Endowment Fund Established to Help Others In The Wake of Tragedy

Alex George Gregory Foulk was a lifelong Jamestown, NY resident, a 2008 graduate of Jamestown High School, and a student at Jamestown Community College. A multi-sport athlete, he played organized soccer, baseball, football, golf, and hockey. He pulled double-duty, as a youth counselor with New Directions, in Randolph, NY and helped with his family’s business – Robo Enterprises, Inc.

Alex’s friends and family knew him for his love for life, which he showed through his big heart and bigger smile. Unfortunately, the smiles, sports, and promise for a bright future were met with tragedy in 2016, when the young man lost his life as the result of a drug overdose.

Alex’s mother, Kim Carlson, chose to focus on creating a legacy for her beloved son by helping others through an endowment fund in Alex’s name at the Chautauqua Region Community Foundation. The fund was created to assist those living with addiction, raising awareness about the illness, and encouraging people to ask questions and become better informed about how close we all are to suffering a similar fate.

Carlson noted “if my talking about Alex helps other people to talk about this with their children, or to their children’s children, or their neighbors, or their students, then I'm doing what I need to do. That’s also what Alex would want me to do.”

Thanks to support from the public, contributions to the Alex George Gregory Foulk Memorial Fund brought it to a level where it can likely make annual contributions to assist those in recovery, delivering on the hopes Alex’s family had to make a difference for those who continue to struggle with addiction.

“It’s also important that we let people know about Alex’s fund,” Carlson added. “The reality is that others are going to experience the same loss, and we want them to be aware of what we’ve started. If we do our part now, we can not only turn our tragedy into hope, but we can work to prevent future tragedies from ever happening.”

“Growing the Alex George Gregory Foulk Memorial Fund will provide more funding to support those in recovery and those seeking recovery,” noted Tory Irgang, Executive Director. “The need is far outpacing the available grant dollars; every contribution has a direct community impact.”

Donations to grow the Alex George Gregory Foulk Fund can be made online at crcfonline.org/give or by mailing a check to Chautauqua Region Community Foundation, 418 Spring St., Jamestown, NY 14701.

The Chautauqua Region Community Foundation administers over 700 endowments in support of emerging community needs, charitable organizations and local students pursuing higher education. For more information visit www.crcfonline.org or contact Lisa Lynde, Donor Services Officer at 716-661-3390 or llynde@crcfonline.org