One of the most challenging emotions of grief is one’s fear that their loved one will be forgotten by others. For a family, that sentiment can be particularly pronounced when it is their child that has died. Turning that pain into something generous and impactful for others can also bring a positive measure of hope and even comfort.
Susan and Patrick Vitek’s son Jeff died as a young adult. “When you lose a child you want to do something meaningful and giving other kids the help that Jeff didn’t have was the best thing we could think of.” Establishing the Jeff Vitek Memorial Fund for Youth Development in honor of their cherished son Jeff at the NJ Center for Tourette Syndrome (NJCTS) was a specific, direct, and continuous way to honor their son and benefit other young people.
The Viteks used Jeff’s life insurance policy to establish the memorial fund in 2015. Life insurance policies, which can be used philanthropically after or during a person’s lifetime, are a distinct way to use a tangible asset to benefit others. For example, it is not uncommon for one to have taken out a life insurance policy many years ago. The policy may be fully paid up and be at a level to be more impactful to donate as a gift to a non-profit such as NJCTS.
The Viteks’ generosity also provides the opportunity to share Jeff’s distinct story – to remember his qualities and attributes in a way that makes his essence known to all, and to envision how his gifts and spirit are now extended. Jeff was extremely creative, inventive, successful, and had an outstanding sense of humor. He was a passionate supporter of children and helping kids feel better about themselves. Sue and Pat knew that Jeff would have been a wonderful mentor had he lived longer and been given that opportunity.
Now, the Jeff Vitek Memorial Fund for Youth Development brings Jeff’s attributes to life and will ensure the continuation and growth of essential training and empowerment programs for youth, transforming them from patients to self-advocates and helping to pave their way to productive, resilient lives.
Providing opportunities for young people is very important to the Viteks. Like many parents of children with Tourette, Jeff’s path to diagnosis was long and arduous. Jeff began exhibiting signs of Tourette Syndrome (TS) around the age of six. He suffered many difficulties with his teachers, his peers, his family, and with his own self-esteem throughout his school years. For more than a dozen years the Viteks struggled to find knowledgeable doctors to properly diagnose Jeff, and they advocated for him to get school accommodations that would have provided a more accepting social and learning environment for their son.
For many of those years of searching for a diagnosis, NJCTS simply did not exist. So, there was no CampFantasTIC, Youth Advocate Program, Tim Howard Leadership Academy – all of the wonderful programs that support and empower young people with TS. Since the Viteks lived on Long Island, they also did not hear about NJCTS until participating in a webinar, which subsequently led to the family to participate in NCJTS programs, despite the commute.
“All of the things NJCTS is doing are the things that we missed, our son missed, and that we feel passionate about. We are grateful that NJCTS will help others in Jeff’s name.” The Viteks encourage others to support NJCTS, to direct their gift to a particular program of interest, and/or to make their gift in a loved one’s honor or memory.
To assure the growth and continuation of the Jeff Vitek Memorial Fund for Youth Development, the Viteks have also remembered NJCTS in their will.
If you would like to explore possibilities – whether they be programmatic needs, or to have an initial discussion about potential assets that you can use to fund a need – contact NJCTS Executive Director Hilary Kruchowy (hkruchowy@njcts.org or 908-575-7350 ext. 13).