John’s Friends

John liked to help others. He was a naturally generous person who could always be counted on to lend a hand. As a young adult without a job, John even volunteered to work at a food bank. He would be happy to know that his legacy is to help kids who have the same issues that he struggled with his entire life. John’s Friends is the page where we show some of the good work that John’s Foundation has achieved. Please check back here from time-to-time for an update on our charitable mission.

A group of nine people standing in front of a zoo sign with animal illustrations, including an elephant, a lion, a giraffe, and a white tiger, on a sunny day with palm trees and blue sky in the background.

Summerland Camps Tuition Scholarships

Summerland Camps is an organization led by psychologist Dr. Mike Bishop that helps kids and young adults who show the symptoms of internet addiction. Summerland’s mission is to help adolescents, teens, and young adults regain control of their digital lives, develop healthier tech habits, and unlock their full potential. In a world increasingly dominated by screens, Summerland Camps offers a transformative, immersive experience designed to build resilience, balance, and purpose. To learn more about Summerland Camps and the important, lifesaving work they do, please visit their website at www.summerlandcamps.com. John’s Foundation is pleased to offer partial scholarships to camp sessions at Summerland based primarily on financial need. We recently awarded one such scholarship to a deserving young man who attended a Spring Break program. Here are some photographs from that experience.

A young boy with a backpack and camouflage shorts looking at animals in an enclosed glass habitat at a zoo. The habitat contains a large tortoise and is decorated with plants, rocks, and greenery.
Visitors standing in front of large aquarium tanks with colorful coral and fish at an indoor aquarium exhibit.
Four children are playing tennis on an outdoor court, with one boy in a gray shirt holding a tennis racket and a tennis ball in the foreground, and three other children in the background near the net, surrounded by trees and a blue sky.
A group of nine people standing in front of the entrance to The Florida Aquarium, with trees and sunlight in the background.
Watercolor painting of a woman sitting on a mountain with a pink sky background.
Group of people in winter clothing and ski gear skiing on snow-covered ground with ski poles, with several parked cars and snowplow in the background amidst snowfall.
A man outdoors in snowy weather wearing a blue jacket and sunglasses on his head, standing in front of a grill with raw hamburger patties, with snow-covered trees in the background.
Three people in ski gear standing in the snow at a ski resort, with a ski lift and trees in the background. They are smiling and holding ski poles.
A handwritten thank you note on white paper, dated March 10, 2021, expressing gratitude for a donation to a skateboard trip, signed by Watersmeet School.

Support for Schools

John’s Foundation is committed to helping teachers and school administrators with understanding and developing workable strategies for assisting students with screen addiction problems. One way to accomplish this is to provide the resources needed for supporting outdoor activities. We recently helped the Watersmeet, MI school district to fund a daylong trip to a nearby ski resort that was organized by the kids’ science teacher. They spent a fun day learning to ski and ended with a hamburger cookout. Here are some photos of the day’s adventures.

People in winter jackets and helmets with snowboards at a snowy ski resort, with skis and snowboard gear, and a building and parking lot in the background.
A porcupine hanging from a wooden staff decorated with leather and string in an outdoor wooded area with vehicles and people in the background.

Support for Indigenous Youth Culture

John and his younger brother Sam were lucky to spend time camping with and making friends among Native American kids who lived on nearby reservations. As a result, they were able to experience from an early age the beauty and meaning of indigenous culture, and the healthy family relationships by which our First People have long survived and fought to preserve. John’s Foundation actively supports Indigenous Youth Culture (and all positive youth culture) and the organizations that foster and advance it because we view these efforts as emblematic of the ways that all kids, regardless of race or gender, can find happy, educational alternatives to screen addiction and related mental and physical health issues. John’s Foundation recently made a donation to Apache Stronghold, an organization that has been at the forefront of efforts to preserve indigenous culture for decades. We are proud to support organizations such as these for the critically important work that they do on behalf of us all.

Two boys standing outdoors, smiling, one holding a doll dressed in a green and purple outfit, in a grassy area with trees in the background.