March 11th was an important day for women graduates of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College living in the Denver area. The Denver ND Alumnae Initative, spearheaded by Angela Alarcon, Marcia Mueller, Ceyl Prinster, Lynsey Strand, and DeeDee Vosswinkel, kicked off with an evening of food, fun, brainstorming, and networking at Forest Room 5 in Lower Downtown, Denver.

By undertaking the Alumnae Initiative, Denver has joined other clubs, including Washington DC and Detroit, by providing additional opportunities, events and programming specially catered toward the needs and concerns of women of today. As Vosswinkel announced to the attendees, “The mission of the Notre Dame Alumnae Initiative is to build community and foster mutual support among the women of the Notre Dame Club of Denver for the purpose of: personal and spiritual development, community service, mentoring, and networking, both for social and professional purposes.”

The inaugural event drew over thirty women together to discuss the mission statement and share ideas for future events. Following the meet and greet, Prinster spoke briefly about Father Ted’s recent book describing the progress of co-education at Notre Dame. Afterward, the attendees broke into groups to discuss the concepts outlined in the mission statement. The resulting suggestions included hosting monthly happy hours, cooking classes, mentoring, and offering support to new mothers and working mothers.

Though no specific events have been planned at this point, a huge measure of the night’s success was driven by the number of women who came. Approximately one half of the attendees indicated that this was the first time they participated in any Denver ND event. Also, a large portion was comprised of younger graduates, a demographic that is often lacking at other NDCD activities. Should this trend continue, the Alumnae Initiative is guaranteed to have a dramatic impact on other club activities.

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The Inaugural Notre Dame Denver Alumnae Initiative Meeting Attendees