All Things Working Together for Good
For Ned Roseberry ’93 and the Westchester County Chapter of the BC Alumni Association, volunteering at five food pantries in one day was just another day at the office—living out their mission as men and women for and with others.
- Published on February 26, 2021
Ned and his wife, Dorsey Roseberry P’24.
By 8 a.m., the line at the St. Mary’s, Mohegan Lake food pantry already stretched around the block. Hundreds of people huddled in the cold, as Ned Roseberry ’93, his kids, and the rest of the volunteers from the Westchester County Chapter of the Boston College Alumni Association distributed Thanksgiving meals and warm clothes to folks in need. That was the first of five food pantries the group volunteered at that day alone, but it was nothing out of the ordinary for Roseberry and company—just another day living out their mission as men and women for and with others.
Roseberry has an instinct to say “we” rather than “I.” Even when asked about his personal experience, he is quick to reframe the focus on a communal “we.” A vice president of the Alumni Board and co-chair of the Neenan Society, Roseberry, Westchester chapter co-chair Kellie Walsh May ’96 and an energetic steering committee have helped instill a similar team approach to the Westchester County Chapter’s copious volunteer work and philanthropy.
The Westchester County Chapter at the Don Bosco Community Center, Thanksgiving 2019.
“The real identity of our Alumni Chapter in Westchester is rooted in a lot of community service,” he says. “It’s powerful when we all band together as Eagles—whether we’re doing a project in the community, Global Days of Service, or our volunteer work around the holidays. Seeing all these Eagles with this passionate value set, molded at BC, come together in service, it becomes so obvious how the power of many is so much greater than the power of one.”
It is easy to see Roseberry’s ethos reflected in everything the tight-knit chapter touches. Members are quick to bring their children, parents, friends, colleagues, and even current Eagles to service events. The more the merrier, they figure, especially when the need in their community is so great. “Westchester County has the highest income inequality in New York State,” Roseberry says, “as a chapter, we step in together to help as much as we can.”
“Often people look at the totality of what BC needs and say—‘how can my donation or my service move the sticks’—but the reality is, it’s just a function of everything adding up.”
Ned Roseberry ’93
(Left to right) Michele Naclerio ’09, Greg Mihal ’00, Roseberry, and Jack Kennedy ’79.
United by a common love for BC, the chapter exudes an indefatigable commitment to service. They have done extensive work with many organizations over the years and, with the Fuller Center for Housing in New Rochelle, they helped set up a food distribution center at the beginning of the COVID crisis which is still in operation to this day. The group also engages in a long list of giving and service events around the holidays, helping make the season “a little less stressful and a bit more joyful for people in need.” Last year, they hosted a virtual Christmas toy drive, with Westchester alumni donating more than 300 toys that were distributed to children throughout the county. No matter the occasion, Roseberry insists BC alumni always receive more than they give when volunteering in the community. “Service opportunities allows people to express what they are passionate about, and live out their core values—giving of themselves, caring for the people around them, and all the other Jesuit ideals we learned at the Heights.”
Ned and his family at a BC tailgate.
“Often people look at the totality of what BC needs and say—‘how can my donation or my service move the sticks’—but the reality is, it’s just a function of everything adding up. The same is true for our volunteer work in the community. If we can find ways for people to be men and women for others in their community—maybe 20, or 30, or 40 people at a time—it will make a massive difference for a ton of people,” Roseberry says. “The key is to have confidence that whatever you're doing to help BC or your community is making a difference. The cumulative impact will go farther than you know.”
Along with his time at BC, Roseberry credits his mother and father—“the hardest working people I have ever met”—for making these selfless and caring qualities almost second nature to him and his siblings. The apple did not fall far from the tree in this respect, as Roseberry is eager to bring his kids along to any and all service opportunities. Indeed, what sticks with Ned, months removed from that frigid morning handing out turkeys and stuffing, was the image of his children, Charlie, Callie, and Maggie, along with other children, giving meals and clothes to families in need. “It was so powerful,” he says, “the kids were happy to know they were joining the BC community and helping out.”