Fundraiser nets $21,000 for Fox family
Monday, April 28, 2008
The fundraiser held Friday for the family of Jaisa Fox, a Fairfield softball player whose mother – Liza Fox – has Lou Gehrig's disease, raised $21,000 to help the family pay for home nursing care.
The outpouring of support far exceeded the expectations of event organizer Renee Boswell.
Extras
"When I came up with this idea, I had in my mind that if I raised $5,000, I'd be really happy," said Boswell, a family friend whose daughter has played softball with Jaisa Fox for the past nine years. "There were probably 250 or more people, and we raised a ton of money."
Liza Fox was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) about 19 months ago. The disease is a progressive and usually fatal disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
According to Boswell, Fox has lost the use of her arms and legs and the ability to speak.
"She wishes to spend her last days at home," Boswell said in the fundraiser press release. But home nursing care costs "about $8,500 a month."
Donations have come from all over, including Mason and Colerain High Schools.
Mason High School Boosters donated almost $400, and the Colerain softball team will donate $1 for every strikeout this season.
"They're looking at about a 300-dollar donation," said Ron Schwaeble, father of Colerain pitcher Emily Schwaeble. "We know the Foxes from summer leagues; Jaisa and Emily have played in summer leagues for the past three or four years. It's just a big softball family. Everybody knows each other. You play a team, and then after the game, you hug everyone you know.
"I'm sure in the summer we'll find ways to help them," Ron Schwaeble added.
The fundraiser, held at teh Fraternal Order of Police lodge at Joyce Park, included both live and silent auctions for donated items. Some notable items include: a Schwinn mountain bike ($550), a Tour de France jersey autographed by Lance Armstrong ($375) and a softball helmet autographed by every member of the USA Olympic softball team ($375).
Boswell said the family declined any interviews.
Jaisa Fox is a sophomore pitcher with a 12-3 record and a 0.60 ERA. Her sister Asha Fox is a 2007 graduate of Fairfield and also played softball.
Contact this reporter at (513) 755-5128 or edawisha@coxohio.com.
