JAMS for Jake, a local benefit concert hoping to bring awareness to the addiction epidemic, will take place on Sunday, November 12 from noon to 7:00pm at the Symonds Field behind the Burbank Ice Arena. Some of the featured bands include: This Is Pointless, Bummer Status, In The Making, and The Bonds.
The concert is in memory of RMHS graduate and lifelong Reading resident Jake Czuczwa, eekho passed away from a heroin overdose this past June. Czuczwa was twenty-three years old. Several of Czuczwa’s friends, including one of the concert organizers Ryan McKee, decided to honor his life and passion for music by producing a benefit concert to raise money for addiction awareness in the Reading community and surrounding towns.
The group has been preparing by filling out permits, meeting with the Town Manager, Fire Chief, Police Department, DPW, and Board of Health to make sure the event meets all of the town’s requirements. The organizers also made a presentation about their plans to the Board of Selectmen on October 10. Several members of the board expressed their enthusiasm for the event. Organizers have also been at work securing funding for the event. Local sponsors include Reading Co-Operative Bank, Eastern Bank, Kohls, RCTV, and almost a dozen other local businesses. Between business sponsorships and crowd funding, they have raised over $3,000.
The concert will be free and gates will open at 11:00am on October 29. Parking is available in the dirt lot next to the field. It will be a substance-free event and bags will be checked upon entrance. “We formed JAMS for Jake to honor [Czuczwa’s] life and bring attention to the nationally growing epidemic of addiction and its impact in our local communities,” McKee commented. “The concert will feature local bands as well as speakers reflecting on their personal experiences with substance abuse and recovery. All proceeds from our fundraising efforts on both individual and corporate levels will be put towards a scholarship in Jake’s name.”
For more information about the concert go to www.jamsforjake.com. Inquiries for corporate and other donations can be made at jamsforjake@gmail.com.
