2011 3rd Quarter Newsletter

NotreDameAlumni
www.grNDclub.com
Newsletter
Notre Dame Club of Grand Rapids
SEPTEMBER 2011
Golf Outing raises $12,500 in student scholarship funds
More than 100 people attended the 28th annual Golf and Scholarship Invitational on July 8 at Centennial Country Club. The event, featuring Notre Dame football defensive backs
coach and recruiting coordinator Chuck
Martin, raised $12,500 for student scholarships.
Martin said he was excited to return to
Grand Rapids with his family, where he
worked as head football coach at Grand
Valley State University. He also spent time
after his speech visiting with local alumni
and fans.
The day featured a burger and brat buffet
Chuck Martin
lunch, 18 holes of golf, a social hour, silent
and live auctions, raffle prizes, a steak dinner banquet, and live music
on the deck. Families also enjoyed the use of the swimming pool and
clubhouse facilities at Centennial during the day.
Mark your calendars for next year’s event: Friday, July 13, 2012, at
Centennial Country Club. Many thanks to Bob Belmonte and Tim Clark for their hard work
coordinating this event.
And thank you to our volunteers: Tony Arbanas, Lou Educato, Samantha Chamberlain, Maureen Gottlieb, Paul Heroman, Lucy Korth,
Dale Kris, Mark Levandoski, Maggie Nickels, Maureen Salerno, Butch
Steffes, Kevin Wildey.
Golf prize winners
Low Net Golf team winners: Greg Wolf, John Ferroli, Russ Lindemann, Tim McMorrow with a score of 67.65
Low Gross Score of 52: Brian Bastic, Jim Verspoor, Ron Stankus,
& Kevin Stapleton
Longest Drive, Hole 12: Bobby Belmonte
Closest to Pin, Hole 18: Pat Mead
Longest Putt, Hole 9: Brian Pearson
Closest to Pin, Hole 6: John Keenoy
Check out photos from the event at bit.ly/NDGRgolf and on
the next page of this newsletter.
MANY THANKS TO OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS
Rockne Sponsor
Northwestern Mutual - Rob Smith, Neven Fox, Jordan
Tanis & Larry Bos Jr.
Leahy Sponsor
Huntington Private Financial Group - Brian Salerno ‘91
Holtz Sponsors
Smith, Haughey, Rice, Roegge
Foremost Insurance Group
Kelly Sponsors
Amy Flick ‘92
Hal Smith
Mary O’Connor
Rhoades & McKee - Tom Hogan ‘70, ‘74 JD and
Mark Fatum ‘82
Velzen, Johnsen & Wikander, P.C. - Randy Velzen ‘78 JD
Deloitte - Lou Moran ‘81
Hagene Family
Larry ‘72, ‘75 JD & Chris Burns
Thomas J. Hicks ‘65
Dykema Gossett
Vereecke & Associates CPAs - Matt ‘04, Amy ‘08
Thomas J. Harmon DDS, ‘74
Tim Clark ‘86
Butch Steffes ‘97 MBA
Marty Allen ‘58
Patty ‘90 MBA & George Schrand
Tom Kaywood ‘96
Duba & Duba PLLC - Chris Duba ‘94, ‘97 JD
Diocesan Publications
John & Jane Ashby, both ‘91 MBA
Sharpe Buick & BMW
Brian Donovan ‘96 MBA
PICTURES FROM THE 28th ANNUAL GOLF & SCHOLARSHIP INVITATIONAL
Holtz
Sponsor:
Pat Geary,
Mike Bartish,
Brian Pearson,
and Tom Blackwell of Smith,
Haughey, Rice,
Roegge with
Coach Chuck
Martin, center.
Longtime golfers Russ Lindemann, Tim McMorrow, Greg Wolf, John Ferroli won
Low Team 2011.
Rockne Sponsor: Jordan Tanis, Nevin Fox, Larry
Bos Jr., Rob Smith of Northwest Mutual.
Leahy Sponsor: From
Huntington Wealth Advisors
Brian Salerno, left, Senior Investment Portfolio Manager
and Club Treasurer and his
Notre Dame roommate Mike
Larson.
Event Co-chairs Tim Clark and Bob Belmonte.
Summer Service Students reflect on time in GR
Our Club hosted two Notre Dame students this summer for service work at the Sparta Health Clinic and the Heartside
Health Center. Here, the students reflect on what they learned this summer in Grand Rapids:
Samantha Chamberlain: I would like to extend my deepest thanks
to the Notre Dame Club of Grand Rapids for its limitless hospitality during my stay for the Summer Service Learning Project. During
my work with this project, I worked primarily with Spanish-speaking
migrant farm workers and their families. I translated for the nurses
at Sparta Health Center and at farm worker camps. I also undertook
projects geared towards improving the organization of the health
center as a whole and improving connections between the farm
workers and the health center.
I was fortunate that the physician at my
site, Dr. John Schneider, was also my primary
alumni contact. Because of this, I was able to
shadow Dr. Schneider closely throughout the
summer. Kathy Bego was also wonderfully
accommodating and went above and beyond
to ensure my experience was enjoyable and
meaningful. Their eldest son, Henry, is a freshman at Notre Dame this year, and I enjoyed
acting as his mentor and answering his questions about Notre Dame.
I attended two alumni club meetings and was welcomed at two
big events: Coach Brian Kelly’s fundraiser dinner for the Lacks Cancer Center, and the Notre Dame Club of Grand Rapids Annual Golf
Outing.
I also had the privilege of staying with the Schneider-Bego family,
the Gabrielse family, the Cusack family and Mike Zuidema and Kate
Nagengast — all of whom are affiliated with the Alumni Club of
Grand Rapids. I would like to thank them extensively for making my
time in Grand Rapids truly unforgettable. I feel privileged to have
been welcomed to Grand Rapids and Sparta Health Center, and my
experiences are worth more than I can describe.
There will always be a special place in my heart for Grand Rapids
and Sparta Health Center.
Maggie Nickels: This summer I had the opportunity to work at
Clinica Santa Maria in Grand Rapids. The clinic provides medical
services to the Hispanic community and many of the patients are
uninsured and financially struggling. I started out by shadowing
the medical assistants to get a feel for the day-to-day work, and
soon I was allowed to help out in many ways. I was able to bring
the patients to their rooms, measure their height and weight, take
their blood pressure, and fill out some simple questionnaires. I
also helped organize the Reach Out and Read program, which
allows doctors to give books to children in
order to promote reading at a young age.
My Spanish improved a lot this summer
since I was constantly surrounded by Spanish speaking patients and staff. I was struck
by the kindness and understanding of both
the clients and the workers in terms of my
Spanish skills and my attempts to communicate. I was also moved by the joyful
and giving atmosphere that everyone working at Clinica created. I
truly felt like part of the family.
Two nights a week I also worked with the outreach program
InterCare. With InterCare, I traveled to the migrant farmworker
camps to help provide medical services to the men and women
who work in the fields each day. Many of these people have
never seen a doctor in their lives, and many are suffering from
serious cases of diabetes. I helped translate for the nurse as she
checked their blood pressure and blood sugar, and also handed
out information on good eating habits as well as information on
the legal rights of farmworkers. Seeing people living in such poor
conditions and suffering from diseases that they do not have the
money or means to treat was an eye-opening experience. I know
that in my future I want to help provide medical care to those who
cannot afford it. Working at Clinica also solidified this plan, as I
left work each day certain that I could see myself as a doctor in a
primary care clinic working to help the underserved. Thank you for
such a wonderful, inspiring, and fun summer.
Dear Development Office,
Please earmark my contribution to the University of Notre Dame Grand Rapids Club Scholarship
Endowment Fund­—Expendable Account to assist local West Michigan students attending Notre Dame.
My contribution will be applied to the annual football ticket lottery.
Please mail to:
Name
University of Notre Dame
Attn: Carol Hennion
Class Year
Contribution
Development Office
1100 Grace Hall
Notre Dame, IN 46556-5612
Crying Towel offers food, friends and rival fan barbs
ND Women Connect gather for beer tasting, food pairing
The 42nd Annual Crying Towel was held on Sept. 7 in advance of
Notre Dame football’s big game against the University of Michigan. The Crying Towel, with additional participation from the
Michigan State University and Ohio State University Grand Rapids alumni clubs, was held at Centennial Country Club. It was a
fun night of speakers, fan-to-fan barbs, prizes and good eats and
drinks. Our Club once again was fortunate enough to have Bob
Nagle as our speaker. His entertaining delivery, along with his
banter with Mitch Lyons, tight end for MSU and 8-year veteran
of the NFL, was particularly fun this year. As always, funds raised
from this event will go toward student scholarships. Thanks to all
who attended -- we hope to see you and many others next year.
And thanks to event coordinator John Ashby for his hard work to
make this event a success.
ND WomenConnect gathered Sept. 22 for a beer tasting at Brewery
Vivant. The casual social hour at the East Hills’ neighborhood brewery,
925 Cherry Street SE, offered a selection of special appetizers chosen
by the brewery chef and beer samples. Vivant focuses on local food
and micro-brewed beers with a Belgian influence. New members are
always welcome in NDWC! If you have ideas for this group or are interested in participating in future events, please contact Patty Schrand
[email protected] or Kate Nagengast, [email protected].
Young Alumni are ready for some football
Young Alumni members of the Club are all about football this
fall. Young Alums gathered to carpool to the home opener
against South Florida over Labor Day weekend. They also held an
ND vs. UM game watch at The Score. And they rallied again last
weekend for a road trip to the ND vs. MSU game in South Bend.
Last weekend also featured Notre Dame’s first ever professional
boxing night at the Joyce Center and the debut of Grand Rapids
resident Mark Weber’s film “Strong Bodies Fight” at the Notre
Dame Bookstore.
Club hosts tailgate for beautiful day, beautiful win
Mark your calendar for next Quarterly Networking Luncheon
A ND-SMC Quarterly Luncheon was held Sept. 16 at Olive’s Restaurant in East Grand Rapids. Mark your calendar for the next
luncheon on Friday, Nov. 4 (location and time, TBD). This is a great
time to build social and networking relationships, sustain the ND
family and, of course, talk football. We hope to see many new
faces at our upcoming luncheons. Contact Maureen Salerno at
[email protected] or (616) 855-2974.
Volunteers, supplies needed for final exam care packages
The Club will again send care packages to Grand Rapids area Notre
Dame students during final exam week. These packages typically consist of snacks, school supplies and gift cards to help ease
the stress of final exams. If you would like to donate time or supplies to these care packages, please contact Kate Nagengast at
[email protected] or 648-2722.
Welcome to Notre Dame’s class of 2015 from West Michigan
A couple dozen Club members gathered for a tailgate party in
The following students from the Grand Rapids and Holland areas are
beautiful weather Sept. 17 in the Joyce South lot before the
entering Notre Dame as freshmen this fall:
Fighting Irish beat Michigan State. Many thanks to Jim Kirkwood
and Kevin McDermott for hosting this event.
Abigail Blanchard, Rockford
Matthew Bush, West Ottawa
Save the date for Urban Plunge
Matthew Fallon, Catholic Central
Save the date for Urban Plunge: Notre Dame students will be
John Gary, Forest Hills Eastern
in Grand Rapids Jan. 11-12 to learn and serve at In The Image
Andrea Hawkins, East Kentwood
in downtown’s Heartside District. Contact Angel VanGorp at
Ann Marie Jakubowski, Catholic Central
[email protected] with questions.
Margaret Lawrence, Catholic Central
Joseph Leonard, Black River
Volunteer for ArtPrize with ND and God’s Kitchen
Nicholas MacDonald, Catholic Central
Club members will help God’s Kitchen host its ArtPrize exhibit
Alex Partak, East Kentwood
on Wednesday, Oct. 5 and Thursday, Oct. 6 from 4:30 to 8 p.m. John Schneider, East Grand Rapids
Catholic Charities West Michigan is seeking three people per
Caroline Schuitema, Grand Rapids Christian
evening to staff their ArtPrize exhibit area and new studio space Neal Schutt, West Ottawa
at 360 S. Division Avenue downtown. Volunteers’ job description Alexandra Stembaugh, Rockford
will include greeting guests and engaging in conversation with
them about the art or the services provided by God’s Kitchen to
Visit pray.nd.edu for Notre Dame prayer experience
the community. Contact Amber Underhill at [email protected], For many, the University of Notre Dame is a sacred place where
if you wish to volunteer.
people of all ages draw strength to love, to suffer in hope, to find
faith in challenge, to discover their path, and ultimately, to remember
their purpose. This website is the University’s effort to create a prayer
experience that combines written text with beautiful video of a sacred
place on campus. We also invite you to send your prayer requests that
will be remembered at the Grotto. Go online to pray.nd.edu.
The Club’s annual Student Send Off was held Aug. 10 at Millennium Park. Current and incoming Notre Dame students and their
families enjoyed a casual picnic to celebrate the start of another school year. For the third year, the Grand Rapids Club joined efforts
with the Notre Dame alumni clubs in Muskegon and Kalamazoo to host this event.
N O TRE D A M E C L U B O F F I C ERS A N D D I RE C T O RS
20011-12 OFFICERS
Patty Schrand ‘90 MBA,
President
[email protected]
Kate Nagengast ‘03,
Vice President, Newsletter,
Student Care Packages,
Student Send Off
[email protected]
Brian Salerno ‘91, Treasurer
[email protected]
Andrew Blum ‘95, ‘98 JD,
Past President
[email protected]
Larry Burns ‘72, ‘75 JD,
Scholarships
[email protected]
Kevin McDermott ‘73,
UND Night, Monogram Club
[email protected]
Timothy Clark ‘86, Golf Outing
[email protected]
Jean Nguyen ‘09, Young Alumni
[email protected]
Chris Cruickshank, Parent
[email protected]
Robert J. Nolan ‘92
[email protected]
Brian Donovan ‘96 MBA
[email protected]
Edward Perdue ‘96 Law,
Crying Towel
[email protected]
Shane Duba ‘06
[email protected]
John Ferroli ‘80, Community Service
[email protected]
DIRECTORS
Patrick F. Geary ‘72,
Football Ticket Exchange
[email protected]
John Ashby, ‘91, Crying Towel
[email protected]
Maureen Gottlieb ‘03, UND Night
[email protected]
Kathleen A. Bego ‘83,
Summer Service
[email protected]
Scott Grissom, Parent
[email protected]
Mark Przybysz, Chaplain
Bob Belmonte ‘77, Past President,
Golf Outing
[email protected]
Don Bittner ‘84 MBA
[email protected]
Jim Kirkwood ‘89, Past President
Communications
[email protected]
Mark Levandoski ‘66, ‘68 MA
Senior Alumni
[email protected]
Amber Underhill, Community Service [email protected]
Angel VanGorp ‘94 MBA,
Urban Plunge
[email protected]
Tom Vereecke, Parent,
Subway Alumni
[email protected]
Mark Weber, ‘09, Young Alumni
[email protected]
Brad & Dawn Ward, Holland area
[email protected]
All are welcome and encouraged
to attend our monthly club business
meetings. They are on the third
Tuesday of each month. Please
contact Patty Schrand for locations
and times.
Mark Levandoski is the new
director of the Club’s Senior Alumni
group. If you’re interested in
participating in Senior Alumni
projects, please contact Mark at
452-5503 (H).
Mark Weber and Jean Nguyen are
the new directors of the Club’s
Young Alumni group. If you’re
interested in participating in these
events, please contact them.