Family of Evan Jones to Host Fundraiser on October 11, 2014 To Support Milton High School’s Weight Room in His Name
When Evan Jones of Milton passed away at the age of 19 from Sudden Unexpected Death due to Epilepsy (SUDEP), the entire town mourned the untimely loss of this generous and kind athlete. Now, his family and friends continue to turn their grief into something positive by raising money to improve the weight room at MHS, something very important to Evan.
On Saturday, October 11, the friends and family of Evan will host the 2nd annual fundraising event at Milton High School entitled “Exercise for Evan,” and will feature a wide array of games and activities including a Dunk Tank, Zumba class, Boot Camp, Dodge Ball, a 50/50 raffle and more. The event is from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Brooks Field, 25 Gile Road in Milton. In the event of rain, the fundraiser will be moved to the Copeland Field House. Admission is $20 per person, and $5 for children 10 and younger.
The money raised at this event will help efforts to update the weight room equipment, as well to support scholarships that will be awarded next spring to a graduating senior at Milton High School. It is not surprising that the family chose to honor Evan in this way, given their connection to the Milton Public Schools. Evan was a 2011 graduate of MHS, his sister Ally is a 2014 graduate of MHS, his mother, Kristan Bagley Jones is a School Committee Member, and his father, Don Jones, is a former Trustee of the Milton Foundation for Education.
As a multi-sport athlete, Evan loved nothing more than being out on the court or field with his friends. After being diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of 15, Evan became zealous about health and fitness, amusing his friends and family with his workout routines and protein shakes. At Milton High, he was captain of the freshman football team and captain of the varsity lacrosse team; he played basketball for four years. His lacrosse Coach, Ben Midura said of Evan’s character, “loyalty, kindness and sincerity allowed him to share his life with many close friends and family. He was a good person in every sense of the word and surrounded himself with other good people.” Evan’s high school basketball coach and history teacher, Billy Donovan, remarked, “Evan always demonstrated a passion to give his best effort in everything that he did, both in the classroom and on the basketball court.” The family felt a day of fitness and fun would be the perfect way to honor Evan and raise money for the high school weight room in his name.