Proceeds Help Kids Battling Illness

By Grace Allen

Want to have fun while helping to raise money for a good cause? Sign up for the Bubba Strong Bowling Tournament and you’ll be sure to do both. 

The 9th annual tournament will be held on Sunday, February 25 at North Bowl Lanes, 71 E. Washington St. in North Attleborough. The event will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m. Six bowlers per lane are allowed.

The tournament benefits the Norfolk-based Bubba Strong Charitable Fund, a 501c3 charity, which supports families impacted by childhood cancer and other serious diseases.

In 2015, Greg “Bubba” Jacobson was diagnosed with cancer during his senior year at King Philip High School. His family, determined to pay back the generosity shown them by the community during his illness, established the charity in Greg’s name. 

As the Jacobsons discovered when Greg became sick, families coping with a devastating diagnosis face sudden and unforeseen financial needs beyond medical costs. This is where Bubba Strong steps in.

Since 2016, the Bubba Strong Charitable Fund has given out over $202,000 in grants and mortgage and rent payments, as well as Uber gift cards to be used for transportation needs related to hospital visits. The charity works primarily with Massachusetts General Hospital, where Greg Jacobson was treated.

During the holidays, the charity adopts two families with children undergoing cancer treatment, donating $1,000 to each. 

Every spring, the charity awards two scholarships to King Philip High School seniors impacted by cancer. So far, $18,000 in scholarship monies has been awarded.

The Bubba Strong Charitable Fund was highlighted in a September 2023 Mass General Brigham newsletter. Elyse Levin-Russman, a clinical social worker for the pediatric hematology/oncology department, said the foundation’s ongoing generosity has impacted many families going through difficult times.

“The families who receive this support are so moved to receive this financial aid and to know that someone is thinking about them and their well-being,” said Levin-Russman. “They’re overwhelmed with gratitude to know that some stranger out there is interested in helping them.”

To read more about the impact Bubba Strong has had on pediatric cancer families treated at Mass General, visit https://giving.massgeneral.org/stories/helping-kids-families-stay-bubba-strong. 

To learn more about the charity and its initiatives, visit www.bubbastrong.com. To sign up for the bowling tournament, visit www.bubbastrong.com/registration.