Dear Family and Dear Friends,

I’m again asking for your support for Connor's Music Fellowship at Ridgewood High School.

To recognize and encourage your support, I’m running The Spring Lake 5 Mile Race this Memorial Day Weekend. Connor and I ran this race together in 2009 less than a year before we lost him. I run this race every year and, at a certain point on the trail, I holler out at the top of my lungs, “Run Connor Run!” just like I did in 2009 when I finally persuaded Con to take off at his own faster pace and leave his old dad behind.

For what seems like an impossible 15 years, I’ve run that race and supported Connor’s Music Fellowship at Ridgewood High School. I believe Con’s Fellowship is about friendship, community, music, service, and fun - oh yeah, lots of fun - you know, the stuff the Conman would love.

Your support to Connor’s Music Fellowship pays for private music lessons, musical enrichment programs like master classes, and service projects for their community.

The Fellows, with their advisor (who is a Connor Fellows alum), also give back by performing at elder residences and they have “adventures” like trying street performance in NYC. The Fellows also perform a recital at the end of the school year with some of the Fellowship’s alumni who reliably show up. I know each of these kids personally and I can promise you, they are all great young people that directly benefit from your support of Connor’s Fellowship.

With your help, Connor’s Fellowship has been a fantastic and touching success for 15 years. Thank you for your prior support and for considering supporting us again this year. If you’re supporting Con’s Fellowship for the first time this year, welcome - you’re becoming part of something great!

Much love,

Patrick J.

(Note: Connor’s Music Fellowship is a recognized 501c3 organization that maintains tax-free status for all donations.)

About Connor

Connor brought his love of music and Ultimate Frisbee from Ridgewood High School to Connecticut College. While at Conn, music major Connor initiated “New London Music Tutoring” linking music students and faculty to underprivileged students in local schools. He also captained the Conn’s Ultimate Team for 2 years. After college, Connor went to work for “Prep for Prep,” a respected non-profit committed to improving educational opportunities for under-served children. Shortly before his death Connor moved onto “Single Stop USA,” an innovative non-profit assisting thousands emerge from poverty. He served on the board of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, NYC and was selected by NYU’s School of Service to join the Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service.

While all that’s wonderful, this story from a college friend shows who The Conman was. “He was a constant friend to the underdog. When party-goers would ask why a particularly geeky or awkward person was in attendance, Connor would non-judgmentally reply, “I invited him, he’s actually a really cool guy.” It was in these nonchalant comments from Connor that would, without making anyone feel guilty, inspire us to be a little kinder next time.”