The Power of Matching Gifts
Ayesha Blackwell-Hawkins, Esq. , didn’t realize the true impact her mother, Regina L. Blackwell H’10, had on generations of Gray Bees until after she passed away in December 2014. Mrs. Blackwell was St. Benedict’s Prep’s school nurse for 22 years, known for helping kids out with lunch money, but also marching them back to the classroom if they faked an illness. “We didn’t realize that we shared my mother with so many people,” said Ayesha, who along with her brothers, Adrian ’89 and Maurice ’94 Blackwell , heard the same refrain from so many alumni, “Your mother was like a mom to me.” 

Ayesha, and her husband, James C. Barnes Hawkins, Esq. ’87, wanted to commemorate Mrs. Blackwell’s legacy at the School. “She was always so involved,” said Ayesha, noting that beyond her duties as an RN, her mother took care of the monks, gave students a place to stay when they needed one and hosted international exchange students. “St. Benedict’s meant a lot to her with work that she found really meaningful.”