Mary Jo Copeland

On May 10, 2009, an honorary degree was awarded to Mary Jo Copeland, founder of Sharing and Caring Hands, Minneapolis, which has grown from a small volunteer organization to a venture meeting the needs of more than 20,000 people monthly. Mary Jo Copeland has a long commitment to helping the inner-city poor and less fortunate in our society.  She founded Sharing and Caring Hands, a volunteer organization, that currently works with over 20,000 persons a month. Her work provides an outstanding example of people in the community who can make a difference in the lives of others through volunteering and commitment.  Her work interfaces closely with the university's goal of community service. Copeland has been recognized in several news stories and magazine articles, including Readers Digest, Good Housekeeping, People and New York Times Magazine. Copeland also was named one of the most caring people in America by the Caring Institute of Washington, D.C., and received the Norman Vincent Peale Unsung Hero Award, the David Prues Outstanding Leadership Award and the Pax Christi Award.