Fourth Annual JK Memorial Blood Drive!

The Jonathan Kwiatkowski Memorial Fund (www.jkmemorialfund.org) is proud to donate $1,000 to sponsor the UW-Parkside Softball Team for their 6th Annual Pink Game. All proceeds from this event will go to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

At the game, we will be present to get the word out about the next round of JK Memorial Scholarships that will be given out this fall.

Please join us on April 6th at Noon for this fun and exciting charitable event!

3rd Annual JK Memorial Blood Drive

We want to thank everyone who attended Jonathan Kwiatkowski's 3^rd Annual Memorial Blood Drive.  On July 13, 2013 at Razor Sharp Fitness Gym in Racine Wisconsin, 65 people came to donate blood. We were able to collect 48 pints of whole blood.  KUDOS to all that came out to make a difference! 

Also, thanks to all of you who have gone to the Blood Center of Wisconsin clinics and continue to donate in memory of Jonathan.  Remember, you can always donate in Jonathan's honor using the sponsor code number 5075.

Special thanks to Rachael Holtz Briere and Laurie Simmons for coming early to setup, volunteering the entire blood drive, and staying afterwards to take down the equipment and cleanup. Also, thank you to Ryan Seleski for helping take down the equipment and cleanup.

A shout out and thanks to the Blood Center of WI (all blood donated through BCW stays in the state of WI) and Razor Sharp Fitness Gym for hosting this event again.

Thanks again to all of you for helping make a difference - we gave back to our community and helped to save lives.  Nicely done.

HEADS UP, HEARTS UP, HOPES UP!

Some facts about blood donations:

• Every three seconds, someone needs a blood transfusion.
• One pint of blood from one donor can save up to three lives.
• 20 percent of blood recipients are children.
• About 60 percent of the population is eligible to donate blood, yet less than 4 percent do.
• At least 500 pints of blood must be collected daily to meet the needs of most hospitals.
• The U.S. imports more than 20 percent of our blood supply.
• The average adult body has 10-12 pints of blood. Doctors say that healthy adults may give regularly because the body quickly replaces the blood you donate.

JK Memorial Blood Drive - July 13th

I hope you can make it!

Scholarship Awards

The Jonathan Kwiatkowski Memorial Fund Directors are proud to announce the recipients of our first annual scholarship program.  Eleven scholarships were given out in honor of Jonathan Kwiatkowski to outstanding members of our local communites.

Scholarship amounts were divided into increments of $2000 (1 recipient), $1000 (2 recipients), $500 (3 recipients), and $250 (3 recipients).

The Scholarship Selection Committee has been very fortunate to receive many strong applicants.  We had a most difficult time in selecting this year’s scholarship recipients because of the high qualifications of all the candidates.

This year's scholarship award recipients are (in alphabetical order):

Marissa Connet

Therese Gedemer 

Miranda George

Ashley Grainger

Chad Ianson

Morgan Kebbekus

Tyler Krysiak

Matthew Martynski

Kattie Vytlacil 

On behalf of the Board of Directors and the Jonathan Kwiatkowski Memorial Fund donors, we would like to wish the scholarship recipients the best in the coming semester.  We look forward to hearing of your continued success!  Congratulations!

A special THANK YOU to all of the donors and fund raising volunteers that made this magic happen in Jonathan's name!

HEADS UP, HEARTS UP, HOPES UP!

Congratulations to CYC Raider Cade Lafond, recipient of the Jonathan Ray Kwiatkowski Memorial Award, for continuously demonstrating the skills and abilities consistent to that of a team leader while maintaining a positive attitude!

Special thanks to Ryan Seleski for keeping Jonathan Kwiatkowski's memory alive via this very special award. Nicely done Ryan!

JK Memorial Fund in the News

Scholarship memorializing Jonathan Kwiatkowski-slain UW student
Developing Career
September 6, 2012
Jonathan was a student at the University of Wisconsin- Parkside majoring in Humanities. Jonathan Kwiatkowski’s life was senselessly taken on April 4, 2011. Jonathan’s injury was so severe that he bled to death and the emergency room personnel were unable to fulfill his desire to be an organ donor. After suffering the loss of their son the Kwiatkowski family wants to help other students in his name, a salute to his desire to help others.

Family creates scholarship fund in slain son’s name
www.KenoshaNews.com
September 6, 2012 
Jonathan Kwiatkowski’s family didn’t know how many lives he touched before the 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Parkside junior was slain by a neighbor in April 2011 outside the family’s Wind Point home. 

Scholarship fund memorializes slain UW-Parkside student
www.JounalTimes.com
September 5, 2012
After suffering the loss of their son Jonathan, a 21-year-old University of Wisconsin-Parkside student, the Kwiatkowski family wants to help other students in his name.

Jonathan Kwiatkowski's Family Sets Up Scholarship Fund
www.CaledoniaPatch.com
September 5, 2012
10 scholarships will be awarded to young adults who have the drive and desire to make a difference in their communities.

Large groups turn out for motorcycle ride to honor victim
www.fox6now.com
August 18, 2012
“We’re using today’s event as kind of the kick-off of our give back to the community. We’ve set up a scholarship fund in Jonathan’s name,” said Tim Kwiatkowski.
Video from Fox 6 News:

2nd Annual JK Memorial Ride

The August 18^th 2^nd annual JK Memorial Ride turned out to be a wonderfully successful event!  In the end, we raised $3,000+ for the JK Memorial Fund!  A HUGE THANKS goes out to everyone who volunteered to help, participated in, and donated money and prizes for the 2nd annual JK Memorial Ride.

The event kicked off at  Eddie and Donna Malek’s Man Cave & Hoegaarden.  From there, around 75 Harley bikes fired up and lead us (Lori and I drove in a Jeep) on a tour of southeastern Wisconsin.  Our first stop was at Witt's End in Caledonia.  They have an awesome outside bar/beer-garden.  Next we headed to the Honey Lake Inn in Burlington, where we were graciously hosted by the group working  and where the first Packer jersey raffle was held.  Next, we headed to Dead Mann's Saloon in Kansasville where they provided a great band and perfect atmosphere for our group of riders.

Lastly, we headed to the Route 20 Outhouse in Sturtevant.  This is where we fed the group with an excellent spread provided by Danny’s Meat’s and roasted corn and drinks from the great team at the  Route 20 Outhouse.  Two local bands played, Woody and Weird Science.  Both awesome bands!!!  A silent auction was held between music sets to give people the opportunity to try and win the many incredible auction items that were donated for this event.

Donations for the auction included:

• $25 in gift certificates for Georgie Porgie’s
• 14 memberships to Anytime Fitness
• $25 gift certificate for Vitality, Wellness Spa & Boutique
• $50 gift certificate to Best Buy
• Several outdoor games and sports equipment from McGuinn & Assoc.
• Two $15 Chancery gift certificates
• $20 gift card for George Webb
• $25 gift certificate for Red Lobster
• Two $10 gift certificates for Sparti’s Gyros
• $25 gift certificate for Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar
• A “Fun Pack” to Apple Holler
• $30 gift certificate for Texas Roadhouse
• One hour Massage ($70 value) at Headlines Hair Design Studio/Day Spa
• A George Webb Hoodie
• A Harley Davidson T-Shirt from Racine Harley Davidson

The money raised will serve the southeastern Wisconsin community in the form of scholarships and donations to organizations that can make the world a better place.

Again, big thanks to all who donated to and participated in this incredible event!!! 

HEADS UP, HOPES UP, HEARTS UP!

Upcoming Event - 2nd Annual JK Memorial Ride - This Weekend!

Even if you can’t participate in the Harley ride and hit all of the stops, be sure to meet us at the Route 20 Outhouse (on Hwy 20, just west of the Freeway – aka the old “Spokes”) at 5:00pm on SATURDAY, AUGUST 18 for food, raffles, drawings and an auction. No cover charge, fun guaranteed!!!

2nd Annual JK Memorial Blood Drive

We want to thank everyone who attended our son's, Jonathan Kwiatkowski, memorial blood drive. On July 7, 2012, at Razor Sharp Fitness Gym, 66 people gave whole blood (66 X 3 = 198 lives that can saved), 2 people gave dual red cell, 2 people gave platelets, and 1 person gave platelet & red cell, and 9 people didn't meet the requirements. KUDOS to all that came out!! Also, thanks to all who have gone to the Blood Center of Wisconsin clinics this past week and donated in memory of Jonathan and to all who have upcoming appointments setup. Remember, you can always donate in Jonathan's honor using #5075 sponsor code.

Special thanks to Joe R Briere, Rachael Holtz Briere, Pat Saladis, Leslie Saladis, and Laurie Simmons for coming early to setup, volunteering the entire blood drive, and staying afterwards to take down the equipment and cleanup. A warm thank you to Kat Kennedy Hoffman, and Cindy Weiss for baking goodies!

A shout out and thanks to the Blood Center of WI (all blood donated through BCW stays in the state of WI), Razor Sharp Fitness Gym for hosting our event, The Ivanhoe Pub and Eatery for donating a "pint for a pint" chips, and Jimmy John's for donating subs.

We cannot express enough how much all of you have touched our hearts!! Thank all of you for helping make a difference - we saved many lives!!!

Message from a friend...

See full size photo

Jonathan Kwiatkowski Memorial Award for Exemplary Conduct & Performance

On Saturday, November 5th our family was honored to present the 1st annual Jonathan Ray Kwiatkowski Memorial Award for exemplary conduct and performance to Jason Brulport of the CYC Raiders youth football team. Ryan Seleski, coach of the CYC Raiders, sponsored this award and posted the following message to Jonathan’s Facebook page.

On November 5th, just one day past 7 months after you left us, this award will be presented at our team's football banquet. A good friend of mine who is a head coach for another team in the same youth football league mentioned to me that he has a prestigious award that he presents to one player for exemplary conduct and performance after each season. Our staff agreed to do the same, and we have made the "Jonathan Ray Kwiatkowski Memorial Award" our prestigious team award in your honor. Your message lives on through all of us. Thanks for making a positive impact in our lives, and continuing to find ways to still do so. Miss you.

Thank you to Ryan for honoring Jonathan and BIG CONGRATULATIONS to Jason for your performance this football season!

Big thanks to the girls from Cost Cutters on 5630 Washington Avenue for donating their time to hold a Hair-Cut-A-Thon in honor of Jonathan. 58 members of the community came in for a $10 haircut today! All proceeds from this event were donated to the Jonathan Kwiatkowski Memorial Fund. In addition, a good sized bin of school supplies was collected for the Racine Unified schools!

This money will be given to individuals that make a difference in the local community in Jonathan's name supporting all the things that Jonathan cared deeply about. That being; the local music community, education, and the arts.

Thanks to Cost Cutters and a special thank you to Christina Rose for coordinating this event!

National Day of Remembrance for Homicide Victims

On Monday, September 26, 2011 friends and family of Jonathan participated in a Balloon Release in Honor of the National Day of Remembrance for Homicide Victims.

Thanks to all!
<Click here if your Browser does not show the Slideshow below>

Thanks SCJ!

On Tuesday, September 13^th, SCJ sponsored a blood drive in Jonathan’s name and collected 51 units of blood which will help save 153 lives!

What does it take to collect 51 units of blood? Consider this:

• On average, it normally takes 15 minutes to process the paperwork and donate a unit of blood.
• On September 13^th the SCJ team and the Blood Center of Wisconsin processed 58 donors and collected 51 units of usable blood.
• The blood drive was open from 8am to 1pm – 5 hours.
• There were 6 tables available at any given time for donors.
  
• The team was able to collect a unit of blood every 10 minutes during this event! What an incredible accomplishment!
  

There was NEVER an empty chair during the entire blood drive, and many employees waited over 2 hours to donate.

I want to extend a special THANK YOU to:

• Vicki Boles for coming up with the idea and making this event happen.
• Kathy Klinkhammer and her team for the coordination and execution of the blood drive.
• Jim Yee and his team from the Blood Center of Wisconsin for all their dedication and hard work.

Lastly, thank you to everyone from SC Johnson Wax. You have proven again that we truly are “A Family Company”.

Giving Back to the Community – Our First Donation

On Saturday, September 3rd, Lori and I attended a vigil for Willie Bogan. Willie was the 10 year old boy that had been missing since Saturday, August 27th when he and two other boys went swimming in Lake Michigan and were pulled towards the rocks by a strong current near Racine's North Beach. The other boys, ages 11 and 12, were rescued by life guards. Willie’s body was not found for several days.

The Jonathan Kwiatkowski Memorial Fund donated $1,000 to Willie’s family to help defray burial and memorial expenses.

Links to Willie Bogan’s Story:

• Vigil to remember drowned boy today
• Body of 10-year-old Willie Bogan recovered from Lake Michigan
• Missing boy's sister: 'He is going to be dearly missed'

Why a Memorial Fund?

Early in the morning of April 4^th, 2011 our son Jonathan was fatally stabbed in the neck and bled to death in his Mother’s arms. Five months later we are still haunted by the devastating impact of this senseless tragedy. In the past, I had heard people say “losing a child is the worst thing that could happen to someone”. I never took the time to think about that statement and really understand what that means. I do now fully understand what that means. Losing a child that you see every morning, noon, and night for 21 years is truly the worst thing to ever happen.

In the hours, days and weeks following this tragedy, the support from family, friends and the community was tremendous. People, hundreds of people, stopped by our house to offer their condolences and hugs. Lots of hugs! People brought food, in some cases literally by the truckload (thanks Best Buy!). I don’t think we had to cook a single meal those first three weeks. If I would have had an appetite, I think I would have gained 20 pounds.

We knew Jonathan was a good kid. We knew he cared deeply for family and friends. We knew stories of Jonathan going out of his way to help others. In the weeks following his death, it became apparent to me that we did not fully understand the extent that Jonathan touched other people's lives. We heard story upon story of how Jonathan made a positive impact upon others. Friends, family and co-workers shared many, many stories with my wife and me about how Jonathan made a positive impact on their lives. Anytime, day or night, Jonathan was there for someone. In retrospect, I have no idea when the kid slept!

Then came the donations. Cards and envelopes filled with $5, $20, $50, $200. It was unbelievable. We are not a rich family by any means, but we did have life insurance for Jonathan which covered 1/2 of the cost of the celebration of his life (funeral). Not knowing what to do with these donations, we asked the advice of Michael Langendorf from the Draeger-Langendorf funeral home. He advised us that some families had chosen to setup a charitable fund in the name of their deceased children. This sounded like a nice option. This sounded like something Jonathan would have wanted. We contacted Johnson Bank and in a few hours, the Scholarship/Memorial account was set up.

Note on life insurance: Each year my employer, SC Johnson Wax, asks us to fill out paperwork to renew or pay for additional benefits. I am lucky enough to work for a company that offers life insurance for my dependents. It felt kind of strange every year to check the box and pay the nominal fee to get life insurance for my sons. Why would I ever need that? Well, in the end it helped a ton. Filling out the claims paperwork was an emotional challenge, but the people at Met Life made it a relatively painless process. Bad stuff happens. I would encourage everyone reading this to set aside a few dollars to prepare for the unforeseen.

Once word got out about the Memorial Fund the donations started pouring in. Family and friends started coming up with fund raising ideas and the hundreds of dollars quickly turned into tens of thousands.

We decided to work with legalzoom.com to turn this into an "official" non-profit organization. The legalzoom people were great. I highly recommend using them for any legal paperwork needs!

As you’ve seen, to date we have had a number of fund raising events and blood drives in honor of Jonathan. All of the money raised will be given back to the community. University Scholarships, donations to the arts, and helping people in need who have experienced a similar loss of a son or daughter. Our Board of Directors is working on our “give back” plan. More news to come. Until then, thanks for all of your support and remember – Heads Up, Hearts Up, Hopes Up. Together we are making a difference!