Honoring Jimmy Gerken This Week with Kabookie Week

With all our schools celebrating Jimmy Gerken's legacy of friendship with Kabookie Week this week, some of you might be wondering who Jimmy Gerken was. Jimmy Gerken was a friend to all. He was an East resident and then staff member with special needs. One of his most famous quotes is his response to someone who was bullying him:  “That’s okay," Jimmy said. "I’ll still be your friend.”

To help share Jimmy's story with a new generation of students, the Foundation's communications director, Jay Forstner, worked with Jimmy's brother, Don, to create a children's picture book about Jimmy. You can watch and listen to Jay's read-aloud version of the story on the Foundation's "Honoring Jimmy Gerken" page at https://egrsf.org/what-we-do/honoring-jimmy-gerken/

The Foundation's Gerken Fund was created to remember Jimmy and the life lessons he taught our community while supporting the activities that Jimmy loved most – athletics and co-curriculars. The Foundation also created Jimmy's Friendship Fund for families in need. The fund helps students and families who are experiencing temporary financial troubles pay for participation fees and other expenses. You can support the fund at https://egrsf.org/what-we-do/jimmys-friendship-fund.html