different ways we assist The WNY community.
Conor’s Christmas
A Foundation tradition since 2020, Conor’s Christmas is a special way for members of our
community to receive unexpected gifts at Christmastime. Unlike other Holiday gift-giving
programs, recipients are nominated by friends in the community and gifts are offered not only
based on financial need, but, importantly, for either showing strong character, overcoming
adversity or having experienced a health or financial challenge. After collecting donated gifts
from our friends in the community and doing some extra shopping, The Foundation’s volunteers
deliver gifts in a customized Holiday trolley with a little help from Santa and Mrs. Clause!
Youth Yoga
This program started in 2019 to offer elementary school children some tools to improve their
self regulation, mindfulness and focusing skills. Plus, it’s a lot of fun! Helping our young
neighbors develop skills that support good mental health, strong coping skills and emotional
regulation is a primary objective for our Foundation. The program is conducted before school
one day a week in the school gymnasium. Locations for the program rotate through the
Hamburg School District. Even COVID couldn’t stop this program! Then, the program’s Spring
session was held outdoors.
The HSA Bulldog Dash in Celebration of Conor Long
The Conor J. Long Foundation sponsors and assists with the annual Bulldog Dash in
Celebration of Conor Long. This event was created by Conor after he founded the Health
Science Academy (HSA) at Hamburg High School. The Bulldog Dash uses the funds raised to
offer students in the HSA “hands-on” learning experiences in local healthcare facilities and to be
awarded scholarships. A portion of the proceeds also goes to ConnecLife of Western New
York.
Running Wheelchair & Adaptive Ski Donation with Ainsley’s ANGELS
Angels.” Area individuals who need specialized wheelchairs are able to participate in running
events with a loved one pushing them through the course. Conor truly loved running. He was a
member of the Hamburg High School’s Cross Country team and planned to run on the Cross
Country team at St. Bonaventure University. Running brought Conor a great sense of peace,
happiness and satisfaction. It has been the Foundation’s honor to bring those same feelings
that we know Conor valued to disabled members of our community with these donations.
Our Foundation also supports an Adaptive Ski Program that offers persons with disabilities the
necessary equipment and the assistance of two professional ski instructors at the Holiday Valley
ski resort.
The CJL Spring Cleanup
The objective of the Spring Clean Up is to help the elderly and disabled population in our
community in a basic, but meaningful way. During Conor’s lifetime, he took great joy in helping
his elderly neighbors with their lawn care needs which inspired the idea for our Annual Spring
CleanUp. It’s a simple concept: homeowners who are challenged to do yard work are going to
need help clearing away the debris left behind by winter. Enter The Conor J. Long Foundation!
Predominately, candidate households are identified by nominations received via social media,
social service providers and other outreach. Volunteers are found by reachIng out to area
schools, especially their sports teams, and importantly, through a strong social media effort. In
2019, this was The Foundation’s first community service event and there were 120 volunteers
working at 32 households; since then, more than 800 homeowners have been helped by more
than 1,800 volunteers!
Elderwood PenPal Program
The CJL Foundation initiated a new PenPal Program with Elderwood Assisted Living to provide a communication system for our friends at their Hamburg location. This program allowed people to write letters to residents at Elderwood to show that they were not alone during the COVID-19 pandemic!
Our Scholarship Program
The Conor J. Long Foundation has proudly offered a total of $37,000 in scholarships to High
School seniors since 2018. The Foundation’s scholarship program is designed to offer financial
assistance to High School Seniors who stand out in the areas of leadership and athletics and for
confronting the challenges presented by having a special need. The criteria for awarding
scholarships and the applicant’s expression of how he or she demonstrated success in taking
actions as Conor would have are the guide posts for being chosen to receive a financial award
from our Foundation.
Meals For Healthcare Heroes
When COVID-19 hit the Western New York community, The Conor J. Long Foundation sprung into action! Our Foundation was proud to announce “Meals for Healthcare Heroes”. This program raised $15,000 within 30 days to provide meals for local doctors, nurses, EMT’s, and nursing home workers. Our foundation was also able to help the local restaurant industry by having these restaurants provide the meals to our “Healthcare Heroes”!
The CJL Foundation Wheelchair Donation
The Foundation has proudly donated over 2 running wheelchairs in partnership with Aignsley’s
Angels. Area individuals who need specialized wheelchairs are able to participate in area
running events with a loved one pushing them through the course. Conor truly loved running.
He was a member of the Hamburg High School’s Cross Country team and planned to run on the
Cross Country team at St. Bonaventure. Running brought Conor a great sense of peace,
happiness and satisfaction. It has been the Foundation’s honor to bring those same feelings to
members of this community with these donations.