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Fulbright students share language, culture with local school children, translate texts for parents amid pandemic

Published: February 11, 2021

Erin Blasko

The Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) program at the University of Notre Dame is unique among FLTA programs in that it involves community engagement as well as teaching, exposing educators from around the world to life beyond Notre Dame’s campus while introducing local school children to different peoples and cultures.

Notre Dame, others join to fight rising local hunger

Published: January 25, 2021

Erin Blasko

The Health Improvement Alliance of St. Joseph County, in partnership with Cultivate Food Rescue, established the Emergency Food Initiative in March as a way to support food security in South Bend and the surrounding area and negotiate the complexity of that task during the pandemic.

Student-athletes promote healthy habits among local Head Start students

Published: October 30, 2020

Erin Blasko

Notre Dame Athletics is partnering with the South Bend Community School Corp. (SBCSC) to promote healthy habits among students at Studebaker Elementary School, home to the district’s Head Start and special needs programs for children ages 0-5.

Center for Civic Innovation interns help extend Wi-Fi to Elkhart Community Schools students

Published: September 10, 2020

Erin Blasko

Nationwide, 14 percent of children ages 3 to 18, or about 9.4 million kids, lack access to home internet, according to the U.S. Department of Education. This digital divide disproportionately affects students from underserved communities, including underrepresented minority students.

Food rescue partnership reaches 100,000-pound milestone

Published: July 21, 2020

Erin Blasko

The University of Notre Dame has reached a milestone in its relationship with Cultivate Food Rescue: 100,000 pounds of food donated to the nonprofit to battle hunger and reduce food waste.

Amid coronavirus, story time moves online for Robinson Center youth

Published: May 01, 2020

Erin Blasko

Established in 2011, the RCLC’s English as a new language (ENL) preschool program is a companion to its adult ENL program, exposing the children of students in that program to music, literature, computers, art and outdoor play on a daily basis.

Notre Dame Fire Department welcomes first women firefighters

Published: September 25, 2019

Erin Blasko

The University of Notre Dame Fire Department recently welcomed Christi Shibata and Michelle Woolverton as the first full-time women firefighters in the department’s 140-year history.

Luncheon celebrates life, legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

Published: January 22, 2019

Erin Blasko

Sponsored by the Office of the President and the Oversight Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, the luncheon included remarks from Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., as well as a panel discussion on race: “A Call to Love: Bridging the Racial Divide.”

Potawatomi Language and Culture Night

Published: October 22, 2018

Erin Blasko

Zada Ballew, a Potawatomi citizen and a senior in the College of Arts and Letters, said, “As both a member of the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi and a student at the University of Notre Dame, I am honored to have the chance to share my culture with my classmates.

Class of 2022: Intellectually and globally diverse, dedicated to service and leadership

Published: August 24, 2018

Erin Blasko

Both intellectually and globally diverse, the class of 2,070 first-year students includes more than 600 international students or U.S. students of color and nearly 160 first-generation students.

Eight Notre Dame undergraduates named spring Gilman Scholars

Published: February 04, 2021

Erin Blasko

Eight University of Notre Dame students have been awarded spring Gilman Scholarships to study abroad, for a total of 15 students so far for the 2020-21 academic year.

Alumnus Alan Page, trailblazing jurist and Hall of Fame football player, to be featured speaker at MLK Day event

Published: January 18, 2021

Erin Blasko

Retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page, a 1967 University of Notre Dame graduate and the first African American justice to serve on Minnesota’s highest court, will join G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean of Notre Dame Law School, for a virtual “fireside chat” at noon Jan. 18 (Monday) as part of the University’s commemoration of Martin Luther...

Lilly Endowment awards Notre Dame grant to advance student mental health

Published: October 19, 2020

Erin Blasko

The University of Notre Dame has been awarded $2.5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. to advance a holistic approach to student mental health that promotes well-being, resilience and restoration for students and caregivers alike.

From Here to There: Program helps underrepresented students advance their academic career

Published: September 08, 2020

Erin Blasko

When Yamil Colón arrived at the University of Notre Dame from Puerto Rico, he had yet to spend much time outside of the island. A chemical and biomolecular engineering major, Colón grew up in Bayamón, a city of about 200,000 in the northern coastal region of Puerto Rico, outside the capital of San Juan. His mother taught middle school. His father worked at...

Robinson Community Learning Center completes move to new, expanded facility at Eddy Street Commons

Published: June 15, 2020

Erin Blasko

The University of Notre Dame Robinson Community Learning Center (RCLC) is settling into its new home, a sleek, spacious new building at Eddy Street Commons, after almost two decades in its original location, the cramped and aging former Goodwill store at Eddy and Howard streets.

Civil rights leader Diane Nash to deliver MLK Celebration Luncheon keynote

Published: January 14, 2020

Erin Blasko

Celebrated civil rights leader Diane Nash will be the keynote speaker for the University of Notre Dame’s annual Martin Luther King Celebration Luncheon on Jan. 20 (Monday) at the Joyce Center.

Africana Studies Professors Maria McKenna, Richard Pierce tapped to lead AnBryce Scholars Initiative

Published: August 20, 2019

Erin Blasko

The AnBryce Scholars Initiative is a scholar leaders program supporting first-generation college students who demonstrate great promise in the face of challenging life circumstances.

Book club ‘elevates’ language for Spanish-speaking Catholic school students

Published: December 18, 2018

Erin Blasko

The book club is the latest in a long line of Notre Dame-backed programs and initiatives aimed at improving educational outcomes for primary and secondary students in the South Bend-Elkhart region.

Student Safety Summit draws nearly 100 to talk to local police

Published: October 11, 2018

Erin Blasko

The event featured Q&A with local law enforcement, covering topics such as safety on an open campus, bias in policing and blue-light emergency phones.

Notre Dame, Girls Who Invest partner to advance women in finance

Published: July 17, 2018

Erin Blasko

In addition to gender diversity, Girls Who Invest promotes social, racial and ethnic diversity. About 20 percent of this year’s class are historically underrepresented minorities, and one quarter of the women come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

State license ‘the culmination of a decade-long dream’ for Robinson Center preschool program

Published: January 29, 2021

Erin Blasko

The Robinson Community Learning Center’s early childhood program is now a licensed preschool program in Indiana, allowing it to accept voucher students and participate in the state’s child care quality and rating system as a reference for parents and a pathway to accreditation.

Athletics staff, student-athletes provide gifts to local families amid pandemic

Published: December 10, 2020

Erin Blasko

Notre Dame Athletics, in partnership with the South Bend Community School Corp. (SBCSC), hosted a drive-thru version of its annual gift-giving event, “A Brighter Christmas,” on Sunday (Dec. 6) at the Compton Family Ice Arena.

Women’s soccer collects 1,111 pounds of food for Food Bank of Northern Indiana

Published: September 11, 2020

Erin Blasko

The food comes at a critical time for the food bank, which is experiencing increased need in the community because of the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic. It also coincides with Hunger Action Month, a month devoted to education and action around hunger in the U.S.

Center for Civic Innovation coordinates remote assistance for low-income taxpayers amid coronavirus

Published: August 10, 2020

Erin Blasko

The Center for Civic Innovation (CCI) coordinated assistance for 53 taxpayers via the videoconferencing app Zoom and referred another 100 taxpayers to Goodwill for assistance, representing those without access to Zoom or otherwise uncomfortable with the app.

Student-athletes promote literacy, combat hunger during coronavirus pandemic

Published: June 04, 2020

Erin Blasko

Student-athletes record themselves reading children’s books to local students in grades K-4 and then post the videos to Instagram along with a donation sticker for Feeding America, a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks, including the Food Bank of Northern Indiana.

Notre Dame to host Indiana Association of Blacks in Higher Education Fall Symposium

Published: October 10, 2019

Erin Blasko

The Indiana Association of Blacks in Higher Education (IABHE) Fall Symposium will take place Oct. 13 (Sunday) and 14 (Monday) at the Morris Inn at the University of Notre dame.

Events planned to celebrate Black History Month

Published: January 31, 2019

Erin Blasko

Notre Dame will celebrate Black History Month with events including lectures, discussions and performances throughout February.

Grant to help Riley students develop affordable housing in South Bend

Published: December 18, 2018

Erin Blasko

The $125,000 grant will allow the students to build a home for a low- to moderate-income family in a part of the city where access to quality, affordable housing and financing is limited.

Special Olympics athletes from South Bend, Ann Arbor to compete in flag football game

Published: August 30, 2018

Erin Blasko

Special Olympics Notre Dame is a non-profit service club for Notre Dame students that provides year-round training and competition in a variety of sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the South Bend area, consistent with the Special Olympics movement.

Program brings kids, cops together around food

Published: June 22, 2018

Erin Blasko

One part law enforcement. One part youth. Add culinary professionals and garnish with fresh ingredients and food for thought. That’s the recipe for Cooking with Cops, a pilot program at the University of Notre Dame that brings local youth and law enforcement together around food.