THE 'NEIGHBORHOOD' IS THE MISSION

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June 10, 2024

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here. 

Rising junior accepts the baton to continue Notre Dame Prep's mission of volunteerism with a nonprofit dedicated to providing for critical needs in Oakland County community households.

Rochester Area Neighborhood House, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Rochester Hills, Mich., has been providing food, clothing, financial assistance, transportation, counseling and other services for more than 50 years. It annually helps more than 3,000 households on their path to self-sustainability. 

The Executive Youth Board of Neighborhood House is comprised of leaders from a number of local high schools, including Notre Dame Prep, International Academy and Stoney Creek. This year, NDP rising junior Jacob Evans was named to the RANH board after Michael Kenny, who graduated from Notre Dame Prep in May, finished up his term with the organization. NDP rising senior Erin Delaney remains on the board and will finish her term when she graduates next May.

"I signed up for RANH to give back and try and help my community," Evans said recently. "I am very fortunate with the opportunities I have, but I realize others aren’t as fortunate, so I try and do my part to provide opportunities for others and help them out to the best of my ability. The RANH provides people with food, clothes, school supplies, holiday gifts and more."

Evans' sister, Haley NDP'22, currently at Hope College in Holland, Mich., also served on the RANH youth board as an NDP student.

According to Neighborhood House, the organization, in an effort to help prepare local youth to become future leaders and responsible and caring citizens, offers high school students in the greater Rochester community an opportunity to get involved in serving their community as a member of the youth ambassador program.

"This youth group collaborates with the RANH executive director, the Board of Directors and other staff in an effort to gain experience in areas of civic responsibility, community service, public speaking, fundraising, marketing and fund development," said Neighborhood House in a statement. "The Executive Youth Board also seeks out other volunteers throughout the year to help with Neighborhood House events and daily functions."

Evans said the youth council role basically is to organize fundraisers to help supply those items and to volunteer in the community. He added that working with organizations like Neighborhood House is important because his generation needs to make an impact now so the future can be better for all.

"It also reflects our school mission by doing what Jesus and Mary would do and to help others as well as using compassion for others with nothing expected in return," said the Rochester resident, who also plays tennis and basketball at NDP. 

Evans first came to NDP from Van Hoosen Middle School in Rochester Hills. Since then, it's been smooth sailing and while he looks forward to his third year on campus, he's got a busy summer ahead, including continuing volunteer work with Charlotte’s Wings, a nonprofit founded in 2008 ded­i­cated to sup­port­ing ail­ing chil­dren in Michi­gan through dona­tions of new books to chil­dren and fam­i­lies in hos­pi­tal and hos­pice care. Last summer, Evans was selected to participate in the Detroit office of the FBI's Teen Academy.

"This summer, I'm also going to South Dakota on a church missionary trip to repair homes and aid people in a Native American reservation located there," he said. 

More on RANH:
Neighborhood House, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization in Rochester Hills, Mich., has been providing food, clothing, financial assistance, transportation, counseling and other services for 55 years. Neighborhood House annually helps 3,000+ households on their path to self-sustainability. Learn more at ranh.org.

For information on admission to Notre Dame Prep, please click here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

About Notre Dame Preparatory School
"At Notre Dame Prep, we inspire our students to become the best versions of themselves. We challenge them through an experience of academic excellence, focused on active, project-based learning. We invite them to explore a world of opportunities beyond the classroom. We guide them as they grow in spirituality within a community strong in its Catholic and Marist identity."

Notre Dame Preparatory School is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School's upper school 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 Prep's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDP is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.