Judith Garson, rscj, received the Spirit of Service Award from St. John's University at the annual President's Dinner, held at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan on October 28. Sister Garson has serves as executive director of Little Sisters of the Assumption Family Health Service in East Harlem since 1996. In presenting the award, the Rev. Donald J. Harrington, president of St. John's University, said, “Sister Judith has become a well-known and beloved figure in the East Harlem community, a beacon of hope to many, especially new immigrants and those marginalized by society, providing spiritual comfort and practical assistance in a broad spectrum of areas.”

The service award is given to persons who demonstrate compassion and concern for those in need in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul. St. John's was founded by the Vincentians, a Catholic religious order for men.

Little Sisters provides assistance to more than 4,000 people a year in such areas as health care, housing, social services and crisis intervention.

Sister Garson is a graduate of Manhattanville College and holds a master's degree from Columbia University. She has taught at Sacred Heart schools in Albany, New York; Norton, Connecticut; and Princeton, New Jersey, and has served on the General Council of the Society of the Sacred Heart in Rome. Before becoming executive director of Little Sisters, she served as the organization's co-director for education and social service.

Related, from June 2004: Harlem service agency gets new building