The unfortunate struggle of young oncology patients was first introduced to Jared Tomich during his junior year at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He and fellow teammates befriended a young Husker fan with leukemia. To help prepare him for the loss of his hair during treatment, Jared, Jason Peter and Grant Wistrom included him in their pre-game ritual of shaving their heads and presented him with a coveted honorary Blackshirt jersey. From that point forward, Jared and his teammates agreed they would continue to bring smiles to the lives of young, struggling cancer patients.
Several years later, after 6 seasons in the NFL, Jared was introduced to the “Circle of Friends Camp” created by former Green Bay Packer, Jerry Wunsch. Jared used his own money to sponsor children from Omaha Children’s Hospital and has since been hooked on sending kids to camp. “I don’t know who gets more out of the camps, the kids or the players,” Tomich often says. These life-changing camps were the inspiration for the creation of the Halo of Hope Foundation. Jared’s foundation continues to sponsor children for the camps, forging relationships with hospitals and patients in Omaha, Chicago, Northwest Indiana and Indianapolis.
With the help of great sponsors, supporters and everyday donations like yours, Jared hopes to positively impact these communities beyond the camps. Current goals include establishing resources for cancer stricken families in his community, additional funding, counseling and ongoing fundraising events in all the cities which he sponsors kids, and one day hosting a camp of his own.