John D. Gomke Charity
On December 3rd, 2009 John Donald Gomke was born. He passed away on January 6th, 2010 at 33 days.
His parents, Steve and Jessica Gomke, have set up the John D. Gomke Charity in his honor to educate parents and the community about Small Child and Infant death.
This month we spoke with Jessica about the accomplishments of the charity and upcoming events.
In December, the John D. Gomke Charity donated two AED machines to the ADM School District.
Dallas County EMT Mike Thompson trained the staff to properly use the portable defibrillator with pads for both children and adults.
In addition to the AEDs, John’s Charity will replace the pads as they expire or if they should be used in an emergency.
The latest news from the charity was the announcement of the 2nd Annual John D. Gomke Charity Golf Tournament June 18th at the River Valley Golf Course in Adel.
Last year’s event took place on a beautiful summer day with over 152 golfers ready to enjoy a fun day of golf for a good cause.
This year looks to be another well attended event, with golfers signing up now to ensure their spot. The tournament will be in a 4-Man Best Shot format broken into two morning and afternoon flights.
Sponsors are starting to line up, donating prizes and cash for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place of each flight, Hole-in-One, Eagle, Birdie, and Par winners, and Culligan Water will once again be donating water for the event.
One generous company will be showing their support in a big way. A new addition this year will be the All Day Free Driving Range, for which the charity is currently seeking sponsorship.
Non-golfers are also encouraged to participate! Come out to watch the tournament, enjoy lunch from the grill, or buy a tee shirt to show your support of this great cause.
Now is the time to sign up as all tee shirt orders must be placed by May 27th.
Started in May 2010 by John’s parents and godparents Josh & Shannon Benson and Mike Hiatt with a simple can drive, the John D. Gomke Charity raised over $11,000 in its first year.
“We have John’s best interests at heart. We do the Charity for John, it is what he would want us to do.
Our board is made up of people who love him as much as we do” said Jessica.
These funds are used solely for the charity which furthers awareness of proper Infant & Child CPR procedures by supplying free CPR Certification classes throughout Central Iowa.
“That’s where we sugarcoat it. We need to be more blunt that Infant and Child death does happen. Everyone thinks, ‘It will never happen to me,’ and then it does.”
Funds are also donated to the Mercy Foundation for materials to be used in creating keepsakes such as foot & hand ink prints, molds, and photographs.
The John D. Gomke Charity Board is busy at work planning an upcoming donation breakfast, and the 2nd Annual John’s Baby Steps 5K Run/Walk to take place in October. Stay tuned to DiscoverAdel.com for upcoming announcements or visit the John D. Gomke website at www.johndgomkecharity.org.
The charity continues to accept can and bottle donations which can be dropped off at Wells Fargo Bank in Adel. Please call Jessica at (515) 314-9171 in advance to schedule your drop off.
If you would like to support the John D. Gomke Charity or to find out more about the fine work accomplished by the organization, please visit www.johndgomkecharity.org.
John D. Gomke Charity
PO Box 613
De Soto, Iowa 50069
Phone: (515) 314-9171
Email: info@johnscharity.com
Website: www.JohnDGomkeCharity.org
