Charity Spotlight: Valley Living Magazine
Charity Spotlight
Valley Living Magazine, August 2008
Jacob Nelson passed away on October 22, 2006 as a result of a traffic accident. In the 24 years that Jacob was here on earth, his love for people and his family defined who he was as a person. He had a positive effect on more people than most people will have in a lifetime.
Seven days following this traffic accident, Shawn Nelson, Jacob’s father and Temecula’s City Manager, was scheduled to speak at a fund raising event to benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Loma Linda. Although he was reluctant to attend to this pre-scheduled event, he went and shared with 1,500 people the wonderful story of his daughter, Jennifer, who had been in a nearly fatal traffic accident 10 years earlier, and how his family was able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Loma Linda, which meant so much to the Nelson family. Shawn then spoke of the tragedy that had just occurred to their only son Jacob seven days earlier. After going through both situations, first with Jennifer, where they had a Ronald McDonald House, and then with Jacob, where there was no such facility, Shawn finished by stating we need to build a Ronald McDonald House in Temecula!
Three weeks later, a group of developers and a non-profit foundation began to work to bring a Ronald McDonald House to Temecula as a result of his speech. They soon learned, however, that a Ronald McDonald House could not be built in Temecula because the new hospital would not be a children’s hospital.
Days later, in December 2006, plans were revised to build a house that would meet the needs of all age groups and serve the needs of the new hospital on Temecula Parkway, as well as the two existing hospitals in the Temecula Valley region. It was then proposed to him that the new house be named Jacob’s House, after his beloved son who had such a positive influence on so many young people in our valley. It is the vision of Jacob’s House to be that refuge for families. A place of comfort and a place of hope to help families survive and overcome life’s challenges.
THE GOAL
The goal is to build Jacob’s House in conjunction with the new Temecula Regional Hospital that will be constructed on 79 South in Temecula. Further, the hope is that Jacob’s House will cooperatively function to not only support the Temecula Regional Hospital, but also Rancho Springs Medical Center and Inland Valley Medical Center.
HOW TO GET INVOLVED
On September 6th the Temecula Valley Wine Growers Association are holding a benefit dinner and silent auction at Wiens Winery. This event will be a wine pairing and dinner. Tickets for this event are available at the 1st Centennial Bank and at through the Wine Growers Association.
Community members are also encouraged to get involved through donations or by joining different committees for Jacob’s House that are working to make Jacob’s House a reality in 2010.
Jacob’s House, Inc.
27636 Ynez Road, L-7 #293
Temecula, CA 92592
Ph: (951) 4-JACOBS
(951) 452-2627
Charity Spotlight, Valley Living Magazine, August 2008 [View/Download]