Working as a school counselor was a calling for Christine Conner.
She loved working with the children at Allegany-Limestone Middle School and all her peers and deeply valued all levels of education.
After Christine passed away unexpectedly Sunday, April 24, 2022, her family and friends decided to find a way to honor her memory and celebrate the things she most valued.
The Christine Conner Memorial Scholarship Fund, recently established at the Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation, will carry on her support of education and children, by supporting two annual scholarships, one for a student furthering their education in a criminal justice/EMT-related field and one for a student pursuing a degree in the mental health field.
The scholarship will be for students graduating from Allegany-Limestone Central School and Oswayo Valley Central School (Conner’s alma mater).
Christine graduated from Oswayo Valley in 1984. She was an outstanding student and active in band and cheerleading.
Christine relocated to and lived in both Kentucky and Germany while her husband, Dave Conner served in the military. They later moved back to the area and settled in Cuba, before moving to Allegany.
While raising a young family, she went on to earn her bachelor’s degree from Empire State College.
For 10 years, Christine worked for the ReHabilitation Center, starting her career as a house manager and then as the director of training.
Her passion for working in mental health led her to completing her master’s degree in counseling at St. Bonaventure University.
She also served as an adjunct professor in counseling at St. Bonaventure.
“Christine felt the need to help people during the best and the worst of times,” remembered her husband, David Conner. “She would take the time to understand the whole person and guide them in a positive manner.”
First responders and emergency workers were also very important to Conner.
David worked as a military police officer throughout his military service. He currently works as an officer in the Allegany Police Department.
Their son, Aaron Conner, is an officer in the Pittsburgh Police Department serving proudly for over 7 years.
Christine’s family and friends hope to make the first awards from this fund in 2023 and plan to continue fundraising efforts.
“All of us at CRCF to honored to play a part in carrying on Christine Conner’s memory,” said CRCF Executive Director Karen Niemic Buchheit. “School counselors play such an important part in the lives of so many students, so it is fitting that this scholarship will give support to students in her memory for many years to come.”
Donations can be made to the Christine Conner Memorial Scholarship Fund at CRCF, 301 North Union St., Suite 203 or online at cattfoundation.org.
The Cattaraugus Region Community Foundation is the area’s supportive, responsive and trusted community foundation. Established in 1994, CRCF is growing good by connecting donors to the causes they care about most in the region. Grants from the foundation support many areas, including education, scholarships, health care, the arts, community development, human service, and youth development. To learn more, call (716) 301-CRCF (2723), email [email protected], or visit online at www.cattfoundation.org. CRCF is also on Facebook (facebook.com/cattfoundation) and Twitter (@CattFoundation).
