Departed Friends Guide Foundation's Mission

A nonprofit organization born in the wake of a personal, family tragedy has grown beyond organizers' best hopes, providing families with ill children with thousands of dollars in grants within the past five years.

"We have really seen such a tremendous need," said Christine Rasnake, a Wyckoff resident who serves as president of the Julia's Butterfly Foundation.

The foundation aims to help families who usually are at "the hardest time of their lives," Rasnake said. It is a mission that is often heartbreaking for the six-member foundation board, but one which honors the memory and legacy of dear, departed friends.

Nonprofit's founding, mission

The foundation's namesake is Julia Bommer, a Midland Park girl who lost her battle with a rare kidney disorder in 2005 at the tender age of 6. The Bommer family saw firsthand the limits of insurance as Julia, who also suffered from cerebral palsy, battled her ailments; the Bommers struggled with bills after Medicaid slashed Julia's in-home nursing care, making it extremely difficult to pay for the health service her condition required.

After Julia's passing in the spring of 2005, her parents, Maureen and Stephen Bommer, decided to start a modest foundation in lieu of accepting flowers at her funeral. The Bommers thought they may be able to assist other families struggling with bills due to serious illness.

"She (Maureen) wanted to be able to help other kids in similar situations," Rasnake said.

Maureen Bommer got to work helping others despite knowledge of her own condition: the mother of four other young children had been diagnosed with cancer just months earlier. "For a long time, she fought it," Rasnake said. "I thought, if anyone could fight this, it was her."

Maureen would succumb to the disease later that year, just five months after Julia's death, leaving behind Stephen and their four kids, then aged 2 to 9. 

The Bommers' close friends were devastated by the losses but determined to honor Maureen and Julia by taking on the challenge of the foundation. In the beginning, "it was really therapy" for Rasnake and other local women who were friends of Maureen and the Bommers.

Five years later, Julia's Butterfly Foundation is a thriving organization that regularly assists families with a variety of needs. Thanks to the generosity of mostly individuals, the foundation has been able to award more than $135,000 in assistance to those in need.

"When people hear our story, they want to help," said Rasnake, a mother of three girls. "We have very generous friends and supporters."

The foundation (Rasnake, president; Carol Jeanette-Jorgensen, vice president; Denise Mitchell, treasurer; Catherine Brefach Newman, medical adviser; Michelle Newman, fund development; and Irene Jones Pensec, secretary) has partnered with area hospitals, including Valley in Ridgewood and Hackensack University Medical Center, to help the families of children with chronic and terminal illnesses. The nonprofit, which operates modestly, mostly out of board members' homes, will pay a variety of expenses for qualified families with few restrictions.

Among its many grants have been awards to purchase a van lift and remodel a bathroom for a child with limited access as well as the purchase of therapeutic devices. The foundation also will pay families' personal bills, if need be, although it will not cover credit card payments or directly fund insurance payments. Sadly, the foundation also has covered funerals for children who lost their battles with illness.

Many applicants essentially come to the foundation "pre-screened" by a referring hospital, although individuals can request aid directly. Applicants provide the foundation with a variety of health and financial information, and the board members confidentially evaluate how they can help. To request help, download the foundation's application to the right of this article, visit them on the Web or call 201-675-9961. Those interesting in donating can call the aforementioned number or visit http://juliasbutterflyfoundation.org/donate/.

Upcoming fundraisers

In its five years, the foundation has largely been funded by individual donors, although Rasnake said the nonprofit would seek corporate sponsorships as it looks to expand its reach.

"The more people learn about us, the more requests we get," she said.

Often, the foundation will get requests from out-of-state that are challenging to fulfill, but organizers hope to one day branch out from the nonprofit's Bergen County roots.

"We'd like a national presence one day," Rasnake said.

Board members devote much of their personal time to the foundation, which exists with almost no overhead: a PO Box, stamps, envelopes, etc. All money donated to Julia's Butterfly Foundation will go to aid families in need.

The foundation will soon raise money via two events: its annual ball and the Barclays golf tournament at Ridgewood Country Club.

The ball, which is "really a celebration," will take place from 7 p.m. to midnight Nov. 13 at Macaluso's in Hawthorne. Tickets are $150, which include a sit-down dinner and dancing, as well as a live and silent auction. Call 201-675-9961 if you'd like to donate or sponsor auction items.

Additionally, those planning to attend the Barclays tourney, from Aug. 26 to 29 at the Paramus club, can purchase their tickets through Tickets Fore Charity, which will donate 75 percent of the cost to Julia's Butterfly Foundation. When buying tickets, make sure to enter the promotional code "TBJUYA" to ensure a donation to the foundation.

Recently, the foundation did a bit of outreach with a booth at the inaugural Wyckoff Day, which "seemed like a natural fit" for the locally based nonprofit. Rasnake hopes to soon add new events and fundraisers to the foundation's roster of activities.

After all, the foundation's growth will necessarily lead to greater opportunities to help more and more families, something that would have pleased Maureen Bommer.

"Maureen is really guiding us," Rasnake said. "I really do think she's still organizing things."