Through December 31, gifts made to ACE will be matched by the College Football Playoff Foundation, up to $125,000. These funds have provided critical support for ACE to refine and improve its degree program and enhance its recruitment efforts at Notre Dame and on college campuses across the country. Over the past nine years, Notre Dame has finished in first place among the 100 universities who participated in the Extra Yard for Teachers initiative.
“ACE’s partnership with the College Football Playoff Foundation has been instrumental in growing the ways we can serve children, particularly those on the margins,” said John Staud, the executive director of ACE. “We are so grateful for the Foundation’s support.”
From the outset of the partnership, the Foundation has encouraged ACE to dedicate a portion of the funds toward a competitive grants process in which ACE teachers apply for funding to address areas of need in their schools and classrooms. Over the years, nearly $200,000 has been allocated for projects, and ACE teachers from 14 schools received grants last season.
The annual banner raising events at local schools have created greater bonds between the University and the local community and taught students the importance of dreaming and working toward college. This year, Micah Schrewsberry, Notre Dame’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach, will speak to students at St. Jude School on Tuesday, September 17. He will also present a Notre Dame banner to be hung at the school to help inspire students to set their sights on college.
St. Jude principal, Mrs. Ana Maria Lewis, holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, and a Masters in Educational Leadership from the University of Notre Dame through the Mary Ann Remick Leadership Program of the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE).
Contributions to ACE may be made online (https://ace.nd.edu/cfpf).
