The Niagara Group is sad to announce the sudden passing of our summer 2018 intern, Megan Racinowski, on September 16, 2018. Megan, at 19 years of age, was a rising junior at Daemen College, having accelerated both her high school and college programs. She worked on several projects for the Niagara Group, including conducting interviews with elected officials in the Town of Amherst for the Municipal Toolkit. The Toolkit, a set of stories of renewable energy, energy conservation and other climate protection initiatives by cities and towns across New York State, is designed to give other municipalities ideas and advice for similar projects.
Megan assisted in several tabling events through the summer and helped with Buffalo’s Rise Up for Climate Justice day on September 8, one of many international events on that date. She was diligent in compiling data from petitions, taking minutes at meetings and whatever else needed to be done, was always willing to learn new skills and to reach out to people at events. Meanwhile, Megan was also interning for Rep. Brian Higgins (NY-26) and had interned last year in a US senator’s office in DC. A history and political science major at Daemen, she was active in several service and social organizations at the college and won awards and scholarships. We mourn the loss of this talented and kindhearted young woman who planned a career in law and public service, and cared deeply about the environment.
Return to Sierra Atlantic Fall/Winter 2018