On Saturday, Feb. 28, bowlers will lace up their shoes to support their fellow Wyomingites at the 28th Annual Bowl for Jason’s Friends fundraiser in Casper. A week later, on Saturday, March 7, the event continues with additional Bowl for Jason’s Friends events at Camelanes Bowling Center in Gillette and Derby Lanes in Cheyenne.
Jason’s Friends Foundation is a nonprofit organization that steps in to offer a helping hand when a Wyoming child is diagnosed with cancer, brain tumors or spinal cord tumors. By providing financial assistance for things like travel expenses (fuel, lodging, airfare, meals) and everyday living expenses (house and rent payments, car payments, phone bills, utility bills, etc.), Jason’s Friends Foundation eases the financial burden on Wyoming families so that they can focus on what is most important — their children.
“When a child is diagnosed with cancer in Wyoming, the family is immediately forced to travel to seek medical attention out of state because there is no primary cancer treatment center for children in Wyoming,” said Lisa Eades, volunteer President/CEO and co-founder of Jason’s Friends Foundation. “These families are traveling to Denver, Salt Lake and sometimes much further than that.”
The financial burden that weighs on a Wyoming family when a child is diagnosed with cancer has the potential to be catastrophic. Jason’s Friends Foundation is here to give Wyoming families peace of mind, knowing that they will not have to worry about losing everything they own.
Jason’s Story
Jason’s Friends Foundation was created in memory of Jason Eades. Jason was 8 years old when he was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor. Immediately after his diagnosis, Jason and his parents, Rocky and Lisa Eades, fled to Denver and then to New York to seek treatment.
Jason underwent surgery and three months of radiation, chemotherapy, and other therapy to help restore his lost motor skills. In April 1995, the family thought they had experienced a miracle when an MRI revealed that the tumor was gone.
A few months later, Jason began exhibiting familiar symptoms, and a return trip to New York revealed that the tumor was back and was even larger than before. Tragically, in November 1995, Jason passed away, leaving behind memories of a boy who always showed more concern for others as he faced his illness with dignity beyond his years.
“When a child dies, it’s catastrophic,” said Eades. “There is so much pain. Nothing functions the same.”
But the Eades family, along with the help of a few close friends, was able to take that pain and use it as a catalyst to bring hope and support to Wyoming families enduring the same type of battle the Eades family fought.
In the beginning, the foundation began by providing meals and shopping assistance, but it quickly became evident that an even greater level of financial assistance was necessary. As a result, the foundation began its fundraising efforts and, in 1998, Bowl for Jason’s Friends was born.
Bowl for Jason’s Friends
Bowl for Jason’s Friends is the organization’s only fundraiser of the year. The foundation is currently helping 182 Wyoming families and has provided over $9 million in financial assistance since its founding. Last year, the Bowl for Jason’s Friends fundraiser raised more than $400,000, and this year the foundation hopes to surpass that number.
The 28th Annual Bowl for Jason’s Friends event in Casper will take place Saturday, Feb. 28 at El Mark-O Lanes. For the fourth year, Jason’s Friends will also be hosting Bowl for Jason’s Friends in Gillette on Saturday, March 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Camelanes Bowling Center. New this year, Jason’s Friends is excited to add a third location with the 1st Annual Bowl for Jason’s Friends in Cheyenne, taking place Saturday, March 7 from 1 to 5 p.m. at Derby Lanes.
Bowlers form five-person fundraising teams, sign up for a one-hour bowling time slot and collect donations prior to bowling. Each bowler is required to collect at least $100 to participate. Participants will celebrate their team efforts with one hour of bowling, free food and drinks, entry into door prize drawings for every $100 collected, and an event T-shirt. Prizes will be awarded to the top fundraising youth and adult participants.
“It’s a fun-filled day of bowling, pizza, silent auction items and hourly prizes,” said Eades. “We encourage everyone to put together a team, collect donations and come out to support our Wyoming families.”
When bowlers arrive at El Mark-O Lanes on Saturday, Feb. 28, they will walk in and see hundreds of photos of the children that the foundation has helped and that the bowlers are there to support. The photos show the faces of Jason’s Friends.
And somewhere in the midst of those photos is a picture of a smiling blond-haired boy. It is his legacy and his compassion that live on through the foundation that bears his name and through the hearts of those who come out to bowl for Jason’s Friends.
To learn more, download printable fundraising packets, and sign up a fundraising team, visit jasonsfriends.org/bowl or contact Jason’s Friends at 307-235-3421.
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