Giving to ACE

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Why give to ACE?

The Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) has touched the lives of more than 100,000 students in its first 13 years of service, sending over 900 teachers to more than 100 schools in 15 states. Thanks to the generosity of program benefactors, ACE has been able to sustain, expand, and deepen its service to needy Catholic schools. Still, every year ACE relies heavily on its donors to maintain operations, and we welcome contributions that support our efforts to recruit, train, and support beginning teachers in Catholic schools across the country.

How do I give?

Gifts to the University (or for memorial or annual gifts) may be partially or totally allocated to the Alliance for Catholic Education, whether sent directly to ACE or through the University’s Development Office. Please indicate your intent by writing on the check, pledge form, or in an accompanying letter or phone call.

Can I give online?

If you’d like to give a gift on-line using a credit card, please indicate your intent to allocate your gift to the ACE program by completing the Comment section of the on-line form.

Does my gift count towards my participation in the Notre Dame football ticket lottery?

Gifts to ACE do qualify toward fulfilling the minimum contribution limits for participation in the annual football ticket lottery, if received by December 31.

What can I do with my gift?

In the past, donors have created scholarship opportunities for students in ACE schools and have funded grant opportunities for ACE teachers and graduates. Learn more about the opportunities past donors have created for needy Catholic schools and students through the:

Laura Bush Scholarship
Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor to the University and the ACE program, Notre Dame created an endowed scholarship to honor the First Lady, Laura Bush in May 2001.

This annual scholarship is awarded to a K-12 Catholic school student from Texas each year. The recipient is chosen from one of the many ACE schools in Texas, and he or she receives full tuition for one year to a Catholic school served by ACE.

In establishing this scholarship, the University honors the First Lady’s commitment to education and teacher training and recognizes her tireless efforts as a leader and spokesperson for these issues, which are so important for our children and our future.

When President and Mrs. Bush visited Notre Dame for commencement in May 2001, they presented the first Laura Bush Scholarship to a 4th grade student from Dallas, Texas (pictured at left with his parents, President and Mrs. Bush, Notre Dame president Fr. Edward Malloy, CSC, and ACE founder and Notre Dame executive vice president Fr. Tim Scully, CSC) in a ceremony prior to graduation. In December 2002, Mrs. Bush will host a 7th grade student and her family from Austin, Texas, at the White House to present the second scholarship award.

Beth Holtz Scholarship
In Summer 2001, Coach Lou Holtz, former Notre Dame head football coach, visited campus to meet with ACE teachers and speak to them about teaching and leadership.

Coach Holtz and the ACE program took the opportunity of his visit to establish the Beth Holtz Scholarship to honor Holtz’s wife, Beth, and to acknowledge her example of prayerful courage, faith, and love.

The Beth Holtz Scholarships are awarded to needy and deserving students enrolled in the Catholic schools of the Diocese of St. Augustine, Florida each year. The scholarships provide tuition assistance to four students who attend schools in which Notre Dame’s ACE teachers serve.

These scholarships support students who demonstrate a need for financial aid, a serious commitment to academics, and a character consistent with the Gospel values espoused in Catholic schools and modeled by Beth Holtz.

Tim Williamson Memorial Scholarship
Tim Williamson spent the majority of his young adult life helping others. From his high school days in Atlanta through his college years at the University of Notre Dame, Tim devoted numerous hours of service to those who were less fortunate than he was.

Tim was especially proud of his efforts in tutoring young students in need of additional help in their studies. During his four years at Notre Dame, he tutored many South Bend school children in English and Social Studies.

Following graduation from Notre Dame, Tim joined the ACE program in its third year and spent two years teaching 5th and 8th grade at Blessed Katherine Drexel Sacred Heart School in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

After graduating from the ACE program, Tim taught an additional year at St. Louis Catholic Grade School in Austin, Texas, as he eagerly prepared for a life of public service with his acceptance to the LBJ School of Public Policy at the University of Texas. Based on his outstanding record of achievements, Tim was awarded a full fellowship.

Tim attended one semester at the LBJ School before he was diagnosed with brain cancer, which forced his withdrawal. He ultimately lost his battle with the illness in December 2000 at the age of 27. Despite his setbacks, Tim never lost his desire and love for helping the underprivileged.

After his death, Tim’s friends and family, in conjunction with Notre Dame, the ACE program, and the Archdiocese of Atlanta, established a scholarship in his name to continue his work. The scholarship awards tuition assistance to students at St. Peter Claver Regional Catholic School who have demonstrated a serious commitment to academics and a need for financial aid.

If you’d like to honor Tim’s memory with a contribution to the Tim Williamson Scholarship, please contact ACE program manager Al Stashis at Ace.1@nd.edu or donate on-line by clicking here. Please include a note in the comment section explaining that you’d like your donation to go to the Tim Williamson Scholarship of the ACE Program.

Chris Lary Memorial Award Fund
In 1996, Notre Dame senior Chris Lary was accepted to the ACE program as a member of the program’s third class. Unfortunately, during the same semester Chris learned he had leukemia, and wasn’t able to continue in the program. Chris lost his battle with the illness in 1998 at the age of 24.

After his death, Chris’s friends, family, and the ACE community created the Chris Lary Memorial Fund to honor Chris’s spirit and life. Each year, Chris’s friends and family select innovative and restorative projects to fund at Catholic schools served by ACE teachers across the country. All teachers in ACE schools are encouraged to submit projects for their schools for funding in April every year.

The Chris Lary Memorial Fund continues to assist in the fulfillment of new efforts of Catholic schools. It is our hope that this fund will continue to assist many other Catholic schools in the upcoming years and further spread the joy and energy of Chris Lary’s life.

If you’d like to honor Chris’s memory with a contribution to the Chris Lary Memorial Fund, please contact ACE program manager Al Stashis at Ace.1@nd.edu or donate on-line by clicking here. Please include a note in the comment section explaining that you’d like your donation to go to the Chris Lary Memorial Fund of the ACE Program.
Leahy Awards for Educational Entrepeneurship
In 2000, through the generosity of Dr. Stephen Ritterbush, ACE established a grant program in memory of his cousin, Thomas Leahy, the father of ACE graduate Todd Leahy. The Thomas Leahy Awards for Educational Entrepreneurship provide substantial grants to ACE graduates and teachers in ACE schools to enable creative ideas in education to come to fruition.

Since 2000, several ACE graduates have received grants that allowed them to research entrepreneurial projects that can be of direct service to their students, schools, other ACE teachers, and to all educators.

What are ACE’s needs?

Current partial list of ACE needs:

  • Support for the annual operations of the ACE program.
  • Contributions to the ACE endowment.
  • Support for the ACE retreat program.
  • Contributions to the Chris Lary Memorial Award fund and the Tim Williamson Memorial Scholarship fund.

Who do I contact about giving?

If you would like to assist with any of these needs, please contact ACE Business Manager Janet Swain or the Notre Dame Development Office at the numbers listed below.

Janet Swain
Business Manager
Alliance for Catholic Education
ACE Office
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556

E-mail: Ace.1@nd.edu
Phone: 1-800-859-9693
Fax: (574) 631-7939

Development Office
1100 Grace Hall
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 631-7164