On Thursday, Oct. 9, the Rose Bente Lee Ostapenko Center held its annual voter registration drive in the city of Niagara Falls. Ostapenko interns Niesha Belleus and Jessica Fernandez, senior social work majors, organized the voting campaign. The goal of the campaign was to educate community members about the importance of voting and review relevant historical laws that secure individuals’ rights at the federal and state levels.
Various community partners, including Community Missions of Niagara Frontier Inc.; Niagara Gospel Mission; Create a Healthier Niagara Falls Collaborative; Heart, Love, and Soul; Niagara Falls High School; and Niagara Falls Housing Authorities at Wrobel Towers and Spallino Towers, welcomed students to their organizations.
The two students noted that “Voting suppression has been going on for many years, and it still exists today. There are many people who do not know they can vote in New York state, and our voter registration drive was an opportunity to provide resources to community members and emphasize that their vote matters.”
“The voter registration drive reduced barriers, as students assisted community members to check their registration status, eliminated their need to travel to fill out or submit their registration form, and provided resources on important voting information,” said Dr. Rolanda L. Ward, endowed faculty director of the Rose Bente Lee Ostapenko Center, program chair, and professor of social work. “This project serves as an anchor project for the interns. It connects Niagara University students to the community and establishes key stakeholder relationships. When our students are out and about in Niagara Falls, they become immersed in the community and learn how to engage with their hearts and minds through a social justice lens.”
In total, 27 residents of Niagara Falls registered to vote for the upcoming election. Belleus and Fernandez credited the success of the voting campaign to the help and dedication of the senior social work students, various community partners, and everyone at the Ostapenko Center.
