Trocaire College is holding its second annual Spring Soirée gala at the new Shea's on Seneca at 6 p.m. Friday, May 3, and will honor several deserving organizations and individuals in the process.

The evening will feature passed hors d'oeuvres, tastings from local wineries, breweries and distilleries, a silent auction, and live entertainment, as well as the presentation of several awards.

This year's Distinguished Alumni Award is being awarded to lifelong Buffalo resident Patrick M. Weisansal II '12, RT (R)(ARRT), who has been employed by Kaleida Health's Buffalo General Medical Center since he graduated from Trocaire's Radiologic Technology program in 2012. Patrick was inspired to further serve others as an active member of his union, representing imaging professionals at his workplace. He is also the director of Organizing and Mobilizing for CWA Local 1168, which represents 4,600 healthcare professionals across the region.

The 2019 Trocaire College President's Award goes to the Community Health Center of Buffalo, Inc. (CHCB) and Erie Niagara Area Health Education Center (ENAHEC), which, as valued community grant partners, have provided mentoring and vocational training for students in Trocaire's Pathways to Nursing Success program.

CHCB's mission is to provide quality, culturally sensitive, preventive and primary health care to the underserved of the community through state-of-the-art clinical and business practices in a clinical teaching environment in order to reduce health disparities. It has sites in Buffalo's East Side, Cheektowaga, Niagara Falls and Lockport.

ENAHEC also serves Erie and Niagara counties and is dedicated to creating a well-informed and diverse healthcare workforce. Its focus is to improve healthcare outcomes of the community by connecting students, academic institutions, healthcare facilities and current healthcare professionals to the communities in need.

Finally, Nursing student Rose Hussain will receive the 2019 Outstanding Student Award. Rose grew up in Liberia, West Africa but became a refugee in the Liberian Civil War. She worked for the United Nations taking care of fellow refugees for a time, but in 2000 she immigrated to the US in search of a better life. A single mother of five children, she settled in Buffalo and opened her own hair salon which now employs four stylists.  She decided to enroll in Trocaire's Nursing program in 2016 to improve her opportunities and give back to the community.

Trocaire's Spring Soirée is open to the entire Western New York community. For more information and to purchase tickets, visitTrocaire.edu/springsoiree.