Meet Scott Maywald. Scott attended The WARM Place from 2010 to 2013 with his 8-year-old daughter, Molly, after the death of her brother, Jacob, age 11, in July 2010. Jacob (nicknamed Jake) was autistic, and the family was a part of the autism community during his lifetime. One way they supported that community was by participating in fundraisers for autism awareness. Parents Scott and Karen, along with their children Jacob and Molly, created the family team they called “Jake’s Journey.”
After Scott and Molly’s time at The WARM Place, Scott wanted to carry on the name of “Jake’s Journey” to honor Jacob’s memory. Since 2014, in the spirit of giving back, Scott has hosted successful in-person fundraising events and Facebook birthday fundraisers under the name “Jake’s Journey” to benefit The WARM Place. We are grateful not only for the financial support, but also for the outreach as Scott has gotten the word out to countless people who had not heard of The WARM Place. We asked him to share a little of his story with us here.
Tell us about your experience in The WARM Place’s grief support program.
Molly’s brother, Jacob, passed away at age 11, and that shook our family to the base. The WARM Place helped us through the hard times. We found a safe place to talk and grieve about him, which helped us to grow and move forward in our lives.
My daughter and I looked forward to every session. We loved bringing food and eating and visiting with everyone. That’s where much of our healing took place, as we were able to share fond memories of Jacob and visit with others who had also experienced a loss.
What inspired you to support the organization?
I’m very grateful that The WARM Place never charged a fee to participate in the program, and I always knew I would give back as soon as I was in a position to do so. I will always do my part to raise money to help The WARM Place so it remains open to help future generations.
Do you have any other thoughts that you would like to share?
I have sent a few friends that lost loved ones to The WARM Place, and they all love it as much as I do. It has helped them tremendously.
Thank you, Scott, for hosting fundraisers for The WARM Place! May others be inspired by your example.
A final note from The WARM Place: Molly was 8 years old when she first came to The WARM Place; she recently celebrated turning 18! Molly, your dad let us know how proud he and your mom are of the young woman you’ve become, and your friends at The WARM Place are too!
