Sophomore Dan Peterson and senior Troy Gulden, both pharmacy majors from Saint John, Ind., are the recipients of the 2012 John Weidner awards for altruism.
Peterson, who is being awarded the $1,500 Rotary Club of Indianapolis John Henry Weidner Award for Altruism, has a long history of altruism. In high school, he was a member of Interact Club, supported by Rotary International. Through Interact, he participated in a Thanksgiving food drive. He has participated in Alternative Spring Break and Fall Alternative Break.
He is a leadership team member for Help Heal Haiti and raised money for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer through an Ultimate Frisbee tournament. He has also volunteered with Rebuilding the Wall, St. Thomas Aquinas food pantry, and Timmy Global Health.
Gulden received the $1,300 Butler University John Weidner Endowed Scholarship. He is involved in multiple clubs on campus, including Phi Kappa Psi, and as a Butler Student Ambassador. He volunteers at the Butler University Community Outreach Pharmacy, where he is the director of resources and records. Gulden hopes to specialize in diabetic care or work in the industrial side of pharmacy.
The awards recognize the students’ efforts to embody the spirit of Weidner, a Dutch citizen who helped more than 1,000 people escape from the Nazis during World War II.
In April 2006 the Butler University Student Sociology Association (SSA) founded the first collegiate chapter of the national John Henry Weidner Foundation for Altruism under the guidance of Butler adjunct professor William C. Ervin, faculty representative to the SSA and a board member of the Weidner Foundation. The chapter’s purpose is to stimulate interest in altruistic service both on campus and in the community. The chapter is sponsored by Butler’s SSA because altruism is an important component of sociology studies and field work.
Media contact:
Marc Allan
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(317) 940-9822
