a champion of the Jefferson Awards since 2008, also held a virtual viewing party that included staff, students and faculty. Cassagnol was among 12 local bronze award winners and was chosen to represent Pace at the virtual awards ceremony.
In addition to winning a national Jefferson Award, Cassagnol has earned many other honors for her work. She was named “Nurse of the Year” by the March of Dimes at its Fifth Annual gala in New York; designated a “Rising Star” by the Rockland Economic Development Corporation at its Annual Forty Under 40 Reception in 2014; presented with the Safe Community Award by Volunteer New York; and inducted into the New York Academy of Medicine in November 2018. In 2019, the New York Yankees named Jacqueline a “Nurse Hero,” and she won the Haitian American Young Citizen of the Year Award from the U.S. Haitian Chamber of Commerce.
In her acceptance remarks, Cassagnol congratulated her peers and noted that it was a great honor to represent Pace University at the Awards.
“I am so grateful to Pace University and Multiplying Good for recognizing extraordinary public service,” Cassagnol said. “Congratulations to all of the recipients of this prestigious award tonight. Your contributions, your sacrifices, your collective enthusiasm clearly are making a significant difference. You are all leaders, highly deserving of the recognition you have received.”
Dr. Harriet R. Feldman, dean of the College of Health Professions and the Lienhard School of Nursing at Pace University, and past Jefferson Award recipient, said Cassagnol was an inspiration and example for others.
“I applaud our student Jacqueline Cassagnol on this extraordinary honor,” Dean Feldman said. “Her dedication to the well-being of local, regional and global communities will surely inspire others in the Pace Community and beyond about the importance of service. We are very proud of her!”
Multiplying Good is a national nonprofit that uses service to others and recognition as tools to unleash potential, inspire individuals, and transform lives. It has offices in 11 communities across the country, delivering on-the-ground impact where it is needed most. Founded in 1972 by Sam Beard, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and Senator Robert Taft, Jr., the organization has recognized the extraordinary public service of thousands with its Jefferson Award. Additionally, Multiplying Good fuels personal growth and leadership development through a continuum that starts with engagement and culminates in recognition. To learn more, visit MultiplyingGood.org or follow Multiplying Good on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides. From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. Pace has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and a Law School in White Plains. Follow us on Twitter or on our news website.
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