Joan Kelley Walker'81 Believes Character Development Sets Notre Dame Apart

The bald prairies, only steps from the front door of the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, and the glitz and glamour of downtown Toronto can seem like parts of a completely different planet; but Joan Kelley Walker is equally at ease in both locales.

 

An ND alumnus, a journalist, a philanthropist, a fashion designer, and a star of the hit reality television show ‘The Real Housewives of Toronto’, Walker was born and raised in Wilcox and is quick to credit ND as foundational to all her wide-ranging successes.

 

“Growing up in Wilcox, there was never a question that I would go to Notre Dame,” she says, “I just always wanted to be a Hound.

 

“I think with the greater success that I have, the more I appreciate my ‘small-town’ roots. These are normal, hard-working, well-intentioned good people, and that’s what the Notre Dame community is all about. I am very proud of ND, and of Wilcox, and I would never say otherwise – I always tell people that I love the prairies. I still get that sense of home and family when I go back there.”

 

Walker realizes that a considerable amount of her current notoriety derives itself from her part on the Real Housewives of Toronto show, and is excited by the potential of the show’s exposure to further her philanthropic goals.

 

“Nothing happened on the show that I can’t hold my head high about,” she says.

 

“I trusted myself, and just relied on my integrity, so, all in all, it was a very positive experience for me. Plus, it shone a big spotlight on my head, so that I have a very loud voice right now that I can use to influence people to buy my brand which will support (my different ventures, including) the Breakfast Club of Canada. My challenge to people is to find something that works for you, just do something that is within the bandwidth of your life at the moment to give back. It doesn’t have to be a huge gesture, but just even something like opening the door for someone, or even taking the time to chat. Show kindness, that is my challenge to people, and I think having a loud voice to communicate to people is the best thing that came out of the show.”

 

Walker’s resume in the areas of print and visual media is far-reaching and impressive, including a regular part in the popular news and opinion blog The Huffington Post, as well as a chapter in two different critically acclaimed books: ‘Making It In High Heels’, and ‘Femme Fabulous’, both of which are collections of life stories by successful women, who have demonstrated that philanthropy and charity are crucially close to their respective hearts.

 

Along with her husband Donald Walker, currently the Chief Executive Officer of a Canadian global automotive supplier called Magna International Inc., Walker created a program in Cambodia to aid at-risk women for 1,000 days before and after child-birth. She has also received the Mother Teresa Award from the College of Notre Dame, for similar work done on behalf of at-risk women and children in Mozambique.

 

She has recently has turned her attention domestically, partnering her clothing brand simply entitled ‘Joan Kelley Walker’, with the Breakfast Club of Canada, supporting the organization that seeks to provide breakfast for over 250,000 kids-per-day in schools across the country.

 

But despite all of those fantastic philanthropic accomplishments, she never plans to forget to give back to where it all started.

 

“I think Notre Dame is a really special place and a really special school,” she says. “I have known about it my whole life, so I have seen the struggles and changes there, and I have seen the positive results in the lives of the kids that have chosen to go there.

 

“I think that’s the main reason I will continue to support ND because it is making a positive impact on people’s lives in a very tangible way. It is not just a high school, it is formational for people’s character in a very good way. A lot of schools do a lot of good work, but ND is head and shoulders above them all in my mind, because of that reason specifically. It all comes down to character, and that is Notre Dame’s expressed purpose – to develop that character.”