The William D. Reynolds Award - 2016: Bradley Grabs ’92

2016: Bradley Grabs ’92

For his dedication to serving children in need, Bradley Grabs ’92 was presented with the 2016 William D. Reynolds Award.

After graduating from Notre Dame with a degree in accounting, Grabs served for a year in the Vincentian Service Corps, where he discovered a passion for working with children on the margins of society. He then began teaching at Rockhurst Jesuit High School in Kansas City and chose to live in an impoverished area of the urban core. One Sunday afternoon, when walking in a park near his home, Grabs was approached by two teenagers who beat him and mugged him. It took several months before his fear and anger began to subside, but prayer and reflection left Grabs convinced he needed to do something to help children in his community in need of direction and hope.

In 2002, he left his job at Rockhurst and started the Learning Club of KCK, an after-school and summer program for children in the urban core. With the help of many people, including classmates from Notre Dame, Grabs has expanded the Learning Club to serve over 120 children each week. Over 100 volunteer tutors serve at five sites, four of which are located in public housing projects where the average household income is less than $10,000 per year.

Grabs and his wife, Dawn, live with their three children in the urban core, across the street from one of the Learning Club sites.

“It is with much gratitude that I receive the William D. Reynolds Award from Notre Dame, which gave me such a strong foundation. I’m always eager to tell about the lives of Learning Club students and their families, who are largely invisible to most of society. Many of them are an inspiration to me. I’m also grateful for the many volunteers, donors, and staff who have helped bring hope and goodness to our students who truly need it. And I’m grateful to everyone, including my parents, wife, friends, and co-workers, who encouraged me to follow the voice of the Spirit.”