Mount Mercy Academy will honor seven deserving individuals at its 21st annual Mercy Honors Dinner. The dinner will be held on Thursday, Nov. 10. After a two-year absence due to Covid, Mount Mercy will host the event at The Columns Banquets. Four alumnae will receive the Catherine McAuley Distinguished Alumna Award and two individuals will be honored with the Spirit of Mercy Award. In addition, the Sister Sally Walz Memorial Award will be presented posthumously to one alumna.
Kelly O’Connell Kinderman, Class of 1995; Mary Kate Zebracki Loftus, Class of 1995; Elizabeth Beiring Kim, Ph.D., Class of 1983; and Lauren Dunford Kuwik, M.D., Class of 2000 have been selected to receive the Distinguished Alumna Awards. This award honors alumnae who have distinguished themselves as women of faith, knowledge, integrity and compassion. The woman who is honored with this award reflects the legacy and mission of Catherine McAuley, the Foundress of the Sisters of Mercy in all aspects of her life, family, community and career.
Kelly O’Connell-Kinderman passionately works to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities.She currently serves as Vice President of Program Support at Community Services for Every1, providing myriad services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. O’Connell-Kinderman has been instrumental in developing new creative and inclusive ventures that respond to community need. She serves as Chair of the Corporate Compliance Committee for Developmental Disabilities of Western New York (DDAWNY) and President of the Miles for Smiles Club.
Mary Kate Zebracki Loftus has over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry and is a recognized leader in the industry. Loftus currently serves as Executive Vice President, Director of Digital Banking for M&T Bank. She represents M&T on the Clearing House Connected Banking Steering Committee, a forum of industry leaders who work to increase awareness on data privacy issues and serves on the customer advisory council for MX, a leading Fintech company. She is also Co-Chair of Women United, the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County Leadership Society.
Elizabeth Beiring Kim, ’83 is committed to public service and making the oceans a better place. Using the building blocks of typing and Latin learned at Mount Mercy, helped Kim in her positions as a diplomat, attorney, and marine ecologist. These experiences led her to her current position, Director of the Office of Ocean and Polar Affairs at the U.S. Department of State. She worked for 11 years at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on marine pollution control before joining the State Department. Kim earned a doctorate in marine ecology and a law degree from the University at Buffalo.
A 2000 graduate of Mount Mercy, Dr. Kuwik received her Bachelor of Arts Degree, magna cum laude, from Fordham University in the Fordham College Honors Program. She then graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo Medical School. Dr. Kuwik completed her residency training in Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics in 2013. She is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Kuwik does her part to ensure the community has accurate medical information by writing articles and letters. She also works to increase the opportunities for women in medicine and science and educating young doctors. The highlight of Dr. Kuwik’s career to date was being ranked by her peers as a 2022 Top Doctor in General Pediatrics.
Suzanne Fox Overdorf and Terry O’Dea Michalek will be honored with the Spirit of Mercy Award. This award is presented to individuals who demonstrate commitment and dedication to their community in both their professional and personal lives. They are truly ministers of Mercy who “live justly, act in tenderness and with humility journey with their God” (Micah 6).
Suzanne Fox Overdorf has been a dedicated Catholic Education teacher in Western New York. During the course of her career, she has taught hundreds of Mount Mercy Academy and Bishop Timon – St. Jude students. Overdorf’s has primarily taught religious education and moral theology. She has worked within the Buffalo Diocese helping the diocese develop their AIDS education curricula and teaching methodology courses to prospective religious education teachers. Overdorf has also served on the Christ the King Seminary Committee on Moral Theology. She recently served on the Mount Mercy Academy Board of Trustees. One of her most important achievements was developing a leadership program at Bishop Timon – St. Jude for eighth grade students that helps students develop unique leadership gifts as they enter high school. She currently teaches the program at Mount Mercy for eighth grade girls.
Sewing has always been a part of Terry O’Dea Michalek’s life, along with running a busy tax service business. She created a business Terry O’Riginals, where she specialized in creating custom décor, costumes and ministerial robes. In addition, she was an extremely active volunteer, working with Angel Gowns of WNY, Inc., Baker Victory Services of Charity, Our Lady of Victory and also spent countless hours volunteering her time and talents to Mount Mercy Academy, Saint Francis High School and St. Peter and Paul Parish. These activities make her a deserving recipient of the Spirit of Mercy Award.
The Sister Sally Walz Memorial Award is given to an alumna who, like Sister Walz, has “an expansive heart that is always welcoming and a generosity of time and talent for what needs to be done.” This year the award is being given posthumously to Vincenetta “Vincy” O’Donnell, Class of 1961.
O’Donnell was a retired educator, active volunteer and devoted “Nanie” to her family. She had tremendous love for her family and was a strong and independent woman of faith who lived life to the fullest. O’Donnell was also a member of the Eastern Erie Retired Teachers Association. She was a devoted coordinator and planner of the Class of 1961’s monthly luncheons. She was also a past member of the Mount Mercy Academy Alumnae Board where she helped plan alumnae events, including co-chairing some of the earliest Mercy Honor Award Dinners. Mount Mercy was truly blessed with O’Donnell’s countless selfless acts of devotion to the school since her graduation.
