Alverno Senior Cassidy Castillo ’17 to Receive Archdiocese of Los Angles Christian Service Award

Alverno Heights Academy senior Cassidy Castillo ’17 has been selected as Alverno’s recipient for the Archdiocese of Los Angeles Christian Service Medal for 2017. Cassidy will receive her award on Tuesday, March 14 during a special Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles.

Cassidy, a graduate of St. Benedict Parish School in Montebello, was chosen from among 54 other seniors for this incredible award. As a member of Campus Ministry for the last two years, Cassidy has worked to help insure the success of a number of different projects on campus including Alverno’s Annual Cupcake Craze for She’s the First, which raised over $1,000 for girls’ education in the developing world this fall, and the Adopt-A-Family Project with the Children’s Law Center of California. Cassidy also serves as the Secretary of Campus Ministry in the Alverno Student Union where she is responsible for helping to involve the entire campus community in the service projects, prayer services, retreats, and liturgies.

Last year, Cassidy created the project “One Heart One” for her social justice service project in theology. The mission of “One Heart One” was to promote awareness of poverty and homelessness and to contribute to the issue by providing warm blankets to the Union Rescue Mission. Cassidy, along with other girls on campus, helped to create over a dozen blankets that were donated to individuals in need.

Outside of Alverno, Cassidy volunteers with the Union Rescue Mission and CicLAvia as well as volunteering at her home parish, St. Benedict Church. At St. Benedict she serves as a lector, cantor, and altar server for Mass, and provides guidance and assistance to the Confirmation classes.

When not involved with volunteer work and Campus Ministry, Cassidy is a member of the Cross Country team at Alverno and has appeared in a few Alverno musical productions including The Addams Family and Beauty and the Beast. Cassidy will next star as “Penny” in Alverno’s upcoming production of Hairspray in April.

“Cassidy is a perfect example of how one individual can make a lasting impact on her community,” said Julia V. Fanara, Head of School. “The Archdiocese of Los Angeles Christian Service Medal is a tremendous honor awarded to young women and men who are shining examples of service and commitment to others and we are proud to have Cassidy represent Alverno Heights Academy as our recipient. Not only is Cassidy an exemplary example of our mission but also a woman who demonstrates the wonderful values of our founders, the Sisters of St. Francis and Immaculate Heart Community.”

Alverno Heights Academy, 200 North Michillinda Avenue, Sierra Madre, (626) 355-3463 or visit www.alvernoheightsacademy.org.

About Alverno Heights Academy

Alverno Heights Academy is an all-girls, independent, progressive Catholic, college preparatory school dedicated to its mission of empowering each young woman to be exactly the person she wants to be. Located on the property of the former Barlow Estate in Sierra Madre, California, Alverno Heights Academy was founded in 1960 by the Sisters of St. Francis who sought to create an environment in the San Gabriel Valley where young women could become informed and knowledgeable persons. Later renamed Alverno High School and sponsored by the Immaculate Heart Community, Alverno’s program—academic, spiritual, aesthetic, social, and physical—has been shaped by the staff, trustees, and students. As Alverno Heights Academy once again, the school remains committed to its mission by encouraging each of their young women to be who they imagine. For more information about Alverno Heights Academy, please visit www.alvernoheightsacademy.org.