St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center honors John Paul Hessburg at annual Celebrate the Center event FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / PRURGENT
DETROIT, March 29, 2019 – St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center (SVSF) has named John Paul Hessburg as their Volunteer of the Year. Hessburg will be honored at SVSF’s Celebrate the Center event on April 10 at the Detroit Athletic Club from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Every year, SVSF picks a special volunteer to honor at this breakfast event. This year is especially exciting, as it marks the Center’s 175th anniversary.
Hessburg is a lawyer with Kitch, Drutchas, Wagner, Valitutti & Sherbrook, and provides pro bono legal support to SVSF when needed. He also acts as a member of the Board of Trustees and the Corporate Board, and has volunteered on a couple of physical plant initiatives with his wife and sons.
Although he’s been volunteering with SVSF since 2007, his connection to the Center runs even deeper than that. His parents introduced him to SVSF as a young child, and his aunt, Sister Marie Judith, worked there for many years.
“Initially I became a volunteer for the Center because it was (and still is) an organization that is very important to my aunt,” said Hessburg. “Over the years the Center’s mission has become very important to me as well.”
This connection to SVSF’s roots makes Hessburg the perfect Volunteer of the Year for the 175th anniversary. “I think it is important to never forget how the Center got to where it is today,” said Hessburg, going on to thank the Daughters of Charity who founded the Center in 1844.
Hessburg notes that SVSF’s staff is one of the reasons he continues to volunteer today. “Their selfless devotion to the people they have the privilege to serve is inspiring,” he says. SVSF’s staff will be honored at Celebrate the Center, along with the students.
Individual tickets for Celebrate the Center are on sale for $35. Special celebration tickets are available for $75 and include a special edition SVSF Center Fleece Vest. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information, visit https://www.svsfcenter.org/celebrate-the-center/.
About St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center
St. Vincent and Sarah Fisher Center began in 1844 as St. Vincent’s Academy in Detroit, a kindergarten for orphaned children. Now celebrating its 175th year, the organization has grown and evolved, which included a move to Farmington Hills before coming back to its roots in Detroit. Although it closed its residential doors in 2006, it still continues to fulfill its mission of serving at-risk families by providing free, personalized educational support for children and adults. These programs are designed to help build self-sufficiency skills for academic and employment success, personal achievement and dignity. Visit http://www.svsfcenter.org/ to learn more. | 
