PEABODY — A month after the loss of long-time and well-loved Higgins Middle School science teacher Matt Brennan, the school has come together to fundraise in his name for the Best Buddies program: a 501(c)(3) program which aims to end the social, physical, and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Thus far, with just loose change and spare dollars, the sixth grade has gathered an estimated $100-200.
But sixth-grade social studies teacher Vinnie Raponi wanted to do more.
Raponi, who is in his 23rd year of teaching, happens to be an avid bicyclist, so he registered for next year’s Best Buddies Challenge, a 100-mile bike ride, in Brennan’s name. This will be Raponi’s fifth Best Buddies Challenge, his most recent having been in 2019.
“I thought that this would be a perfect opportunity to raise money for a great program and to be able to honor Matt in the process,” Raponi said.
He noted that Brennan taught at Higgins for 17 years, and the two were cluster mates for eight of those.
“He and I had not worked side-by-side for a few years but had the same students for many of the years of his tenure,” Raponi shared. “He and I were very close, always sitting around, chatting about the Patriots, movies, music, and his writing.”
Raponi has pledged to raise as much money for Best Buddies as possible and noted that he has already raised $1,000 on his fundraising page. Donations can also be made via Venmo by sending money to @Vinnie-Raponi. He will be accepting donations until May 2026, when the Challenge will take place.
“I very much think that Matt would be honored to have money being raised for the Best Buddies program in his name. Matt was a big guy, but he always had a soft spot for those kids who needed a little bit more assistance in class,” Raponi said.
