Ryan played Midfield/Attack for the Mt. View Lacrosse program, graduating in 2022.  Many knew Ryan outside of lacrosse, as his personality and charisma extended beyond organized sports.  A lasting characteristic of Ryan was that if you met him, you would remember him, and he was your friend.

Ryan was unstoppable, not in a win, loss, or competitive sense, but rather in his pursuit to enjoy life to the fullest and for the eminent happiness he naturally found and conveyed in all aspects of life--every day.  Those who knew Ryan found in his friendship - promise, hope, laughter, anticipation, and an unbreakable connection. Ryan left nothing on the table in his all too short life. He lived “Unstoppable".

Shortly after Ryan’s passing, the Bend community poured out their love and support for Ryan and the O’Connell family…and this love and support continues through today.  A fund in Ryan’s name was created with the intent of assisting student athletes who want to participate in lacrosse without having to navigate the financial burdens of playing.  As you know, club fees and purchasing a helmet, pads, etc. can make playing this sport cost prohibitive.  The “Ryan Fund” was created to help defray those costs.

Over the last 2+ years, the “Ryan Fund” has received over $10,000 in donations to help defray the costs to participate in lacrosse.  As the donations came in, we started asking how can we turn these gifts into a lasting legacy in memory of Ryan?  The answer was to create an endowment in his name through the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF).  By creating an endowment, your donations will not just sit in a static bank account.  They will be invested so the funds can grow into an investment that will support future lacrosse players for generations to come.  In order to create the endowment, we need a minimum of $25,000 to open the account. So how are we going to meet that goal?

For the 2025 lacrosse season, an anonymous donor under the name of #BeKindBeRyan has generously offered to match every donation dollar-for-dollar—up to $10,000. The funds that are raised will be used to start an endowment with OCF and thus establish the Ryan O’Connell Endowment. Our goal is to raise $25,000 to launch the endowment, which will create a lasting legacy in Ryan’s name and begin providing ongoing assistance to Central Oregon kids that want to play lacrosse.

What This Means:

Every dollar you contribute will be doubled, making your gift go twice as far in building a sustainable fund that nurtures young lacrosse athletes and honors Ryan’s spirit.

For those that made donations, a heartfelt thank you. If you are interested in contributing, please reach out to the Mountain View Lacrosse Club at mvcougarslax@gmail.com or via Venmo by using the Venmo app, tapping the "Pay/Request" button, and entering @mvcougslacrosse.