The Friends of Jack Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2019 by Jilline Fearons. It is named in honor of her son, Jack, who is living with Chiari Malformation, a rare neurological condition. The Friends of Jack Foundation organizes overlooked healthcare-focused programs for children in the greater SouthCoast region of Massachusetts. These programs include stuffed animal and superhero costume programs for kids who are experiencing a situation that may be stressful or scary. Fearons discovered the importance of small but impactful gestures while navigating many emergency and high-risk medical procedures with Jack. Funds to support the Friends of Jack Foundation are raised through efforts that include Food for Tots, a partnership with Townsquare Media, and the annual Friends of Jack Foundation Celebration, which has raised $600,000 since its inception in 2016. This years Celebration will take place on Saturday, September 21, at the Bay Club in Mattapoisett.

With the funds that are raised, the Friends of Jack Foundation supplies teddy bears to sick or injured children in the St. Luke’s Hospital emergency room and inpatient unit in New Bedford, and at the Boston Children’s Hospital satellite office in North Dartmouth. It also organizes a superhero program that provides capes and masks to medical facilities, as well as police, fire and EMS departments in the area. These capes and masks provide a sense of strength to children who find themselves in scary situations, whether it’s an MRI machine, operating room, back of an ambulance or under the protection of a first responder.