Irish swimmer Pat Duret's parents are from the Haitian capitol of Port-au-Prince and she has relatives who still live there.

Monogram Winners Raise Money for Haiti

Jan. 26, 2010

Notre Dame, Ind. –

Jan. 26, 2010

Notre Dame, Ind. – media-icon-photogallery.gifTo see photos from the fund raiser CLICK HERE!

The recent earthquakes in Haiti left a nation in ruins.

For Notre Dame swimmer Patricia Duret, the tragedy hit especially close to home. Duret’s parents are from the Haitian capitol of Port-au-Prince and she has relatives who still live there.

“The last few weeks have been stressful,” Duret said. “We got confirmation a few days after the earthquake that everyone in our family was lucky enough to survive, but the city has been completely destroyed.”

In an effort to contribute to the Haitian relief process more than 200 current student-athletes wearing their Monogram jackets joined Duret to collect donations during last weekend’s men’s and women’s basketball games. During the first half of each contest student-athletes passed buckets through the crowd in hope that spectators would each donate at least $1 in an effort to raise funds for the Notre Dame Haiti Program.

“I was really excited to hear about this event,” Duret said. “Haiti is in desperate need of money, and this is a great way for Notre Dame student-athletes to show their support for the people of Haiti.”

“It was really cool seeing so many people wearing their Monogram jackets walking over to the Joyce Center to volunteer,” said Lizzie Gormley, a junior on the women’s swimming and diving team. “I think the large turnout says a lot about the type of student-athletes we have at Notre Dame.”

After two days of volunteering, Irish student-athletes were able to collect $26,536 for the relief effort.

“I think this shows a lot about the attitude and spirit that is cultivated at Notre Dame and the local community,” said Keith Embray, manager of Notre Dame Athletics Student Welfare & Development.

In addition, the Notre Dame Monogram Club contributed $10,000 to the student-athletes efforts to raise money for Haiti.

“The Monogram Club was looking for a way to help those in need in Haiti,” said Beth Hunter, executive director of the Monogram Club. “To have the opportunity to contribute to the relief effort while supporting our student-athletes in this worthy cause is a great privilege for the Club.”

“It’s great to see the Monogram Club contribute toward our effort to raise money for Haiti,” said Sarah Keithley, Notre Dame senior rower. “We are very thankful for the continuous support they show for current student-athletes.”

For Duret, the support of her fellow student-athletes and the Monogram Club means a great deal.

“This event really shows Notre Dame is a tight-knit community,” she said. “We are united and we want to help others. The people of Haiti are trying to stay hopeful and positive as they work to rebuild their country.”