The Cro Foundation: 2025 Year in Review

Happy New Year Family, Friends, and Colleagues,

Because of your incredible generosity, 2025 was another landmark year for The Cro Foundation. We are proud to report that we repurposed your donations to support local and national organizations doing vital work. Every dollar raised helps us honor Ryan’s memory by providing support to those in need.

This year, we distributed a total of $59,300 across the following initiatives:

Education & Youth Athletics

  • Liberty High School Athletics: For the second year, we supported our local high school as a Silver Sponsor for the Baseball Golf Tournament Fundraiser. ($500 | April 2025)

  • The Class of 2025 Scholarships: Our second year of awarding scholarships to Liberty High students was truly inspiring. Because the applicant pool was so strong, we chose to award a scholarship to every single student who applied. Awards ranged from $500 to $5,000. (Total: $21,500 | May 2025)

In Honor of Ron Abigill Sr.

In April, we lost our dear family member, "Pop," and friend to a traumatic spinal cord injury. In his memory, we directed significant support toward spinal cord injury (SCI) research and accessibility:

  • International Center for Spinal Cord Injury (Kennedy Krieger): Following a $4,000 initial donation and a moving personal tour of their Baltimore facility in October, we contributed an additional $6,000 to support their groundbreaking work with both children and adults. (Total: $10,000)

  • Stand Up and Play Foundation: A 100% volunteer-run organization that provides active standing therapy and adaptive equipment to make golf accessible for those with mobility challenges. ($1,000 | June 2025)

Adaptive Sports & Cancer Research

  • Catalyst Sports: We funded the purchase of new safety helmets for their adaptive mountain bike program, which empowers disabled individuals to hit the trails. ($1,050 | June 2025)

  • Jonathan B. Loden Foundation: We served as a Hole Sponsor for their annual golf tournament, with proceeds benefitting the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. ($1,250 | September 2025)

Brain Injury Awareness & Support

As we lost Ryan to a Traumatic Brain Injury, supporting the Brain Injury Association of Maryland (BIAMD) remains a core pillar of our mission.

  • Annual Conference & Crab Feast: We sponsored the BIAMD annual conference in April ($5,000) and presented them with an additional check at our annual Crab Feast in September ($10,000).

  • Scarecrow 5K: For the second year, we served as the official Food Sponsor for this race at UMBC. ($1,500)

  • Total BIAMD Support: $16,500

Healing, Remembrance & Service

  • Holly’s Heart Foundation: On Giving Tuesday, we donated to this unique charity that provides organ donor families with a "heartbeat keepsake"—a recorded heartbeat inside a build-a-bear. We have a "Ryan Bear" of our own, and it means the world to us. ($2,500 | December 2025)

  • The Compassionate Friends (TCF): This group of bereaved parents was our lifeline when we first lost Ryan. We are proud to continue supporting their Patapsco Valley chapter. ($2,500 | December 2025)

  • Warrior Canine Connection: Through a connection at TCF, we donated to this program that trains service dogs for recovering veterans. ($2,500 | December 2025)

2025 Impact Summary: $59,300

Our journey has been incredibly difficult, but with your help, we have turned tragedy into a legacy of honor and remembrance. Thank you for walking this path with us. We wish you a happy and healthy 2026.

With gratitude,

Nate, Bonnie, and Sean Crochunis

The Cro Foundation, In Memory of Ryan

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The Cro Foundation - Year in Review 2024

Happy New Year Family, Friends, and Colleagues. We’d like to highlight the great things we’ve done in 2024 in memory of our son Ryan. This is our first full year as a Foundation, and we are quite proud of our achievements. We’ve been able to support many great initiatives and other organizations who are doing great work in our community.  

  • Installed a Daktronics Baseball Score Board at Freedom Park, Field 1. Donated to Sykesville Baseball. This project started much earlier than March, going back to June of 2023. The final product looks great and is supporting the baseball program today. Installed March - Project cost: $19,555

  • Liberty High School Baseball, Golf Tournament Fundraiser, Bronze Sponsor. $200 (April). As a baseball family, it’s great to support our local high school team.

  • Liberty High School, Class of 2024, Scholarships. We decided to award something to every applicant given this was Ryan’s class and the applicant pool was tremendous. Scholarships ranged from $500 to $5,000. Total amount awarded $20,500 (May)

  • Jonathan B. Loden Foundation, Golf Tournament Fundraiser, Hole Sponsor. $1,250 (September). Dear friends of ours lost their son/brother, Jonathan, in 2006 after a battle with head and neck cancer, at just 33 years old. It’s an honor to support them every year with their golf tournament fundraiser, it’s in the 17/18th year.  Proceeds go to the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center. They have raised over $210K over the years. $1,250 (September).

  • Our Foundation has aligned in support of the Brain Injury Association of Maryland (BIAMD).  Given that we lost Ryan to a Traumatic Brain Injury it’s a very meaningful alignment. The BIAMD brings health, hope, and healing to thousands of Marylanders living with brain injury, their families, and the professionals who serve them. $7,000 donation resulting from our Crab Feast Fundraiser. (Fundraiser in September and donation made in November),

  • Brain Injury Association of Maryland (BIAMD), Scarecrow 5K Food Sponsor. We also were a sponsor of their 5k race at Piney Run Park. $1,500 (September)

  • The Compassionate Friends (TCF) of the Patapsco Valley. When we first lost Ryan, we did not know how to process everything. We found the TCF and went to some of their monthly meetings. The group consists of bereaved parents helping each other, sharing their loss, sharing how they cope with grief, but most importantly saying their loved one’s name. There is a level of comfort knowing that we were not in this alone, and unfortunately, there are others walking a similar path. $2,500 (December)

Total for the year $52,505 – Pretty Amazing!

We could not have made any of this happen without the continued support from so many.  Thank you so very much and please have a happy and healthy 2025.

The Cro Foundation, In Memory of Ryan (www.thecrofoundation.org)

Nate, Bonnie, and Sean Crochunis