John Miller Conn, Jr., a University of Georgia graduate, died suddenly in November 2008 at the age of 29. I knew Miller from the time he was a boy. His mother, Ann Bishop, is a good friend and professional colleague. In his honor and memory, Ann has created a scholarship fund at Kids' Chance of Georgia.

The mission of Kids’ Chance of Georgia, Inc. is to provide educational scholarships to the children of Georgia workers who have been seriously, catastrophically or fatally injured in work-related accidents.

You can read more about this organization at its web site, link above.

Ann is donating two Falcons tickets to a raffle to help fund this scholarship. The tickets are for the NFC Championship Game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome, Sunday, January 20, 2013, at 3 p.m. They are lower level, 50 yard line, behind the Falcons' bench, Section 116, Row 26. I have seen games from these seats, and they are great. Face value for the pair of tickets is $480.00, but you can have a chance to win them by donating $40.00 to the Kids' Chance scholarship fund set up in Miller's honor. Or, if you'd like, each $40.00 you contribute will get you a chance to win the tickets.

Secure online donations can be made at the Kids' Chance web site. Just enter the amount you wish to contribute no later than noon on Thursday, January 17, 2013. From the drop-down menu by "Donation Category", choose "Miller Conn Memorial Fund". By "Who should we notify of this gift", overlook that it should be "Whom ..." and write "Ann Bishop for Falcons tickets". The folks at Kids' Chance will notify Ann of the donation, and the winner will be selected in a random drawing by a judge of the Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation.

Ann will contact the winner and arrange delivery, which will be by an overnight service or, if you prefer, you can come by our office in Marietta on Friday.

After graduating from the Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Miller enrolled at the University of Georgia. He took a break from college to join the United States Army in October 2001, where he graduated near the top of his class at the Defense Language Institute. Miller then served in the Army as a Russian linguist until October 2006, after which he returned to UGA and completed his bachelor's degree. When he died, Miller was enrolled at the University of Georgia Lumpkin School of Law. He was survived by his wife and two very young children.

If you have any questions about Kids' Chance, the tickets, or the raffle, let me know in the comments, or you can email me privately at nct.dawgsports@gmail.com.

Thanks, and good luck to all who enter!

-- NCT