Matt St. Jean ’16

“At the end of the day, we want to bring people together, have fun, and help change someone’s life.”

Matt St. Jean ’16 is studying at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, an institution that has been the next step for many Eagle Hill graduates. There, in between taking classes and studying, St. Jean puts this idea of changing lives into practice.

“Rally 2 Give is a charity organization that I run with my father (Rick St. Jean) with the help of many volunteers. Our overall goal is to help and support organizations and people that need it, allowing us to make an impact in the lives of others.”

Rally 2 Give is in its third year of operation with the organization centering itself on the passion of cars . . . lots and lots of cars.

Through planned events, St. Jean and his father charge entry fees and collect donations from generous individuals who are looking to donate to a specific cause that Rally 2 Give promotes. From there, participants join the Rally 2 Give folks in a ride from one destination to another, with planned stops along the way.

For example, St. Jean and his organization most recently completed a three-day charity rally route that stretched from Boston to Montreal to support Make-a-Wish Vermont. Check out the recap video here.

“A maximum of thirty registered attendees and their chosen automobiles met at the start of the event at the Encore Boston Harbor Resort in Everett, Massachusetts, on Friday, October 4, at 10 a.m. and began in Boston, traveling through the mountains of New Hampshire, crossing the border into Canada, and [ending] in Montreal. Soon after crossing the finish line, participants celebrated with dinner at celebrity chef Marcus Samuelson’s new restaurant, MARCUS, in the Four Seasons Hotel Montreal” (per Rally 2 Give’s website).

“This rally is the biggest one we’ve ever done, and I’m excited to continue to grow it year after year with even more rides and more opportunity to give back,” said St. Jean.

St. Jean’s strong desire to expand the organization and help others can be partly contributed to his time at Eagle Hill, where his experience was full of impactful teachers that made a difference in his life.

“A lot of the things I do for the charity, as well as in school at Sacred Heart, come from some of the teachers I met at Eagle Hill. Faculty like Mr. Mike Richard, who taught me how to create graphics, and Mr. Justin Kanozcek and Mr. Tyler Blais, all had a big impact on me. I knew I could accomplish anything in my life and Eagle Hill helped me realize that.”

To date, Rally 2 Give has raised over $175,000 for organizations all over the United States, and continues to grow. Per their website, “The Rally 2 Give Foundation impacts not only the special needs community, but also other select charities based in New England. Some of the causes that have benefitted from past events include: The Hometown Foundation, Friends of the Valley, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center Foundation, Barre City Police K9 Fund, Deerfield Valley Rescue, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Triangle Inc., and most notably, Special Olympics Vermont.”

“When we are able to go to an organization like Special Olympics Vermont and present them with a check for $25,000, and to see the looks on their faces when you present them with the money, it’s the best feeling in the world. Knowing that you had a part in making a difference in someone’s life, it’s the best.”

While finishing up his college education at Sacred Heart, St. Jean hopes to continue to grow Rally 2 Give, and eventually make the organization his full-time job.

“I like the idea of running a nonprofit and using marketing and digital media to promote an organization like ours. It’s definitely something I want to pursue when I graduate so we can help even more people and gain more volunteers involved with our events.”

When thinking back on his time at Eagle Hill, some of his core values reflect the experience he had at EHS.

“Everyone at Eagle Hill wants to help you, anytime you need it. The teachers, the staff, classmates, you always had someone to go to. The community was one of the things I liked most about it. The feeling I got when I came to campus. I knew people supported me and it has made me want to help people from all backgrounds in my own life. Eagle Hill will always hold a special place for me; I can’t wait to go back soon.”

To learn more about Rally 2 Give or to donate, please visit www.rally2give.org.