By Quinn O’Hara

After losing her son Jackson to complications with a bone marrow transplant in 2022, Hedy Noveroske and her family have organized several projects to benefit the community of Milford and the surrounding areas in his memory.

The most recent of those efforts is Jackson’s Journey Tourney, a bank fishing tournament for kids aged 4 to 17, set to take place at Milford City Park on June 22. Noveroske said she and her family are organizing their efforts to benefit the things Jackson loved the most.

The tournament costs $20 per entry. Each entry will go towards a pot to be divided out as prize money between the tournament’s winners. The event will also feature several donated raffle items, such as fishing gear and a four-hour boat ride. A $5 BBQ lunch will also be available at the tournament. Proceeds from the raffle tickets and BBQ lunch will fund the family’s Mighty Mouse Scholarship, which gives a minimum of $1,500 to Junction City High School soccer players in honor of Jackson. There will also be fishing buddies and helpers available to assist competitors in setting up poles, baiting hooks, and anything else the kids need for a successful day of fishing.

Noveroske said she’s already received a large amount of positive feedback from her community in response to the tournament. She said that should this one go well, she and her family plan to organize other similar tournaments in the future featuring other activities Jackson loved.

She said the most important thing to her is giving back to the community that gave so much to her family during Jackson’s health crisis, as well as keeping her son’s name alive. Noveroske said, “Even though we lost him here physically, his journey still continues. And that’s gonna be through these kids we help through his scholarships or through getting them out for a day of fishing or whatever the tournament might be that day.”