For more than twenty years, Matt Bender was a guiding force in the growth of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy. Matt had an immense passion for the Capital Region and a deep sense of the importance of history and conservation. The Conservancy served an important role in his compelling vision of the region. Unlike so many people who consider the best feature of our area its proximity to other places—Boston, New York, etc.—Matt recognized the real value of our region is in its people, beautiful places, and history.

Matt took MHLC under his wing early in its development and continued to serve as a member of MHLC's Advisory Council over the years. In 2017, he was recognized as the honoree of the Conservancy's 25th anniversary year. Matt was never content to provide financial support alone; instead, he wanted to make sure the organization was spending wisely, communicating clearly, and investing in the future to achieve sustainability. He was impatient with failure unless the lessons from mistakes lead to growth, and he was quick to recognize success and achievement. Matt was one of the most energetic, constructive, generous, and wise people, whose interests included an enormous range of causes and projects in our nonprofit sector--he will be greatly missed.

The Board of Trustees, staff, and volunteers of MHLC send our condolences to the Bender family on the passing of Matthew Bender. We join with many others in the Capital Region and beyond in celebrating his life and mourning his loss. We are so grateful for all the ways his generosity transformed our community.

The Celebration of the Life of Matthew Bender IV has been postponed due to concerns about the coronavirus. Originally scheduled for Saturday, March 14, at The Albany Academies, it will be rescheduled; we will inform you of the new date when it is available.

The Bender family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations could be made to the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy.

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