Who We Are
Daniel J. Hollis (a.k.a. Dan, Danny, Dangy) died on October 2, 2019, at the age of 19. Dan lived his life to the fullest and was defined by the relationships he cultivated (his community), his love of sports (competition), and his passion to experience new things (curiosity).
Our foundation was created to honor the memory and life of Dan by fostering creativity, supporting healthy competition, and developing meaningful connections for young people. Our goal is to provide young people opportunities to expand their horizons, challenge themselves, and gain the confidence to be true to themselves.
The Daniel J. Hollis Foundation, Inc. is devoted to providing opportunities for young people to cultivate curiosity, support healthy competition, and develop meaningful connections.
“Always be true to yourself, and be who you want to be, regardless of what others think.”
~Daniel Hollis 2018
What We Do
Build Community – Dan loved to bring people together. His smile, easy-going nature, and genuine interest in others made you feel as if you had known him forever. Dan often quoted his favorite performer Travis Scott in saying he wanted “people to have the best time ever, especially if they’re with me.” Because of his love for others and his desire to bring them joy, our Foundation actively seeks to provide young people experiences that develop meaningful relationships and make the world a better place.
The Foundation was honored to provide the funds needed to secure a service-dog for an eight-year-old autistic boy as our first official charitable act. According to our recipient, “my dog will help me to be brave and confident. My dog will help me connect with more adults and my friends too.” We are confident that Dan, who adored his own dogs, would be thrilled that someone else would be able to experience the love and devotion of a four-legged best-friend in addition to the benefits of being able to better navigate social situations.
Support Healthy Competition – As a student-athlete, competition was an incredibly important part of Dan’s life. While he was fortunate to have had many successes on the ice and field, it was his love of the game and teammates that defined him. Dan went out of his way to welcome new members to any team he was a part of and extended that good will to opposing teams as well. To honor Dan’s legacy as a great teammate, the Daniel J. Hollis Outstanding Teammate Award and Scholarship has been created to award two graduating seniors of Hopedale Jr-Sr High School annually. Because it is an award recognizing good teammates, it is the student-athletes of Hopedale High School who nominate the two seniors (male & female) who exemplify leadership on-and-off the field; selfless play; dedication and commitment to the team; and overall love for the sport.
Foster Curiosity – Dan had diverse interests including music, art, travel, clothing, and history. He loved his time at Emerson College because he felt the freedom to “express himself and shine as a creative individual”. Our Foundation aims to provide young people the chance to widen their horizons and explore their creative interests. We hope bringing new experiences, artists, musicians, and writers to students at an early age will make students curious to learn more and encourage further exploration of their interests.
The Express Yourself Challenge is one of our sponsored events honoring Dan’s passion for the creative arts. Participants are encouraged to express themselves through a creative process and share it with others. One participant is randomly selected to choose a public elementary, middle, or high school to receive a Creative Arts Grant from the foundation.
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