The University of Notre Dame family will come together on campus and around the globe on April 26-27 (Sunday-Monday) to celebrate Our Lady’s University during the second annual Notre Dame Day.
The celebration will launch at 18:42 (6:42 p.m. EDT), referencing the University’s founding year, on April 26 and end at midnight on April 27. The 29-hour live broadcast from LaFortune Student Center will share compelling Notre Dame stories from around the world, live interviews, celebrity guests, musical performances and much more. It also provides the Notre Dame family the opportunity to give back to specific areas of the University they love most through an online fundraising competition.
The broadcast will include several celebrity guests and notable alumni, including authors Tasha Alexander and Nicholas Sparks, U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, elite distance runner Molly Huddle, fashion designer Thom Browne, USA Today entertainment reporter Arienne Thompson, Notre Dame Rhodes Scholar Alex Coccia and former professional football players and alumni Joe Theismann, Brady Quinn and Tim Brown, along with many others. Former Notre Dame parent Dick Vitale and current University parent Jon Bon Jovi are also expected to be a part of the celebration.
Pro football analyst Cris Collinsworth and his son Jac Collinsworth, a Notre Dame sophomore, will co-anchor portions of the broadcast, which will be streamed live online at notredameday.nd.edu. The Shirt 2015 will also be unveiled live at 6:57 p.m. EDT on April 26 from the Hammes Notre Dame Bookstore.
During Notre Dame Day, anyone who makes a minimum $10 gift or more to the University will receive five votes to cast for the areas of interest at Notre Dame that matter most to them. Participants will be able to vote for residence halls, academic programs, athletics teams, clubs or any of more than 700 areas. Votes will determine the percentage of the $1 Million Challenge Fund that will be distributed to each area of interest — potentially making an impact 10 times a $10 gift. For more information, visit the Notre Dame Day FAQ.
“Notre Dame Day is unique, and not just because of the live broadcast and the online engagement,” said Aaron Wall, program director for Notre Dame Day. “This is an opportunity for anyone and everyone to make an impact. Every gift, $10 and above, will enable participants to vote and raise funds for the areas of the University that are especially important to them.”
Students will be competing in Residence Hall Challenges at McGlinn Fields on the Notre Dame campus from 3 to 5 p.m. April 26. Fifteen men’s residence halls and 15 women’s residence halls will compete in a tug-of-war tournament in a bracket-style competition. The winner of the men’s bracket and the women’s bracket will each receive a trophy and $4,000 for their residence hall.
The date of Notre Dame Day marks a significant one in the history of the University. On April 23, 1879, a fire destroyed the Main Building, and therefore the majority of the campus. On April 27, Rev. Edward F. Sorin, C.S.C., the University’s founder, returned to Notre Dame to walk through the smoldering bricks and ashes and vowed to rebuild it, bigger and better than ever.
“On campus and around the world, Notre Dame women and men are doing extraordinary things which continue to be a force for good in the world,” said Wall. “This is an opportunity to tell these stories and celebrate our mission as the greater Notre Dame family.”
For more information, visit NotreDameDay.nd.edu.
Contact: Andrea Bullock, Annual Giving & Strategic Marketing, (office) 574-631-1056, (cell) 646-436-5763, abullock@nd.edu