Alvernia Distinguished Alumni Award
We would like to congratulate our President and CEO Judith Ann Bohler for being awarded The Ellen Frei Gruber Award.
The Ellen Frei Gruber Award recognizes Alvernia alumni who reflect the values of service, humility, peacemaking, contemplation and collegiality in how they conduct their life. These core values are at the heart of what Alvernia University and the founding Bernardine Franciscan Sisters believe are the values that will carry us through life.
Bohler is the executive director and founder of the JB Foundation which provides support to children, youth, women, and the elderly living in extreme poverty in the Dominican Republic. Prior to the JB Foundation, she served Alvernia in muliple roles for nearly 21 years and was a volunteer with the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters Volunteers in Mission and a member of the Alumni Council from 2010-2015. She was also a member of the Farmland Preservation Trust in Lancaster County and is an active member of Our Mother of Perpetual Help Catholic Church in Ephrata.
“As a result of Alvernia’s commitment to community service, I was able to travel to the Dominican Republic for a student service opportunity. What I experienced during that first trip changed my life’s focus,” said Bohler. “The idea to establish the JB Foundation was formed during my time as a student and employee at Alvernia... I wanted to follow in [the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters] example and continue to work with vulnerable communities and dedicate my life to service.”
