Support Jesse Brenner's Memorial Tree Fund

Hi friends,

If you haven’t heard the news already, I am deeply saddened to share that we lost Jesse Brenner in April. Jesse was brilliant, inquisitive, caring, funny, creative, and a lover of all kinds of music; I know I speak for all of us when I say that he will be sorely missed.

A handful of us were able to join Jesse’s family in Philadelphia last month to celebrate Jesse’s life and share memories and stories. Afterwards, we began discussing follow-up memorial opportunities to remember the Bizzle in all his glory.

As part of those plans, I have been coordinating with Wesleyan to dedicate a tree in Jesse’s memory. After we lost Aaron Thaler in 2011, we dedicated a tree to Aaron’s memory which is outside WesCo 4, our Freshman-year dorm. Jesse’s tree will likely be near Aaron’s — two friends hanging together on Foss Hill for the long-term.

We will hold a tree dedication ceremony at Wesleyan next year in May 2025, at our 20-year reunion, for anyone who is able to attend.

We have set a fundraising goal with the university of $10,000. I believe that if we forward this far and wide to the many people who knew and loved Jesse, we can surpass this goal. (And if we do, any excess will be donated to National Alliance on Mental Illness, a charity selected by Jesse’s family.)

If you can afford to donate $10, $100, or even $1,000, your generosity is greatly appreciated. Any amount is incredible, and I hope that we’ll have at least a handful of friends who are in a position to afford large donations to get us in the right direction.

Please forward this on to anyone who knew JB. (Better that someone gets this twice than not at all!)

May Jesse’s memory be a blessing.

With love,

Sivan