Brett Fitzgerald ’08 was a two-time captain for Brandeis men’s soccer, earning All-University Athletic Association honors during his junior and senior seasons. Fitzgerald helped the Judges win the ECAC Tournament as a junior. After graduating and going to graduate school, Fitzgerald and his brother, Corey, founded Northeast Mountaineering, a full-service mountain guide outfitter leading mountaineering, rock and ice climbing expeditions to mountains around the country and around the globe. “It was something we started almost by accident and turned it into something worthwhile.” He recently sold his shares in the company to Corey in order to focus on his family and his recently-formed publishing and creative agency, Fitzwilliam. He now publishes a magazine called Wild Northeast and will be launching a new publication called Obscura about all things off-the-beaten throughout New England.

“I developed a lot of skills while building a startup at Northeast Mountaineering,” Fitzgerald said. “It was just time to transition to something that made more sense for my family.”

Fitzgerald also started a non-profit, MountainStrong Incorporated, that was established in 2017, as he and the board were looking “to make a positive impact through mountain explorations”.  The mission was to help those whose lives had been struck by unexpected tragedy.

MountainStrong has donated over $60,000 to charities that support the National, first responders and wounded veterans. Beneficiaries include the Boston Wounded Vet Run, the families of fallen firefighters and the National Forest Foundation.

“We’ve been able to donate 100 percent of our proceeds to the cause,” Fitzgerald said. “Which is pretty cool because not every non-profit is able to do that.”

Now Mountainstrong has adopted a more personal cause for Fitzgerald. His wife of four years, Holly, is a registered nurse in the emergency room at Lawrence General Hospital on the front lines of the battle against the coronavirus.

“Instead of sitting by idly and watching my wife go to work every day, I wanted to do something to help,” Fitzgerald said. “Having her come home and have to take a shower in Lysol has been a stark reminder of the selfless work she does day in and day out and we are incredibly thankful for all of the brave healthcare professionals.”

Fitzgerald recently started a GoFundMe to raise money for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for healthcare professionals throughout of New England, looking to support those that he’s met through MountainStrong. While the organization has supported relief funds to help aid recovery in the aftermath of dire circumstances, the current need for PPEs is immediate. Fitzgerald has also been helping out first responder services, helping to supply them with KN95 masks, a standard that has only been recently made available to medical workers.

To support Brett, Holly and all of our medical professionals, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/ppe-new-england-coronavirus-fund.