Colleagues,

Please keep Meghan Walsh and her family in your thoughts and prayers as her mother-in-law, Pat Walsh, passed away peacefully last weekend due to complications from COVID. She had a difficult time since being admitted to the hospital in December. When the doctors told her there was nothing more they could do, she decided to go into hospice. That change allowed local family members to visit with her in person (2 at a time). For Meghan, being able to say good-bye was such a gift. Pat was a wonderful woman whose family, faith and friends meant the world to her. She will be missed.

Meghan and her family have been so thankful for the wonderful (truly above and beyond!) care she received during all of this. Meghan is grateful as well for the prayers and support she has received from her Notre Dame family during this difficult time.

Pat’s obituary can be found here: https://memorials.countrysidefuneralhomes.com/patricia-walsh/4515540/

-Cindy Karpovs

Colleagues,

It is with mixed emotions I share officially what many of you have likely already heard—Dan Santucci will be leaving us at the end of the fiscal year to begin the next phase of his career, assuming the role of President at his alma mater, St. Patrick High School, an all-boy, Christian Brothers Catholic School on the northwest side of Chicago. This is a tremendous opportunity for Dan, and I am sincerely excited for him and the young boys for whom he will be a role model. That said, he will be sorely missed at Notre Dame as he has been a tremendous fundraiser, teammate, partner, and friend to so many in Development and at the University at-large.

In his new job, Dan will report directly to the Board of Trustees and will oversee all functions of the school including the Academy, Institutional Advancement, Admissions, Athletics, and daily operations. Please join me in congratulating Dan and celebrate him for the impact he has had during his time at Notre Dame.

Statement from Dan:
It is a bittersweet moment in my career to announce that I will be leaving Notre Dame at the end of this fiscal year. I can’t put into words how much I have enjoyed every minute of my time here. I have learned so much and grown in my professional life as well as in my personal life. I am forever grateful for all that Notre Dame has done for me and my family. The hardest thing to leave will be all of you, my colleagues and friends. Thanks so much for your unwavering support over the years.

In the end, I truly believe I was called away to help boys become young men. I am honored and blessed to have the opportunity to become the next President of my alma mater. Although I will miss everything about Notre Dame, I am excited to advance my career and begin this next chapter for my family.

-Sara Liebscher

Come join our team and walk with us! This month we’ll be highlighting the wonderful efforts of St. Margaret’s House whose mission it is to improve the lives of women and children by providing individual attention to their immediate needs, breaking the bonds of isolation and helping them acquire skills to better their lives.

Starting on Sunday, February 14th they will be having a Virtual Winter Walk to raise money for the women and children they serve. The cost is free to register but if you’d like to make a donation you are of course welcome. Use the link above to join the ND Development team, and let’s lace up our sneakers together for a great cause! If you are interested in other ways to volunteer check out their website here!

On Tuesday, February 16, from 7:00 – 8:30 PM ET, the Rockne Athletics Fund will be hosting a casual student-athlete networking event for our premier level members (ADC | JHC). A second evite was sent out on 1/28 from Shannon Longo, with an RSVP deadline of 2/12. Fundraisers will be notified if their benefactor signs up, we hope you will encourage them to attend. If you should have any questions, please contact William Mitchell or Shannon Longo.

Happy Birthday to all our colleagues celebrating their special days in February! We hope you feel loved and valued on your birthday and every day of the year!

2/2 – Kim Biagini
2/3 – Shelby Carroll
2/4 – Sara Munoz
2/10 – Jessica Reasons
2/12 – Aaron Wall
2/12 – Al Bucci
2/13 – Christa LeeVan
2/14 – Rich Naponelli
2/15 – Tony Roberts
2/16 – Larry Helmsing
2/16 – Matt Abernathy
2/20 – Danielle Knight
2/20 – Jacqueline Thomas
2/20 – Riley Koval
2/22 – Kristen White
2/23 – Heather Moriconi
2/24 – Shannon Longo
2/25 – Kathy Wadolowski
2/27 – Amy Schell
2/29 – Bill Kempf

Colleagues,

The Food Bank of Northern Indiana is in need of volunteers to assist at the following events in St. Joseph County:

• Wednesday February 3 from 9:00am – 12:00pm at in the Kroger parking lot at 5526 Western Ave in South Bend, IN
• Thursday February 11 from 1:00pm- 3:00pm at the Food Bank of Northern Indiana
• Wednesday February 17 from 9:00am -12pm at IVY Tech South Bend

If you are able to assist on any of the above dates, please contact Allison Schoenfeld at aschoenfeld@feedindiana.org.

Gift Management will be sending approximately 19,000 year-end tax letters to donor households via email (16,400) or by US mail (2,600 – for those donors without an email address) on Wednesday, January 27th through Friday, January 29th.

Our intent is to send letters to donors who have specifically made this request, donors through UND’s payroll deduction, recurring online donors and donors who did not receive a letter in 2020. Our cumulative year end letter simply states the total amount of legal gifts and provides the proper tax code language. This letter proactively provides tax information to our donors as well as one more thank you!

Please feel free to reach out to Stacy Koebel or Melissa Medina if you have any questions.

Congratulations to the former Julie Burnett who married her longtime love Jay Seniff on Sunday, January 24th. Julie and Jay tied the knot at their home surrounded by Julie and Jay’s children and grandchild. It was a beautiful intimate ceremony and Julie looked radiant.

Please join the entire Advancement Services team in sending love and luck to the happy couple.

It is with broken hearts that we share that our Margot passed away peacefully at home on Sunday evening. She fought long and hard during her seven weeks in the NICU and three at home, and we were blessed to have the time that we did. We are hurting, but are so grateful for all the love and support we’ve received. Knowing that she’s in Mary’s arms brings us comfort.

A Catholic service will take place on Monday, February 1st at Saint Pius X in Granger at 10:30 am, with visitation at 9:30. Please follow COVID social distancing guidelines, but we are accepting hugs for those comfortable with giving one.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Margot’s memory to the Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, NICU Project (choose from the dropdown), https://www.sjmedgiving.com/donate.

Thank you for all the love and prayers,
Jess, Mike, and Michael Witous

The January Matching Gift Email will be sent this Tuesday, January 25, to this list of assigned entities who work for matching gift companies, have made a gift since October 1, 2020, and as of today have not yet matched their gift. These gifts represent nearly $1.5M in potential matches.

Please note that individuals on the second tab of the excel file (“Fundraiser Outreach”) have not received the matching gift email message (all gifts exceeding $25,000) but may be eligible to match their gifts totaling $3.9M. You are encouraged to reach out to your assigned benefactors directly to discuss the details and answer questions related to the matching gift process.

If you have any questions regarding this matching gift communication, please reach out to Laura Walker.