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 The Jarred Williams Foundation was created in 2002 to help families with a child who suffers from a chronic and life-threatening illness.
As the founders of the Jarred Williams Foundation - and as Jarred’s mother and father - my wife, Maureen, and I never would have guessed that Jarred’s fateful diagnosis back in 2000 would lead us where we are now. What began as a private family crisis has transformed into the ongoing fulfillment of a dream to help families who are in the terrible situation we were in as we tried to cope with Jarred’s illness.
At first, our goal was simply to help families with a child afflicted with a serious illness in any small way we could. From our own experience, we knew that even a small act of kindness goes a long way in terms of moral support. We also knew that what is also needed is financial assistance, and we were determined to find a way to raise money for this purpose.
Establishing the Jarred Williams Foundation was relatively easy. Turning it into a viable non-profit organization was, and continues to be, very challenging. We have come to understand how complex and delicate is the balance of family participation, personal and corporate donations, sponsorships, volunteerism, and advocacy necessary to the success of a non-profit organization such as ours. We have been amazed and uplifted by the number of individuals who believed in us and have helped us turn our dream into reality.
Aside from our stated mission, the ultimate goal of The Jarred Williams Foundation is to effect positive change both in individual lives and the greater community. We strive to show families that it is possible not only to cope with what is one of the most difficult situations they can face, but eventually to grow in all areas of their lives in ways previously unimaginable. We believe our support, both moral and financial, allows families to tap into reserves of strength they might not know they had. We seek to further meaningful connections with people, and search for ways to give back to the community that helped us in so many ways, large and small, and we hope to inspire others to do the same. It is the best way we can think of to honor our son and his spirit of generosity.
While financial contributions are certainly important to the health of any non-profit, we have come to realize that there are many other ways for individuals to help, such as volunteering time and energy, expertise, hosting a fundraising event – or any and all of the above. There are probably more that we haven’t thought of yet.
We invite you to consider what the Jarred Williams Foundation means to you. Please contact me, Dwayne Williams, if you have any suggestions or ideas for preserving its viability, so that we may continue to provide support for families in times of need. I can be reached at 802-434-3363,
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, or PO Box 173, Richmond, VT 05477.
Sincerely,
Dwayne Williams
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