Annual Celebration of Life Service: April 11

Members of the Buffalo State community have the opportunity to reflect upon the lives of students, faculty, staff, and alumni who passed away in 2013 during the Celebration of Life (COL) memorial event on Friday, April 11. The COL will be held at noon in the Burchfield Penney Art Center. Everyone is invited to attend.

"The COL has been a longstanding event and remains one of our most significant annual traditions," said Wendell P. Rivera, senior counselor in the Counseling Center and chairperson of the 2014 COL. "This spiritual, non-denominational program provides a forum for the Buffalo State community to grieve communally, remember, and celebrate those lives that have touched them."

The hour-long event will include songs, poems, and readings of the names of the deceased. Interim President Howard Cohen will give the welcoming message; Fajri Ansari, head varsity basketball coach, will present the invocation; and students and staff members will read poems.

Three student singers, under the direction of Holly Bewlay, assistant professor of music, will perform with faculty member Ivan Docenko Jr. accompanying on piano. Following the ceremony, a memorial wreath will be placed in the Rockwell Hall Quad and refreshments will be served.

Along with the Counseling Center, other contributors to the COL include the Music Department, the United Students Government, and the offices of Alumni Affairs, Dean of Students, Finance and Management, Institutional Advancement, Student Affairs, and the Provost.