Jams For Jake Fundraiser
Donation protected
We are very excited to announce a special event that will be held this fall in memory of our friend Jake Czuczwa.
Jams for Jake will be an all-day music festival / community gathering to honor the memory of Jake, and to raise resources and awareness in the fight against the opioid epidemic. It will be free, family-friendly, and open to the public.
In order for this event to be a success, we need your help!
Our Vision
Jams for Jake will be a great day of fun, music, reflection, and community that Jake would have loved. Our hope is to use this event as a way to create something positive to honor Jake's life and to create a space for open and honest reflection on the effects of this crisis in our lives and our communities.
We want to bring this conversation into the light, breaking down the misconceptions and stigma around addiction that keeps people from getting the help they desperately need, and forces families and loved ones to suffer profound hardships and losses in silence.
Along with the music, the day will feature speakers reflecting on their own experience with substance abuse and recovery, as well as resources for those in our community who are still struggling and those who want to learn how they can help others. Hopefully through the love and power of art and music, we can use this event to come to terms with what's going on in our community, which has affected so many of us. We'd like to see people leave with a sense of hope -- that they can do something to help either themselves, someone else, or the community at large.
Who we are
The organizers of this event have taken to calling ourselves "Friends of Jake" in professional correspondences. Many of us grew up with Jake in Reading and knew him his entire life, others met him later on, in high school or through work, or through playing music with him. After Jake passed, it was immediately clear to his closest friends that we needed to do something to honor his memory and his love for music, and provide more community support for those in need.
We need your help to make this event a reality!
The funds we raise will be used for all of the expenses involved in running this community festival, which include:
-Event insurance
-Police detail (4 police officers for 8 hours)
-Porta potties from Throne King (3 regular and one handicap will be on site)
-Sound equipment (Mics, amps, sound monitors, cables)
-Hired help so things run smoothly (DPW workers to help us set up the parking lot, an electrician to get us set up with the necessary power/wiring etc.)
-Trash/ Recycling removal
-Rentals (Stage, lights)
-Miscellaneous supplies (lanyards to identify our volunteers, wristbands for attendees, tickets for our prize drawings etc.)
With the help of RCASA (Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse), a non-profit organization that has graciously agreed to manage/distribute the funds we've raised as needed for the event, any additional funds in excess of the event costs will go to the creation of a scholarship in Jake's name! This scholarship will be given to a RMHS high school senior graduating this spring who wishes to pursue music with the focus, passion, and integrity that made Jake so exceptional, whether or not that is through a traditional avenue or higher education or not. We will be working with RMHS to get this scholarship to the most qualified, deserving individual each year, and hope this is the first successful Jams for Jake of many.
Any contribution you can make will be a tremendous support to the Reading community and beyond.
Thank you so much for your help!
For more information, go to www.jamsforjake.com.
Jams for Jake will be an all-day music festival / community gathering to honor the memory of Jake, and to raise resources and awareness in the fight against the opioid epidemic. It will be free, family-friendly, and open to the public.
In order for this event to be a success, we need your help!
Our Vision
Jams for Jake will be a great day of fun, music, reflection, and community that Jake would have loved. Our hope is to use this event as a way to create something positive to honor Jake's life and to create a space for open and honest reflection on the effects of this crisis in our lives and our communities.
We want to bring this conversation into the light, breaking down the misconceptions and stigma around addiction that keeps people from getting the help they desperately need, and forces families and loved ones to suffer profound hardships and losses in silence.
Along with the music, the day will feature speakers reflecting on their own experience with substance abuse and recovery, as well as resources for those in our community who are still struggling and those who want to learn how they can help others. Hopefully through the love and power of art and music, we can use this event to come to terms with what's going on in our community, which has affected so many of us. We'd like to see people leave with a sense of hope -- that they can do something to help either themselves, someone else, or the community at large.
Who we are
The organizers of this event have taken to calling ourselves "Friends of Jake" in professional correspondences. Many of us grew up with Jake in Reading and knew him his entire life, others met him later on, in high school or through work, or through playing music with him. After Jake passed, it was immediately clear to his closest friends that we needed to do something to honor his memory and his love for music, and provide more community support for those in need.
We need your help to make this event a reality!
The funds we raise will be used for all of the expenses involved in running this community festival, which include:
-Event insurance
-Police detail (4 police officers for 8 hours)
-Porta potties from Throne King (3 regular and one handicap will be on site)
-Sound equipment (Mics, amps, sound monitors, cables)
-Hired help so things run smoothly (DPW workers to help us set up the parking lot, an electrician to get us set up with the necessary power/wiring etc.)
-Trash/ Recycling removal
-Rentals (Stage, lights)
-Miscellaneous supplies (lanyards to identify our volunteers, wristbands for attendees, tickets for our prize drawings etc.)
With the help of RCASA (Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse), a non-profit organization that has graciously agreed to manage/distribute the funds we've raised as needed for the event, any additional funds in excess of the event costs will go to the creation of a scholarship in Jake's name! This scholarship will be given to a RMHS high school senior graduating this spring who wishes to pursue music with the focus, passion, and integrity that made Jake so exceptional, whether or not that is through a traditional avenue or higher education or not. We will be working with RMHS to get this scholarship to the most qualified, deserving individual each year, and hope this is the first successful Jams for Jake of many.
Any contribution you can make will be a tremendous support to the Reading community and beyond.
Thank you so much for your help!
For more information, go to www.jamsforjake.com.
Organizer
Lauren Anderson
Organizer
Reading, MA
