Letter from the Executive Director: July 23, 2026
Published on July 23, 2026
Dear Alumni, Parents, and Friends,
Each summer, I get to witness a curious dynamic that never gets old. Over the course of three weeks in July, we at the Alumni Association welcome nearly 400 parents, grandparents, and children back to campus for Family Volunteer Camp, a series of week-long opportunities to serve the South Bend community. The popularity of this unique program is striking—participants are chosen by lottery and there’s always a wait list!—and I’m always left a little awed that families choose to spend their summer vacations this way.
It’s fascinating to watch how much change can be made in a week. Each summer, we pack countless meals, clean up parks and community centers, help with Habitat for Humanity builds, visit with underserved populations, and much, much more. But as our FVC families are helping make change for people in South Bend and the surrounding area, the experience changes them just as much. I get a particular kick out of watching the tweens and teens arrive for camp shy and detached, and leave it with smiles on their faces and asking their parents if they can come back next year.
This week we’re wrapping up the 26th year of Family Volunteer Camp. In that time, we’ve hosted 1,238 families, served 70 community partners, and totaled nearly 90,000 service hours at an estimated $2.3 million in economic value. Those numbers would be stunning anywhere else. How blessed are we that it’s just how we spend our summers at Notre Dame?
All the best,
Dolly Duffy '84
Executive Director
Notre Dame Alumni Association