A Wish Brother's Love
The inspirational tale of East Sac Treats, named for their neighborhood in East Sacramento, saw two high-school friends, both named Jacob, turn popcorn, baked goods, hot chocolate and a lot of elbow grease into life-changing funds that have impacted the lives of children in their community.
Having raised funds for Make-A-Wish for the last four years, the boys continually got better, growing their donations exponentially every year. Even in the midst of a global pandemic, the boys set their sights on raising more than $10,000 to grant a wish themselves, an increase of $4,560 from the previous year.
“We were very impressed the boys wanted to fundraise for Make-A-Wish, and after their 2019 effort raised over $5,000,” Jeff, Jacob’s father said. “We were concerned that COVID would not allow the boys to raise enough money to reach their goal.”
But to understand what drove them to that goal, you must first understand their inspiration.
Wish Kid Joshua (left) is pictured with his brother Jacob. Joshua's nickname is "The Mayor" because he never met a stranger he didn't want to talk to.
Jacob is the youngest of Jeff and his wife Jessica. Their oldest son, Joshua, had been diagnosed with multiple critical illnesses during his life, starting with an extremely rare form of leukemia at just 6-months-old.
Within the next four months Joshua required chemo and radiation treatments, the removal of his spleen and even a bone marrow transplant.
Later during Joshua’s freshman year in high school, an inoperable tumor was discovered on Joshua’s brain stem.
It was around this time that Jeff and Jessica thought now might be the time for Joshua to be referred to Make-A-Wish.
After initially being overwhelmed by the thought of being able to wish for anything, Joshua settled on going to Disneyland® Resort in 2016.
Jacob pushing his brother Joshua around on Mainstreet during the family's wish trip to Disneyland® Resort in 2016.
“The Make-A-Wish trip we took was an awesome experience,” Jessica said. “The wish was special for us to be together as a family, doing something ‘normal’ without having to worry about treatments and what we were battling.”
“It was a great escape for all of us.”
For Jacob, the experience left a profound effect on him.
Instead of having to call 911 because his brother suffered his first seizure or worry about whether every time the phone rang in his classroom that the call that he feared was coming, he got to see his brother treated like royalty in limos, planes and rides.
“One of the most memorable parts of Joshua’s wish was when my brother was asked how many times he wanted to go on the Winnie the Pooh ride,” Jacob explained. “He responded, four times; it was so amazing.”
“We were able to live our lives without thinking about treatments or my brother being sick.”
While the wish served as a catalyst for happiness and joy for the family, afterwards Joshua continued to receive treatment, but nothing was able to stop the spread of his brain tumor.
On February 28, 2018, Joshua succumbed to his illness.
“After he passed away, it was hard to talk about it because I felt that nobody understood or could relate to me,” Jacob said. “I never was comfortable talking about my feelings or anything related to his passing.”
“But it did drive me to be the best person I could be.”
It was no surprise then that years later, Jacob and his friend turned what once was an entrepreneurial venture into a fundraising one!
Jacob pictured selling holiday treats in his "Fab 40's" Sacramento neighborhood, famous for their neighborhood light display.
The boys began selling holiday treats in their East Sacramento neighborhood famous for their holiday lights to raise money to grant more wishes.
And each year they got better. Better products. Better marketing.
Better end results!
From $208 raised during their freshman year to a nice jump of over $1,000 more their sophomore campaign. Then a drastic jump to $5,440 during their junior year.
A great achievement for sure, and happy that money would make an impact with other families.
But after three years, they felt that it was possible to raise enough money to grant a wish of their own and were determined to do just that.
“We wanted to look back and say to ourselves, two teenagers, that we could provide that joy,” Jacob said. “That joy that my family had felt.”
With their senior year taking shape in very unfamiliar and unique circumstances, the questions quickly shifted from “will this be the last East Sac Treats before we go off to school or AmeriCorps” to “can we even do this fundraiser” during a global pandemic.
More determined than ever, the boys came up with safety plans in addition to their sales and marketing plans to ensure that they could raise enough to grant their own wish.
With Make-A-Wish’s new holiday fundraising campaign for wish families aptly titled Families for Wishes, East Sac Treats added a fundraising website, some special signage and a feature on the news they had never had before.
Wish brother Jacob (pictured left) and his friend Jacob (right) pictured with a banner indicating that they raised $13,075 with their holiday fundraiser they conducted in their neighborhood during the holidays.
Turns out selling holiday treats safely during a pandemic in a historic, well-lit neighborhood was good for business…
…and for their goal!
In what could possibly be, the final year of East Sac Treats before the teenagers go off to their next destination in life, the duo raised $13,075. Two high-school teens didn’t just meet or even exceed their goal, they were the second highest raiser of funds of the over 1,000 individual fundraisers across the country during Families for Wishes.
“I think granting a wish is the way to end East Sac Treats,” Jacob said. “It’s a bittersweet feeling because this whole experience has been amazing but starting this fundraiser because of the joy a wish provided my family; to be able to do the same thing for someone else will be an indescribable feeling.”
“It hasn’t hit me yet on what we were actually able to accomplish, but I think that will set in when we actually grant the wish.”
“To see the happiness of another child’s wish granted.”
The Family pictured on Joshua's wish trip to Disneyland® Resort with Mickey Mouse in 2016
For his parents, Jeff and Jessica didn’t just get a front row seat to how the fundraiser evolved, but also get to see Jacob’s wish journey through his brother come full circle, and there will undoubtedly be some emotions when their son gets to grant his own wish.
“It will bring back feelings of Joshua’s wish, the smile it put on his face and the joy it brought our family,” Jeff said. “I am so proud of Jacob and make it known to him how important what he and his friend accomplished.”
“This is the ultimate, pay-it-forward experience.”
East Sac Treats shows us how two young people can truly make a difference in their community. Sure, there was some work to do, planning and execution, but even through simple fundraising, a transformational gift will be made.
This, or fundraisers like it, can be a replicated success across the country, and that’s really what East Sac Treats is excited about.
Perhaps their efforts inspire teens or children across the country to do something similar in their own neighborhoods.
For Jacob, that inspiration isn’t just a way to continue to pay it forward, but a way to carry his brother’s memory with him.
“I think that Joshua would be very proud and happy for us,” Jacob said. “But more so, he’d be happy for the child and family receiving the wish.”
“Because of the happiness it will bring all of them.”
