Chris Holmes Memorial Fund

The Christopher Holmes Scholarship and Conservation Memorial Fund was established in 2022 to honor Chris’ life and carry forward the causes he held most dear. Donations directly support SMLI Summer Camp Scholarships—to ensure that local children can access enriching educational opportunities and childcare right here in their community. In 2025, the fund covered six weeks of Summer Camp for a local Counselor-in-Training 

Additional contributions celebrate Chris’ lifelong dedication to environmental conservation, supporting the programs and initiatives he cared about most. Through this memorial fund SMLI has contributed to Habitats for Half Shells, a collaborative program between Seatuck and the SMLI that works to reseed oysters in Long Island Sound.

To further celebrate Chris’ legacy and raise money for the fund, each first Sunday of November, SMLI hosts it's Annual Pumpkin Smash in his honor. Guests are invited to bring their old pumpkins and gourds to smash and transform into compost—keeping them out of the trash and giving them new life in our gardens.