Notre Dame to celebrate 10th annual Walk the Walk Week
The University of Notre Dame’s 10th annual Walk the Walk Week, planned each year around Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will take place Jan. 27 (Monday) through Feb. 1 (Saturday). The week will feature a series of events, exhibits and discussions designed to invite members of the Notre Dame community to reflect — both individually and collectively — on how they can take an active role in making the University more welcoming and participate in building the Beloved Community at Notre Dame and beyond.
The week’s events will begin with an annual Candlelight Prayer Service at 7 p.m. Monday in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, with University President Rev. Robert A. Dowd, C.S.C., presiding. The service, which is open to the public and will be livestreamed, will feature a keynote reflection from 2024 Laetare Medalist Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, chief executive officer of Feeding America.

Babineaux-Fontenot, a leader and advocate dedicated to combating hunger and strengthening communities, has led Feeding America — now the nation’s largest charity — since 2018. She previously served on Walmart’s leadership team, most recently as executive vice president and global treasurer.
The prayer service will be followed by a candlelight march to the Sacred Heart of Jesus statue and a dessert reception in the Center for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the LaFortune Student Center.
A campus-wide donation drive is also part of this year’s Walk the Walk Week. Notre Dame faculty, staff and students are encouraged to donate new supplies including personal hygiene items, diapers, socks, and winter hats and gloves to support individuals in the South Bend community facing hardship and housing insecurity. Dropboxes have been placed around campus, and donations will be accepted until Tuesday.
On Feb. 1 (Saturday), all students — undergraduate and graduate — are invited to gather in Duncan Student Center to sort the donations and package care kits for four local organizations: The Center for the Homeless, Hope Ministries, Our Lady of the Road and St. Margaret’s House. This initiative is co-sponsored by Notre Dame Student Government, the Office of Public Affairs and Communications, and Procurement Services, in partnership with the Office of the President.
The week will include more than 20 additional campus events sponsored by various University departments and student organizations. A full list is available at walkthewalk.nd.edu.
Latest ND NewsWire
- University of Notre Dame wins award for excellence in campus internationalizationIn recognition of its outstanding commitment to internationalization both on campus and across the globe, the University of Notre Dame has been selected to receive the 2025 Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization. Named for the late Sen. Paul Simon, a longtime proponent of international education, the award is given by NAFSA: Association of International Educators to honor excellence in integrating international education throughout all facets of university and college campuses.
- ND Ethics Week explores business and sustainabilityThe annual Ethics Week series, sponsored by the Mendoza College of Business, brings in experts from diverse perspectives to explore current ethics-related issues.
- Notre Dame partners with community organizations for Walk the Walk Week service projectNearly 300 students from the University of Notre Dame took over Duncan Student Center on Feb. 1 to sort through thousands of donated items to create winter and personal care kits for this year’s Walk the Walk Week service project.
- Physicist Laura Fields granted a Presidential Early Career AwardLaura Fields, an associate professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Notre Dame, received the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) for her research studying the properties of fundamental particles called neutrinos.
- Notre Dame celebrates Black History MonthBlack History Month, observed annually in the United States during the month of February, provides an opportunity to reflect on the achievements, experiences and heritage of Black Americans. The University of Notre Dame will celebrate Black History Month with a variety of activities and resources.
- University of Notre Dame and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile dual PhD program welcomes all disciplinesBuilding on a long history of partnership, the University of Notre Dame and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile have announced the expansion of their dual Ph.D. program. Previously available to engineering students, the program now welcomes candidates from all academic disciplines, reflecting the universities’ shared vision for international collaboration and promoting academic innovation.