Volunteer of the Year Award - 2018: The Notre Dame Club of Staten Island and Lou’s Lads

2018: The Notre Dame Club of Staten Island and Lou’s Lads

The Volunteer of the Year Award, an honor normally given to an individual who has distinguished himself or herself in service to the University, was awarded this year to two organizations, the Notre Dame Club of Staten Island and Lou’s Lads, for their collaboration on the incredibly successful and impactful Bread of Life Drive (BOLD) national service project. 

The Notre Dame Club of Staten Island held the first BOLD, an annual food drive benefiting the needy in their community, in 1992. The event was held in early spring, as it is the critical time when food banks are running out of supplies amassed during the busy Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons. Seven local Staten Island schools collected food, which was donated to three local organizations. 

The drive became an annual tradition on Staten Island and has grown steadily. This year, 115 schools in Staten Island and 14 in Brooklyn participated in the club’s food drive, collecting food that was distributed to more than 20 local organizations. 

The impact has stretched beyond Staten Island thanks in part to the help of Lou’s Lads, a non-profit organization founded in 2008 by Notre Dame alumni who played for Lou Holtz and wanted to honor his legacy and celebrate the values he instilled in them. When the leadership of Lou’s Lads found out about BOLD, they took the idea to Holtz, who encouraged them to get involved. 

In 2014, Lou’s Lads, with the help of the Monogram Club, partnered with the BOLD leaders from Staten Island and set out to make the initiative a national effort. That first year resulted in local drives in 35 cities. In 2018, the number has grown to 210. 

Leaders from the Notre Dame Club of Staten Island, Lou’s Lads, and the Monogram Club accepted the award on behalf of their organizations at the Alumni Association Leadership Conference.