I grew up in a northwest Indiana town called LaPorte, about two hours north of West Lafayette. LaPorte is a small town, with quaint shops, a lot of cornfields, and, most noticeably, a heck of a lot of school spirit. The bond among students at LaPorte High School is tangible.  Go to any LPHS football or basketball game and you will feel the energy of the crowd, comprised mainly of the student section called the LaPorte Slicers. “Once a Slicer, always a Slicer” is the high school motto, showcasing the kinship and love that the students all share with one another. Even as a third-year Purdue student, I still miss it. It is unlike anything I’ve seen anywhere else, even more impactful than what I’ve seen at Purdue games, and it is a beautiful thing.
The Slicer family experienced a devastating loss on September 25, 2013, when a junior linebacker and student named Jake West collapsed unexpectedly during a routine football practice. Revival attempts were made, but unfortunately, Jake passed away. This hit the LaPorte community hard, as Jake had an undetected heart condition that led to his unexpected death. Jake’s mother started the Play for Jake Foundation soon after, with the goal of providing free heart screenings and protection programs to prevent sudden cardiac arrest. Chloe James, who started the first Play For Jake Club at Indiana University in 2014, and was a student and athletic trainer at LaPorte High School, was present on the day Jake passed away.
    “I was with Jake on the football field helping with whatever I could the day he passed. I taped Jake’s ankles every day before practice and he never failed to make me smile with a joke or funny face…After moving 4 hours away from where Jake’s Foundation is located, I started an organization through IU in 2014 to bring the LaPorte students together to remember Jake, support each other and raise awareness for sudden cardiac arrest in young adults like ourselves. I wanted the students from our hometown to be involved with Jake’s foundation without being in LaPorte and to share Jake’s story with as many people as we could.”
                       -Chloe James, Indiana University Junior, Founder of Play For Jake at IU.
It’s great that LaPorte alumni at Indiana University support the cause and legacy of their classmate, but what about those Slicers who chose to attend Purdue University and want to  raise awareness for Jake?
Meet Emily Nowak, a Sophomore at Purdue University and former LaPorte student.  She started and founded Purdue’s chapter of Play For Jake in spring of 2016. Her Campus Purdue had the privilege of talking to Emily about this amazing organization, its purpose, and its hopes for the semester.
HC Purdue: What is the story behind the Play For Jake Club?
Emily: I started the Purdue club last spring (2016). IU already had theirs started. The club is a branch from the Play for Jake Foundation. The Foundation was started after Jake West passed away suddenly during football practice on September 25, 2013 from an undetected heart condition. The disease he had, ARVD (Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia), cannot be diagnosed without proper screening and/or testing. Jake’s mother, Julie Schroeder, started the foundation after he passed away in hopes to spread awareness to help others get screened so they don’t have to go through what her family did.
HC Purdue: How do you raise awareness on Purdue’s campus about the Play for Jake club?
Emily: When the club first started, we started little. It was the Monday after the 3 year anniversary of Jake’s passing. Our first “event” we passed out Play for Jake foundation pencils and heart suckers with paper wrapped around that said “Remembering Jake 9/15/13” with our social media handles. A month later right before Halloween, we sold hot apple cider and passed out Halloween candy. We have hopes to continue and do it every year. Our club had the opportunity to sell raffle tickets to the Colts/Tennessee game, which was successful. Proceeds went back to the club. We plan on having another fundraising event this semester and raise more awareness by passing things out on campus.
HC Purdue: What are your club’s goals?
Emily: As a club, our main goal is to raise awareness about undetected heart conditions. Many people are unaware of them, and usually the first symptom is sudden death. Not only do we want to raise awareness but we want to get more AED’s (Automated External Defibrillators) on campus. The West Lafayette Fire Department has an AED program, so there are AED’s spread throughout campus but it is alarming to see the list of buildings that do not have AED’s. The device could help save lives in seconds, but without them in a building or a SHORT distance away there isn’t much that can be done.Â
For events – We did raise enough money to buy one AED for campus, and someone donated one to us as well. As of right now we are narrowing down where to put them and hope to place them no later than April.Â
HC Purdue: What would you say to someone who is interested in joining the club/helping the organization who isn’t from LaPorte?
Emily: If someone is interested, they could email me (see bottom). We have meetings usually twice a month. There are a couple people already who aren’t from LaPorte in the club. You didn’t have to know Jake, because the club is really just trying to save other people’s lives and raise awareness to others. I am more than willing to welcome more people because that helps spread the word as well.
For more information on the Play for Jake Club, please refer to the following:
Shared facebook page with IU: https://www.facebook.com/playforjakeiu/
Twitter: @playforjakepu
for more info – email playforjakepu@gmail.comÂ