Patrick Quinn
Patrick Quinn was diagnosed with ALS in March, 2013. After researching the disease and treatment options, he befriended Peter Frates, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012. It was this friendship that gave birth to the Ice Bucket Challenge, which has raised over $100 million in donations for ALS research. He set up the website “Quinn 4 the Win” which was influential in establishing fundraisers for ALS all over New York, and running the site is now his full-time job.
Born and raised in Yonkers, NY with roots in Down, Cork, Clare and Westmeath, Patrick was heavily involved in sports and was a star athlete among his school’s rugby team. He remembers growing up steeped in the Irish milieu, remembering the parades on McLean Avenue. He attended and graduated from Iona Prep and Iona College in New Rochelle. It was his connections from both Iona College and his close-knit Irish clan in Yonkers that helped spread word of his ALS initiative. Last year, Time magazine nominated Quinn and Frates for their popular Person of the Year Award. And in 2015, he was an answer on Jeopardy. He still lives in Yonkers with his wife, Jen (pictured with Pat at left).