Jessica Picture 1

Jessica Rekos Memorial Fund

Hello everybody!

Team Jessica Rekos is thrilled to announce that we have exceeded our fundraising goal of $50,000 for the Jessica Rekos Memorial Fund.

There are many, many things that we’d like to say to many, many different people. But for now, we will keep it at a very simple “thank you.”

You can still give online until May 15th by clicking the link below, and you can always donate to the Jessica Rekos Memorial Fund by sending a check to the address below. Our commitment to this little angel does not end when the race does. We will forever be supporting our friends and the memory of their baby girl.

Please visit this site soon and we will detail what kind of actions Jessica’s parents will be taking with the funds raised. We are very excited about the conversations we have had with various groups so far. We look forward to seeing Rich and Krista sign off on these initiatives and then we’ll share them with you once they've been put into place.

Thank you all so much.

TO DONATE VIA MAIL RATHER THAN ONLINE, PLEASE MAKE YOUR CHECK OUT TO "JESSICA REKOS MEMORIAL FUND" AND PUT "RAGNAR" IN THE MEMO SECTION. THESE DONATIONS CAN BE SENT TO:

Krista Rekos
P.O. Box 713
Newtown, CT 06470-0713

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Jessica’s Story

Jessica Adrienne Rekos was a beautiful 6-year-old girl whose life was taken on December 14, 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT.

Jessica loved her Mommy and Daddy, her two little brothers and had recently taken an interest in orca whales after seeing the movie “Free Willy” – and she devoted a lot of time in her bedroom doing her own little research projects on whales.

Jessica and her family had vacationed the previous summer on Cape Cod, an area that provides plenty of opportunities for observing many different species of whales. After their last vacation on the Cape, Jessica’s parents promised her they would take her there every summer because she loved it so much.

Our Challenge

Jessica’s parents, Rich and Krista Rekos, are Newtown natives and members of the Newtown High School Class of 1995. To honor the memory of their daughter, classmates and friends have teamed up to participate in the 2013 Ragnar Relay on Cape Cod.

“Team Jessica” will run the length of Cape Cod –- 190.2 total miles from Hull to Provincetown –- in Jessica’s memory and to raise money and awareness for the Jessica Rekos Memorial Fund.

Our Goal

We are running this race in an effort to memorialize Jessica and to support her love for whales. All proceeds will help to promote awareness and understanding of oceanic mammal research for children of all ages. We are currently collaborating with various world-renowned marine research institutions on Cape Cod in an effort to identify ways to honor Jessica's memory.

We hope to honor Jessica as scientists, parents and children continue the research that Jessica was unable to complete. With her spirit and enthusiasm for knowledge always in their presence, these students of marine life will continue to learn under Jessica's shining light.

To Donate

There will be 12 of us running the 2013 Ragnar Relay on Cape Cod from Friday, May 3 to Saturday May 4. The race consists of 36 legs, and each of us will run 3 of them.

Do you know a person on this list? Do you want to donate a certain amount for every mile he or she runs? Or do you want to contribute a flat amount? We are appreciative of all donations, no matter how large or creative!

But please take a moment to donate, because we won’t rest until our vision for The Jessica Rekos Memorial Fund comes true. We owe it to her classmates, friends and of course to her family to turn this HOPE into a REALITY.

Team Jessica Rekos

Judson Armentrout: 17.1 miles
Adam Bottrill: 18.8 miles
Jan Triani: 17.7 miles
Yonah Bottrill: 17.0 miles
Holly Reedy: 15.4 miles
Tate Thompson: 17.3 miles
Wes Baff: 16.9 miles
Katie Armentrout: 14.6 miles
Dave Keegan: 17.7 miles
Rich Rekos: 11.7 miles
Jason McCallum: 10.6 miles
Pam Ruggio: 15.4 miles

Drivers: Rance Thompson, Jeff Joers