Annual Gifts Express Father’s Gratitude

Clare CharbonnetFor years, Ed Charbonnet (’71) has made a habit of giving back to Notre Dame. His gifts, typically in support of the Annual Fund or his alumni club’s scholarship, are a way to honor the University’s impact on his family and make sure that other young people have the same opportunities he enjoyed.

“Growing up Catholic in New Orleans,” he says, “we all knew about Notre Dame. Coming here was actually my father’s idea. I had a full scholarship to a university back home, but my dad thought Notre Dame was too good to pass up. He enjoyed my time here as much as I did.”

A few decades later, Charbonnet knew exactly how his father had felt—and then some. His daughter Clare (’07) not only chose the same university as her father, but also the same major (engineering). She even lived in his old dorm, Cavanaugh Hall.

Like many students, Clare’s Notre Dame career was not certain until she received her financial aid letter. “Her mother was so delighted when that letter came,” says Charbonnet, “knowing that this was really going to happen and that we would be able to afford it.”

Clare shares her parents’ gratitude. “If I met all those benefactors,” she says, “I would say thank you a hundred times over for giving me the knowledge, the desire to learn for life, the growth of my faith, for all the football memories and lifelong friends I take with me. How can you possibly say thank you enough for that?”

For her father, saying “thank you” begins with a small gift, one that will help someone else’s daughter to realize her own dreams.

Want to know more about Ed and Clare? Watch the Unrestricted Support video.

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Kathy Behrens, Notre Dame Parent

Massena, New York

“What does the spirit of Notre Dame mean to me? Where to begin? It means faith, friendship, a son fulfilling a childhood dream, football, South Quad, the Dome, the Grotto … the list goes on. But the real spirit is that feeling of the Holy Spirit when you step foot on campus.”

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