The Marilyn & John Connelly Charitable Fund

We believe that a community of good friends and neighbors doesn’t just happen. Community is an ongoing process of caring and commitment. Those who came before us devoted countless hours and resources to build the community we know today. We created our charitable fund in order to continue that process, and to help build the community of tomorrow. With that goal, we focus our charitable contributions into four main areas.

Autoimmune Diseases

Having a child that was diagnosed at the age of 11 has opened our eyes to the daily struggles and long term effects of diabetes. We give to JDRF as they lead the fight for a cure, fund research, and provide a support network for millions of people around the world impacted by T1D.

Working Families with Children

The future of our community lies with the children. We believe that all children, regardless of financial resources, deserve access to a quality education, and a sound mind and body. We are committed to helping the children of single parents and working families by funding well-managed, fiscally conservative organizations in our community. Our goal is to is to help these children succeed both in school – and in life.

Capital Projects for State Universities

Our businesses were built with the help of numerous graduates from our state universities. Without their help, we would never have been able to achieve our goals. However, state universities today are chronically underfunded. Many worthy and necessary projects do not get past the planning stage due to lack of funding. To address this, we focus on assisting with the funding of capital projects that can deliver high level outcomes for students. We believe today’s students will build tomorrow’s great companies.

Faith-Based Organizations

Our faith has played a central role in our lives. Faith-based organizations provide crucial assistance to meet the needs of the less privileged in our community. These organizations rely on the generosity of caring donors to fund numerous worthy activities. We identify and support organizations where we see the opportunity to make a significant and lasting impact.