Notre Dame’s ‘Great Give’ Raises More Than $8,000 for Local Charities

Last year, more than 800 new Christmas gifts for infants, children, teenagers and parents were collected as part of the Great Give.

In the recently completed Thanksgiving edition, or part one, of "The Great Give," the Notre Dame community of students, parents, faculty and staff collected food baskets and more than $8,000, all of which will benefit Marist missions and a number of local charities, including the WHRC (Whitmer Human Resource Center) and the Baldwin Center.

According to Cathy Zuccaro from NDPMA's Campus Ministry department, the school’s Optimist Club will use a portion of the money to buy Christmas presents for five WHRC Pontiac families. “And the food drive collected enough for 32 WHRC families to have a complete Thanksgiving meal,” she added.

The second portion of the NDP Great Give begins tomorrow, December 2. Students have been invited to attend a Christmas tree lighting Tuesday morning before classes start and Campus Ministry promises Christmas carols and hot chocolate! Later in the day, fourth-hour classes will pick Giving Tree tags from the tree to identify what clothing and items their class will collect for Baldwin Center.

“A big ‘thank you’ to all in the community for taking the time to make this a special holiday for so many families in our area,” Notre Dame’s school administration said.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.

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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.