Notre Dame Sisters decorated two tables for the High Tea, a fundraiser for Roncalli Catholic High School. Roncalli was formed in 1974 with the merger of Rummel High School, sponsorred by the Christian Brothers, and Notre Dame Academy, sponsored by the Notre Dame Sisters. Roncalli Catholic High School, a co-ed school, has continued to receive the support of the Sisters who have worked at teachers, Board members and volunteers. Roncalli offers negotiated tuition to its students, insuring that anyone who wants a Catholic high school education is able to receive it. Pictured are (from left, standing) Sr. Phyllis Ann Hayek, Sr. Joy Connealy, Sr. Marie Alice Ostry, Sr. Dorothy Rolf and Sr. Margaret Hickey, with three seated guests.

An auction was held on Saturday October 24, 2009 to help the Sisters prepare for re-development of the building at 3501 State Street. Sr. Joy Connealy, pictured at the auction, is coordinating the re-development. The beautiful and historic building, which has a long history of ministry, will be re-developed as housing for seniors. Notre Dame Apartments will be sponsored by the Notre Dame Sisters, and the Sisters will remain a strong presence in the new community of seniors. The people attending the auction included many Notre Dame Academy alumnae, friends and relatives of the Sisters.

Installation of Provincial LeadershipTeam for the Notre Dame Sisters

The Notre Dame Sisters celebrated the Installation of the new Provincial Team. For the next four years Sister Celeste Wobeter will return as the Provincial President. Assisting her as part of the Leadership Team full time will be Sister Margaret Hickey; and part time, Sister Mary Kay Meagher and Sister Janice Ludvik. Photographs of the Installation ceremony and the reception following may be seen on the home page in the form of a slide show.

National Night Out Celebrated at Notre Dame and Seven Oaks of Florence

Many Seven Oaks residents came out into the Notre Dame west parking lot on a beautiful warm summer evening. Joined by neighbors and Notre Dame Sisters, they enjoyed live music and watermelon. Local law enforcement officials stopped by to have a piece of watermelon and exchange friendly greetings.

Wayne State College Students Travel for Service-Learning Effort
A group of Wayne State College students donated more than 500 hours of service during their Spring break, March 9 to 11, during a trip to a homeless shelter called The Kitchen, Inc. in Springfield, Mo.
The Kitchen, Inc. has provided housing, food and medical services to the homeless, underserved and uninsured in the Springfield area since 1983. The shelter has 90 rooms with 46 people on the waiting list. There is a cost formula for services, however half is given back to the individuals when they move on from the shelter.
Wayne State College Catholic campus minister Sr. Cynthia Hruby and students Adrianne Svitak (Schuyler), Anna Kang (China), Jaime Johannsen (Omaha), Sr. Inviolata Mukhaabi (Kenya), Ben Polacek (Bruno) and Oliver Warui (Kenya) participated in the trip and service.
"The spring break service-learning experience at The Kitchen Inc. was exceptional,'' Warui said. "The organization serves as a national model for holistic rehabilitation services for the homeless as recognized by the US Department of Housing and Urban development (1999) and also by Congress. I was thrilled by the opportunity of talking with The Kitchen Inc. founder Sr. Lorraine Biebel and the Chief Operations Officer Jeff Rens. I put my focus on their human resource development issues which I have since incorporated into a class project. I learned that while serving others, listening and patience are important values. People are different and feel and react differently to all sorts of situations in life."
Students participated in activities with this non-profit organization to help meet the needs of the poor and homeless. Students selected programs with activities specific to their major area of study and interviewed the staff responsible for activities.
"The Service learning trip to The Kitchen, Inc., in Springfield, MO, was one of the most treasured experiences I have had,'' Kang said. "One of the extension programs that we visited was The Rare Breed youth outreach center for homeless or run away youth. The Center serves more than 500 youth each. My major is human service counseling. A glimpse of the holistic program at The Kitchen helps me to reconfirm my major of study is my area of interest."
Students spoke with Dr. James Granden at Boyd Elementary, a school with approximately two dozen students who live at the shelter. The school partners with Drury University to provide intervention for these students. One of their concerns is the need for stabilization to avoid losing their caseworkers and school support. The school uses the Dr. James Comer process with six developmental pathways as a framework for making decisions that will benefit these children. The six pathways include physical, cognitive, psychological, language, social and ethical efforts. The school's approach relies on parents, educators, policy makers and community members to strengthen the educational environment.
"I really liked how the school kept a supply of winter clothing on hand to help those students who may need it. The principal of the school also mentioned about having drives to get school supplies for children who don't have them. Visiting this school was a good experience which related to my education major,'' Polacek said.
The trip was funded through a WSC Service-Learning sub-grant provided by the MidwestConsortium for Service-Learning. Service-Learning grants at WSC are part of a grant from the Midwest Consortium for Service-learning in Higher Education (MCSLHE) made possible through the Corporation for National Service under the Learn and Serve America: Higher Education grant program.

“A Celebration of Spirit: Doing the Most Good” 2009 Notre Dame Sisters Development Dinner was held on Sunday March 29th. The event was held at Roncalli Catholic High School with over 200 people attending. Dr. Duane and Mrs. Helen Krause were Honorary Chairs. The Dinner co-sponsors were American National Bank, Bank of the West, and The Weitz Company. Other sponsors included Immanuel Health Systems, Schemmer Associates, St. Elizabeth Regional Health Center and Mr. & Mrs. Bill Ellis. Dave Webber shared hosting duties with Julie Paladino-Kaminski, Administrator of Seven Oaks of Florence.

The evening’s program featured Sr. Margaret Hickey describing the founder of the order Blessed Alix LeClerc telling her first Sisters, “Do the most good.” Sr. Marie Alice Ostry, manager of Seven Oaks of Florence, Sr. Dorothy Rolf, Chaplain and Spiritual Director, and Sr. Mary Kay Meagher, instructor in Creighton University’s School of Nursing, spoke about their personal experiences of doing the most good. Sr. Joy Connealy then described the future of the Notre Dame Sisters and the plans for the Motherhouse building at 3501 State Street.

The highlight of the program was the presentation of the Mother Qualberta Service Award to the Knights of Columbus Council 11700, Mary Our Queen Parish. Using the funds raised at the annual Mary Our Queen fish fry dinners during Lent, the Knights have supported the Women’s Care Center of the Heartland (a residential pregnancy center), A Woman’s Touch Pregnancy Counseling Center in Bellevue, Safe Homes (a Notre Dame Sisters & Associates project for women learning a non-violent lifestyle for themselves and their children), Siena Francis House, and the Omaha Food Bank.

“We strive to help this group – women and children who often can’t help themselves – because we take the role of parenting very seriously. We strive to help women who face challenges in pregnancy and parenting. The need is never-ending.” – Mike Gomez, Program Director

The Notre Dame Sisters honor the Knights of Columbus Council 11700 for their work as well as for their support of the retired Notre Dame Sisters through the annual Pork Dinner (to be held April 26, 2009). The Knights have helped Mary Our Queen and other parishes become involved in staffing and producing the Dinner at Notre Dame to raise funds to care for the retired Sisters.

Aided by a Silent Auction and a Raffle, the 2009 Development Dinner raised funds to support the ministries and good works of the Notre Dame Sisters for the coming year. The Sisters would like to especially express their gratitude to Harold J. Norman for his many years of help and mentoring with the Silent Auction, on the occasion of his retirement from volunteer activities.

More Development Dinner Photos

Sierra Club Volunteers weatherize apartments and common areas at Seven Oaks of Florence

President-elect Obama called for a National Day of Service on Monday, January 19th, which is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and the day before the presidential inauguration. The Sierra Club answered President-elect Obama's call to service by hosting a weatherization service project as part of the National Day of Service at the Seven Oaks of Florence Nursing Home. Cammy Watkins, Cool Cities Campaign Coordinator, organized the event in Omaha to answer President Obama’s call for all Americans to celebrate MLK day by doing service in their community. More than 115 years ago, the Sierra Club was founded on the idea and value of volunteerism and service -- and it's a legacy that's still very much alive today. The Sierra Club is made up of more than a million volunteers, members, and supporters who are proud to participate in Barack Obama's National Day of Service. In Omaha we had 50 volunteers show up for the project. Volunteers ranged in ages from late 60's to 4 years old and came from various groups and organization from around the city including the Young Professionals Council, Green Omaha Coalition and the Jesuit Middle School. All of the volunteers were excited to have an opportunity to help on Monday. The volunteers were so enthusiastic about working that we ran out of units to work on an hour before the estimated finish time. Because of the large amount of support we had we were able to weatherize 26 living units as well as the large dining room, the library, and a couple hallways.

Cammy Watkins
Cool Cities Campaign Coordinator