"Your brother must have been a special kind of person to make such a huge impact on the lives of so many people."

Dear Mr. Matthew McCormick:

I would like to say I am sorry for the loss of your brother. My name is ______ _____. This fall was my first semester at Xavier University. My parents are 250 miles away in northern Ohio. They are going through some serious medical conditions right now, which have caused financial hardships. With the help of your brother’s scholarship (given by Mr. Schiess), I will be able to continue my education at Xavier. Your brother must have been a special kind of person to make such a huge impact on the lives of so many people.  Just recently, I lost a few close family friends and relatives. I know it is hard and is not something you get over easily. I want to thank you, again, for keeping your brother’s memory alive at Xavier.  I will be forever grateful.

Thankfully,

Name withheld

Dear Mr. McCormick:

Because of your contribution and donation towards my schooling, I was able to stay enrolled at Xavier this semester. You are a great person for what you have done and I wanted to send a big THANK YOU your way.

Happy holidays!

Name withheld

** Brian certainly was a "special kind of person" and he did, indeed, make a big impact on almost everyone he met. Again, this is not "my" fund, nor are the contributions solely from me. They are also from Brian's family, friends, relatives, and the extended Xavier Nation. I just made the blog and post your thank you notes so we can all remember him and share a smile. Finally, this fund was always Brian's idea. We are proud that he has helped 60 Xavier students stay in school. Amazing! Thanks, Matt **