April 20, 2009
Notre Dame, Ind – First of all, I would like to congratulate Marc Kelly for the leadership he has provided this organization over the last two years. I am honored to follow in his footsteps as the next president of the Monogram Club. I have been involved with the Monogram Club since 2000 and have seen firsthand the many benefits that we are able to provide our membership, the current student-athletes and the University.
Likewise, after each passing year I become more impressed with our excellent staff. From our Executive Director Jim Fraleigh, to Beth Hunter, Reggie Brooks, Jim Furlong, Donnetta McClellan and Andrew Sherwood. Their dedication and commitment to the workings of the Monogram Club is second to none.
Recently, our athletic director, Jack Swarbrick, spoke about the five pillars of the athletic department: Faith, Education, Service, Tradition and Competitive Excellence. The Monogram Club hopes to use those pillars as a framework for growth as we move forward.
In terms of service, I believe our approach encompasses four areas: service to the University, the current student-athletes, our membership and other letter winner organizations. As our funds allow, we will continue to support multiple university initiatives such as the themed gates at the football stadium and the new lacrosse, track and soccer venues.
The current student-athletes will benefit from our service as we fund the various monogram awards and provide support for many student welfare initiatives. This year we established our first annual postgraduate scholarship to help two deserving students further their education at the graduate level.
In my opinion, the most important area is providing service to our existing membership- you are the heart and soul of this club. In the recent past we have obtained access to away game football tickets, established discounts for members at different venues across campus, increased the available scholarship limit for our BBR scholars and started a Catastrophic Relief Fund for those members facing undo financial hardship due to health reasons or natural disasters. I feel it is of utmost importance that we continue to be creative in providing new benefits for our members.
Finally, as a club, we should provide service and encouragement to other organizations such as ours throughout the country. We belong to the National Letter winners Association and in 2010 we will have the honor of hosting our yearly meeting here on campus. It is important that we strive to be a positive role model to our peer institutions.
As is everything Notre Dame, it is equally important that we constantly get better. In doing so, we will continue to `bridge the gap between legend and legacy.’
Joe Restic ’79 President