The St. Patrick’s Committee of Holyoke has announced that the 58th recipient of the George E. O’Connell Award is Brian Donoghue.
The O’Connell Award is presented to a member of the Parade Committee who has made significant contributions to the fundraising efforts of the Parade.
A Committee member since 2012, Brian is a vital member as he ensures that the popular annual Holyoke St. Patrick’s Road Race runs smoothly. Among his many responsibilities as Road Race Director, Brian also answers over 1,000 emails from sponsors and runners, manages the Race budget, and manages the registration of nearly 8,000 runners who come from all over the world to run in the Race. The Road Race is the Parade’s biggest fundraiser, so Brian’s leadership and diligence to ensure its success year-after-year is critical for the Parade’s success.
Brian is a 4th generation Parade Committee member and is the third member of his family to receive the O’Connell Award. His grandfather, Roger Donoghue is the 1977 award recipient and his father, David “Archie” Donoghue is the 1997 award recipient; Roger (2014) and Archie (2018) are also past Grand Marshals.
Brian is a graduate of Holyoke Catholic High School (2000), Wheaton College (2004) and is a Senior Run Specialty Sales Representative for ASICS America. Brian and his wife Emily (Coughlin) live in Easthampton with their three sons, Jack, Colin and Noah.
2020 Parade President, Marc Joyce said “Brian knows a lot about running and how to make money from running. His expertise, focus and intelligence is not only very valuable to our Committee, Brian is also largely responsible for the annual growth and success of the St. Patrick’s Road Race. I look forward to Brian and his family marching in the 69th Holyoke St. Patrick’s Parade.”
Brian and other Award recipients will be recognized at the St. Patrick’s Committee Awards Dinner on Saturday, February 1st at The Wherehouse? in Holyoke, MA. To purchase tickets, please contact Karen Casey at kmkc@comcast.net or Barbara Hannan-Rogers at twinsmommy@aol.com.
The 69th St. Patrick’s Parade will be held on Sunday, March 22, 2020 and the 45th Road Race will be held on Saturday, March 21st.
For more information, please visit our website www.holyokestpatricksparade.com.
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