Jake’s mom, Wendy, passed away suddenly on January 4th, 2014. She was an extremely vibrant, energetic, and creative woman, and Jake was the light of her life.
Fortunately, my sister, Sara, was the founder of Experience Camps so I knew what ManEx was all about. I knew that the best place for Jake to deal with and understand his grief would be there.
Jake is an intelligent, energetic, athletic young man whose sense of humor keeps things light every day. He’s a straight-A student who never gives me an ounce of trouble except for the routine 14 year old boy antics! His middle school baseball team recently won their first championship, and Jake was given an award for being player of the year. He loves to hang out with his buddies watching the Yankees or playing video games.
Jake loves going to ManEx and looks forward to it each year. He has made several good friends who he keeps in contact with throughout the year. He loves the food, the activities, the down time and just being around kids who have experienced similar things that he has.
It has not been an easy ride trying to juggle the role of both mom and dad, but Jake has sure made it much easier than it could have been. He had every excuse in the world to become a troubled kid due to the tragedy that he suffered, but he has truly been the opposite of that. It is a pleasure to raise him and watch him grow into the young man he has become. I consider myself extremely lucky to be his dad.
-Marc Stollar, ManEx dad
