40 Under 40

I blog a lot about Jake and what a great guy he is, you are probably sick of it by now, but his most recent achievement deserves a shout out. Drum roll...

Jake is one of Pittsburgh Magazine's 2012 40 under 40!

So what does that mean exactly? Pittsburgh Magazine gets 100's of nominations from all over the Pittsburgh region and they narrow it down to 40 leaders that posses energy and drive to effect positive changes around town. Check it out here!

On a daily basis Jake enters the lives of children, for a not-so-good reason. He instantly becomes part of their family, even if they don't need another family member - they have no choice by the time they meet him. Without getting into details and depressing all of you Jake pours every bit of his being into the role he plays in their lives.

I know first hand how hard he takes certain situations, how frustrated he gets, how many nights he doesn't sleep, how many nights I don't sleep due to 24/7 pages, how pumped he gets to see someone after 3 years in remission, and his excitement talking about how a kiddo loved his batman bow tie.
The good, the bad and the ugly, he tackles it all - with more grace than I even knew existed.

When I first meet Jake I thought "I will cry every day, there is no way I can date him, how can I live my life with a black cloud over my head every day?" I soon realized it should have nothing to do with my feelings, I'm not the one actually dealing with this. That was nothing but a selfish thought on my part. More importantly, I should think about the families and how they deal with one of their children having a life threatening disease. I learned this from Jake - not by him telling me but by his actions.

Camp -
Jake has spent parts of the last 8 years volunteering at summer camps for kids with serious illnesses. He got hooked during his residency at the University of Connecticut and has spent summers at camp ever since. After moving to Pittsburgh 6 years ago he started volunteering at Flying Horse Farms, located right outside of Columbus Ohio.  

Some info courtesy of their website:  Flying Horse Farms is a member of the SeriousFun Children’s Network.  Formerly the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, it is an international family of camps that was founded in 1988 by actor, film director, and Ohio native Paul Newman. In Newman’s words, these camps are meant to give children the chance to “kick back, relax, raise a little hell, and just be kids.”

Jake spends the week at camp as one of the on-site doctor, wearing wigs in talent shows and going by the name 'Jakey Cakes'. This past Spring I had the pleasure of volunteering as a camp counselor at a family weekend camp. I had a blast but, more importantly, the kids just went bonkers and had the time of their lives. Literally, they told me it was the best weekend of their lives. This was not my first experience at a camp of this nature - a few years ago thanks to AE I had the opportunity to travel to California and be a camp counselor at the Ronald McDonald Camp for Good Times. Both experiences opened my eyes to how resilient kids are, how they know and don't know at the same time and how just a few days at camp can raise their spirits for a year.

There are so many people in this world that would not lift a finger for someone else in need, I am thankful for people like Jake and places like Flying Horse Farms.

Dr. Suess week at camp

Cure Rock -

Last May, Jake hosted a concert at Stage AE in Pittsburgh to raise money and awareness for the Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology program at Children's Hospital. 4 local bands - Donora, New Victorians, Color Fleet and Meeting of Important People came out to play and support a good cause. He raised a good amount of money with the help of sponsors and friends. 

The AYA program at the hospital holds a ski trip every year to 7 Springs, meets at Dave and Busters and science-y things like fertility preservation, clinical research, and, um, treating cancer. Obviously, these things are not cheap, so events like Jake's concert really help out.

Jake and my dad, a sponsor.

Jake and his brother Mickey.
Mickey volunteers in a soup kitchen every Monday morning, good group of boys! 

AE girls came out to support

My friend Lisa and I won bing in the silent auction

If there is anyone that deserves to be recognized for doing good in his community, it's Jake. We spent Friday evening celebrating with the other 39 amazing winners. It makes me want to give back more than I currently do. Even though no one did their good works for awards, it was impressive to hear so many stories.  It's refreshing to know young people in town are so motivated to help others.