NOTRE DAME CLUB OF ROCHESTER NEWSLETTER – FALL 2016

Commemorating the 100th Anniversary Letter from the President of the 1916 Irish Rebellion at It is hard to believe summer is ending and football season is upon The Little Theater us! We hope you will join us to cheer on the Irish during their first game of the season at our ND Texas game watch at Shamrock Jack’s this weekend! Stayed tuned for additional game watches. If you know of a venue that is willing to host one, please let us know!

Since our Spring Newsletter, the Club has been very busy hosting a variety of summer events and gearing up for a busy fall!

We kicked off The ND Club of Rochester is pleased to host a our Continuing Education initiative, held our first Club picnic in screening of the film 1916 The Irish Rebellion on many years, and began volunteer relationships with InterVol and Wednesday, October 5 at the Little Theatre. Narrated Flower City Habitat. This fall, we look forward to continuing by Liam Neeson, this landmark documentary tells the partnerships with both of these organizations. As part of our dramatic story of the events that took place in Dublin Continuing Education initiative, the Club is showing the during Easter Week 1916, when a small group of Irish documentary 1916 The Irish Rebellion and hosting a Year of Mercy rebels took on the might of the British Empire. lecture to close the Jubilee Year. As always, we will host our ND The documentary – featuring a combination of rarely Women’s Christmas Luncheon and Annual Communion Mass and seen archival footage, new segments filmed on location Breakfast in December to come together as an ND family during worldwide, and interviews with leading international the holiday season. experts – also uncovers the untold story of the central I hope to see and meet many of you at some of these wonderful role Irish Americans played in the lead-up to the events. It is truly an honor to serve the alumni, family, and friends rebellion. Although defeated militarily, the men and of Notre Dame in the Rochester community. As always, please women of the Easter Rising would wring a moral contact me if you have any ideas, questions, or concerns. victory from the jaws of defeat and inspire countless freedom struggles throughout the world – from Ireland Go Irish! Beat Longhorns! to India. Amy Porter ‘14 An initiative of the Keough-Naughton Institute for ND Club of Rochester President Irish Studies at the University of Notre Dame, this documentary tells the story of the 1916 Easter Rising in Rochester Remembers a comprehensive way and, for the first time, places The Club remembers all members these events in their proper historical, political and of the Notre Dame family who we cultural context as the precursor to an independent Irish have lost in 2016, including James state and the disintegration of colonial empires Doyle ’51 & ’53 who passed away worldwide. on June 10. Jim was a beloved For additional information about the film, please visit member of the ND Rochester http://1916.nd.edu. Event details, including screening community. The Club will be time and ticket prices, will be sent via email and forever grateful for the countless published on the Club website at hours that Jim gave to the ND http://rochester.undclub.org in mid-September. Club of Rochester. As a testament to this, Jim was the recipient of the Club’s Person of the Year Award in 1974.

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Join Us to Cheer on the Irish! Join the ND Club of Rochester to cheer on our Irish this fall! The first Club game watch will be held at Shamrock Jack’s to watch the Irish take on the Longhorns on Sunday, September 4. Kick-off is at 7:30pm. Shamrock Jack’s will have drink and food specials, giveaways, and a ND jersey raffle for the Club! There will also be a $5 Kick the Keg tailgate party, starting at 6:30pm, with all proceeds going to charity. Bring your family and friends to cheer on the Irish! For more information on Shamrock Jack’s, visit their website: http://www.shamrockjack.com.

Join us at Salinger’s on Saturday, September 24 for the ND-Duke game. Kick-off is at 3:30pm. Salinger’s will be opening early just for the ND Club of Rochester, so bring your family and friends to cheer on the Irish! Pizza and wings will be provided and the bar will be open for drink purchases. Salinger’s is located at 107 East Ave. We are planning other game watches throughout the season, so stay tuned! Do you know of another great venue to host an ND game watch? Let us know! Email the Club at [email protected].

Closing the Jubilee Year of Mercy The Notre Dame Club of Rochester and St. John’s Church of Rochester are proud to present a lecture to close the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Dr. Joseph Kelly will be presenting the lecture entitled "Pope Francis: Man of Mercy" on Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 7:00pm at St. John’s Church in Fairport. When Pope Francis announced that the 2016 Liturgical Year would be a special Year of Mercy, no one was particularly surprised. The idea of mercy is one of the most significant themes of his pontificate. Clearly, he sees it as an essential part of his process of renewal for the Church in our time. In this talk, Dr. Kelly will explore some of the many insights that Francis has given in his homilies, speeches and interviews. This will allow us to come to a better understanding of this great theme of mercy and its importance in our lives and in the life of the Church. The Club is thrilled to have Dr. Kelly as a lecturer. He has an extensive background in theology - he taught full-time for 37 years including serving as a Professor of Religious Studies at Nazareth College for 26 years, and he now focuses on teaching Adult Education courses throughout the Diocese. In September 2015, Dr. Kelly published his book, Behold How Good It Is, which traces the amazingly cordial history of Jewish-Catholic Relations in the Diocese of Rochester. Other publications include an article in America magazine (March 17, 2014), which discusses Pope Francis’ idea of the Church as a field hospital. We hope to see many of you on October 25 and we encourage you to forward the invitation to family and friends who may be interested. The Club will be providing light refreshments. For more information, please visit the Club website.

Build Like a Champion with Flower City Habitat – October 22 On Saturday, July 23, the Club participated in a Flower City Habitat for Humanity build. ND Club volunteers were split between three houses in the same neighborhood. Four of the volunteers helped construct the second floor exterior walls and roof for a woman and her 2-year-old son. The woman, Red, worked directly with our volunteers, which was an incredible experience. Flower City Habitat has built over 200 homes in the Rochester area. We hope you’ll join us for our second build on Saturday, October 22, from 9am-4pm. Don’t worry, it is ND Football’s bye week! Email Amy Porter at [email protected] to sign up and get more information. Volunteers must be at least 16 years of age to participate, and 16 and 17 year olds need a parent present to participate. Space is limited.

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Sort Like a Champion with InterVol – September 13 Educators in the Faith On June 15, the Club held The theme for this year’s Universal Notre Dame Night was its first private sorting Educators in the Faith - The Congregation of the Holy Cross and the party at InterVol. A group Notre Dame Student. 80 people including 13 students were of 10 Club members in attendance at the Oak Hill Country Club on May 24. helped to sort a huge This was the most students that have attended the event in donation of supplies from recent years. The Club began offering students half price local hospitals and learned admission to the event in 2015. Katherine Lane, Senior more about InterVol and Director of Special Events from the University of Notre Dame the impact it has was the keynote speaker. Her presentation focused on throughout the world. current members of the Congregation of Holy Cross and their interaction with current students. Brian Crowley, ’19 Let’s party again! The Club will hold its second private sorting and Elizabeth Weir, ’16 both from the Rochester area, party on Tuesday, September 13 from 6 – 8 pm at InterVol, a prepared reflections and spoke about their ND nonprofit founded by Dr. Ralph Pennino ’75, dedicated to experiences. When Katherine inquired if the audience connecting the world’s neediest to materials, people, and would like to share, Angela Ryck, ‘13 and Kerry Dobbertin, opportunities. ’74 came to the podium to add their reflections on the topic. As one of the first women to attend ND, Kerry recalled being mentored by Father Ted Hesburgh, CSC in his office in the Administration building. Besides the buffet dinner and presentations, the evening included a silent auction featuring homemade ND pillows, ND jewelry, and other donated items which raised almost $600 for the Club. We hope that if you couldn’t join us this year, that you’ll consider attending Universal Notre Dame Night in 2017! Since 1989, InterVol has been saving lives, reducing waste, and bringing people together. Sorting parties harness the power of volunteers to sort out the 1,000 pounds of medical supplies donated to InterVol each week and make sure that each recipient hospital has the correct items needed for the life- saving procedures they perform. No medical experience is necessary, just energy and enthusiasm! To sign up to volunteer, or for more information, please email Kate Herrmann at [email protected]. Volunteers must be at least 14 years of age to join the sorting party and space is limited.

2017 Membership Reminder

Look for our 2017 Club Membership form this November! As in 2016, the Club’s membership information can be found on our website. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Porter at [email protected] or (585) 474-2356.

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Notre Dame Club of Rochester Newsletter – Fall 2016

Welcome to a New Club Treasurer! Club Celebrates Bethany House Partnership On July 6, the Club presented the Bethany House staff including Director, Donna Ecker, with a check for $200 as an expression of our gratitude for mentoring 16 ND students in the past 23 years. Maria Pope, ‘19 from Villa Hills, KY was our Summer Service Learning Program (SSLP) student. She arrived in Rochester on May 16 and lived at Rochester’s Bethany House for 8 weeks.

As the Club bids a fond farewell to John Barsic, ‘00, ’01 who is headed to Pittsburgh to pursue a new career, we welcome Kate Herrmann, ‘88 who has graciously stepped forward to fulfill the duties of the Club Treasurer. Kate is ideally suited for this position as she majored in Finance at Notre Dame and has a depth of experience working for not-for-profit community organizations. Kate grew up as the youngest of six children, in Oswego, . Upon graduation from ND, she took a job with Andersen Consulting in Rochester. Since then, she’s worked for several organizations including the American Liver Foundation and the George Eastman House; she’s served as a Board member for the Junior League of Rochester and the

Rochester General Hospital Association; and currently is the Development Director for the High Falls Film Festival. Left to Right: Maria Pope, Donna Ecker, Ed Nowak

Kate is a parishioner at St. Thomas More, is married to Mike and has two children, son Alex ‘15, who resides in Santa After a celebratory dinner with the staff and guests, Maria Monica, CA and daughter Liv, an ND sophomore. In her spoke with enthusiasm to the ND Club about her summer spare time, Kate enjoys traveling, reading, baking, and of experience. She shared what a typical day at Bethany was like course, Notre Dame football! Please join us in a very warm as well as raw excerpts from her daily journal. welcome to Kate! She showed us the fruit of two of her projects: the baby room filled with supplies for new moms (Maria had hauled, sorted and organized the donations) and the path of concrete Notre Dame Club of Rochester stepping stones in Bethany’s back yard (Maria had helped the Mission Statement women and children select colorful stones and tiles to decorate them). We support the University of Notre Dame’s Maria stated that the biggest lesson of her summer service is unending mission of faith, learning, and service that we all share a common humanity. She said before to students, alumni, family, and friends of Notre arriving at Bethany, she was worried about her ability to Dame in the Rochester, NY community. Rooted relate to the guests. By the conclusion of her SSLP, she in the principles of Camaraderie, Christianity, realized that the guests are people no different than you and I. It’s not really “us” and “them”, Maria reflected in her Communications, Community Service, journal; we all have hopes and fears. We all need love and Continuing Education, and Current Student support to thrive. People are people no matter the Support (“The 6 Cs”), we serve our constituents. circumstances of their life.

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Notre Dame Club of Rochester Newsletter – Fall 2016 Rochester Sends Off 18 New ND Students Sixty students, alumni and parents came together on August 9 at Kings Bend Park in Pittsford to welcome the newest members of the ND family and send them off to South Bend in ND style. This year’s group is the largest group of incoming ND students that Rochester has had in the past five years. ND spirit, comradery, desserts and tailgate games were enjoyed by all. Special thanks to our enthusiastic panel of current students (Liv Herrmann, Ed Kreienberg, George Porter, Dan Wilborn, MaryKate Williams, Jack Wurzer and Jessie Wurzer) who provided helpful tips on what to pack, dorm life, academics and how to thrive under the dome. Best of luck to our 18 newest Domers!

Annie Birmingham (Pittsford Mendon) Sean Kelly (Geneseo) James Bondadonna (Honeoye Falls-Lima) Kate Leonard (Victor) Danny Cairns (McQuaid) Matt Magiera (McQuaid) Tom Curran (Pittsford Mendon) Danny Maxwell (McQuaid) Jack Davis (McQuaid) Katie Smith (Pitsford Sutherland) Danny Duell (Webster Thomas) Jacob Soprano (McQuaid) Matt Gamble (Webster Schroeder) Katie Sylvester (Mercy) Aerin Gleason (Honeoye Falls-Lima) Gianna Van Heel (Fairport) Jamir Jones (Aquinas) Chris Wittig (Pittsford Mendon)

John Barsic Named 2016 Person of the Year John Barsic ‘00 received the well-deserved honor of 2016 Person of the Year for his dedication and commitment to excellence serving as our Club Treasurer. For the past seven years, John has been “the glue” that has held our club together. Through several transitions of club presidents and leadership, John has been the constant that has kept things running smoothly. He has made tremendous contributions which have expanded the reach and services offered by our club. He introduced a tiered dues system which doubled revenues through dues. Most recently, he implemented an emerald membership level as well as the ability to pay dues online which have helped grow membership and resources. Passionate about expanding the benefits offered to dues paying members, he has coordinated the Club’s annual allocation of football tickets, has helped implement and run the silent auction at UND night, and created an on campus student contact to link our club with current Rochester students providing such things as Papa John gift cards to students during exams. John created a club Facebook page and personally hand wrote over 150 thank you notes to help increase enrollment, engage people and connect them to the club. The amazing organization and structure provided by his detailed financial spreadsheets have been critical to our club’s success. When the board has faced difficult issues or decisions, John’s moral character has often guided the board on what it means to represent Notre Dame and reflect the values of the university. His dedication and commitment to excellence have enabled our club to thrive over the past seven years. Congratulations, John and thank you for your spirited self-giving to the Notre Dame Club.

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Summer 2016 with the ND Club of Rochester On Sunday, July 17, the Club hosted a family picnic at Mendon Ponds Park. Over 50 people attended, including current and incoming students and parents, young alumni, senior alumni, and friends of ND. The weather was beautiful and a great time was had by all. Thanks to Jack Heisman for organizing such a relaxing, informal event to bring the ND-Rochester family together! The Club plans to continue this event as an annual Club picnic each summer.

On Thursday, August 11, ND alumnae, wives, family, and friends of Rochester enjoyed a wonderful ND Women’s Summer Luncheon at the Rochester Yacht Club. The Club hopes you’ll join for the annual ND Women’s Christmas Luncheon on Saturday, December 3 at 11:30am at Oak Hill Country Club! More information is available on the Club’s website.

On Sunday, August 14, the Club enjoyed its annual afternoon at to see the Rochester Red Wings take on the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees. Before the game, we enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium, including the press box and Red Wings dugout! Thanks to Emily Nunn, Bob Craig and the Red Wings for another wonderful outing!

Did You Know? • Amanda Polk, a 2008 ND graduate and four-time All-American with the Irish, became the first ND rower to earn a gold medal at the Olympics. She was a member of the US Women’s Eight that powered to victory (6:01:49) in Rio. • The LaFortune Student Center was renovated over the past summer. The West Entrance and Starbucks were renovated and Burger King was replaced with Smashburger! • Molly Huddle, a 2006 ND graduate and Elmira native, set a new American record time in the 10,000-meter run during the fastest ever heat in the distance on the opening day of track competition in Rio. • The Ricci Family made a $5 million gift to UND for a project that will create an outdoor home for the Band of the Fighting Irish and a world-class facility for students participating in RecSports.

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Notre Dame Club of Rochester Newsletter – Fall 2016

Calendar of Events Opportunities to Support the Club! The following is a list of upcoming ND Club of Rochester events. Please The Club Board meets monthly (except August check our events calendar at http://rochester.undclub.org for more and November). Meetings are open to all. Please information and events. contact Amy Porter if you are interested in ND Texas Game Watch: Sunday, September 4th, 7:30pm attending. InterVol Sorting Party: Tuesday, September 13th, 6-8pm The following board positions are currently open: ND Duke Game Watch: Saturday, September 24th, 3:30pm • Vice President 1916 The Irish Rebellion Showing: Wednesday, October 5th, 7pm • Secretary Habitat for Humanity Build: Saturday, October 22nd, 9am-4pm • Golf Outing Coordinator Year of Mercy Lecture: Tuesday, October 25th, 7pm • Game Watch Coordinator

ND Women’s Christmas Luncheon: Saturday, December 3rd, 11:30am The following committees are currently th welcoming new members: Annual Communion Mass & Breakfast: Sunday, December 4 , 10am • Family Day • Young Alumni Networking with Current • Community Service Students • SSLP Weekend Volunteers

• Scholarship Fund Over the 2016-2017 • Communion Breakfast Christmas Break, the Club • Student Sendoff plans to offer a career advice • and networking opportunity ND Women & Ladies Luncheon for our current students. If Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in you are interested in learning more about attending or participating, any of these positions, or other ways to please contact the Club at support the Club. [email protected].

A Message from Campus! Hi everyone! My name is Jessie Wurzer and I am a senior this year at ND, living in Ryan Hall. I'm double majoring in Political Science and Spanish, and my favorite on campus activity that I participate in is the marching band. I will be the ND Club of Rochester's on campus student liaison this year. I want to be as helpful as I possibly can for the club as well as the current students. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me at my email: [email protected]. I'll be giving a campus update in each of these newsletters, but outside of that, I can and will also: - Help current students find rides to and from campus for breaks - Help any visiting prospective students find students in their major to show them around - Assist visiting students with scheduling an overnight visit with a current student to experience dorm life - Connect you to any resources or contacts at Notre Dame that you may need to get in contact with - Answer any questions you may have about what is happening on campus I'm excited to work closely with the club this year! Go Irish!

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