Thank you Team RMAO and your supporters

It's been a month since we rode the emotional roller coaster that I think we are doomed to ride in the third week of June for the rest of our lives. It started with the crushing emotions and flashbacks that June 17th, the anniversary of Emma's death, brings. Two days later was Father's Day, a day which like Mother's Day, is now complicated by mixed emotions. The day after that, June 21st, was our 25th wedding anniversary which we celebrated by hosting a gathering of Emma's friends, neighbors and families to celebrate Emma's life. Last year we purposely held this gathering on June 22nd, Emma's birthday. But this year, by cruel irony, the Fairfield high schools' senior awards night were scheduled on the night of Emma's birthday and we spent that evening traveling between the two high schools to present the scholarships. The next morning after the emotionally exhausting awards night, I boarded a 5:40 am train to New York City to drop Sarah off at the Amtrak train headed to camp. After the emotions of the week, it was a struggle to send her off for a long summer away with a smile on my face, but I did my best. The day after that, exactly a week from when the roller coaster ride began, I collapsed in an exhausted heap. 

Now that I'm finally coming up for air, I want to give long overdue thanks to the amazing Team RMAO for selecting Emma's memorial scholarship fund as their fundraising beneficiary. Not only did the ladies of Team RMAO complete a grueling relay race that started in New Haven, CT and ended in Boston, MA, they also managed to raise more than $7,000 for the scholarship fund. We are so grateful to everyone who supported their efforts. The money raised is enough to allow us to increase the size of the two scholarships we award in the coming years. We know how important this extra support will be to students, especially during these challenging economic times.

When we first established the scholarship fund we wanted to help provide young musicians with the educational opportunities we had hoped to provide Emma. We thought this would be a lasting and fitting legacy for our daughter and a way to remember not just her passion for music, but also her kind and compassionate nature and her unique ability to deeply touch people’s lives.


We have come to realize that the presentation of the scholarship awards at the high schools also provides an important opportunity to raise awareness about suicide prevention and mental health - to chip away at the silence and stigma that surrounds these important subjects. We have come to believe that this educational benefit is just as important as the financial benefit.


In my next post I will share the remarks that Peter made on scholarship night and then, after that, a note from one of this year's scholarship recipients.