1. Saint Mary’s College Volleyball Team Pairs with Local Child for Team IMPACT Alliance
Contact:
Sarah Miesle
Director of Sports Information
Saint Mary’s College
Notre Dame, Ind.
(574) 284-5290
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Saint Mary’s College Department of Athletics has once again
joined Team IMPACT in their mission to improve children’s quality of life by partnering a
13-year-old girl from South Bend, Indiana with the Saint Mary’s volleyball team.
According to their website, Team IMPACT is an organization that improves the quality of
life for children facing life-threatening and chronic illnesses by matching them with local
college athletic teams. Through these pairings, the organization has successfully enhanced
the lives of hundreds of these courageous kids and positively impacted thousands of
athletes’ lives across the country.
Through Team IMPACT, the Saint Mary’s College volleyball team has been paired with 13-
year-old Melody Blower. Melody was born with a cleft palette and at just three-years-old
she was diagnosed with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum - a birth defect where there is a
partial or complete absence of the Corpus Callosum in the brain. Looking forward, Melody
continues her battle as she still has some corrective work needed for her cleft lip. This will
be the second Team IMPACT player to join the Saint Mary’s Department of Athletics as 11-
year-old Bryanna Sikora joined the Saint Mary’s basketball team last year.
“[This experience] will give our players a chance to be a mentor and friend to Melody,” said
head volleyball coach Denise Van De Walle. “It will give them a chance to be involved in
someone’s life who will be looking at them as a role model and possibly a big sister, and a
friend.”
Junior volleyball player Colleen Kilgallon also shared her excitement about her new
teammate. “We look forward to making [Mel] feel as special as possible,” Kilgallon said, “we
are so excited to having a signing day all about her and just spending time with her, getting
to know her and making her happy.”
Melody will officially join the Saint Mary’s volleyball team on Wednesday, Feb. 10 during
halftime of the Saint Mary’s basketball game on what will be her “Draft Day”. Melody will
receive her own jersey as well as other team apparel and will be announced as the newest
member of the team in a recognition ceremony at approximately 8:15 p.m. on Feb. 10.
Media are welcome to cover the event.
For more on Team IMPACT, visit their website by clicking here.

2. About Saint Mary's College: Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Ind., is a four-year, Catholic,
residential, women’s liberal arts college offering five bachelor’s degrees and more than 30
major areas of study, such as business, nursing, art, chemistry, and social work. Saint Mary’s
College also offers two graduate degrees: a Master of Science and a Doctorate. All programs
that fall under these degrees are co-educational and include a Master of Science in Data
Science, a Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology, and a Doctorate of Nursing
Practice. Founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross, Saint Mary’s College seeks,
according to its mission statement, to educate students, develop their talents, and prepare
them to make a difference in the world. Saint Mary’s College ranks among the top 100 Best
National Liberal Arts Colleges for 2016 published by U.S. News & World Report. Follow Saint
Mary's College on Twitter @saintmarys and @saintmarysnews.