Point Park's Pioneer Sideline did a feature on Jam the Gym.  Matt Desmond  and his crew did a great job capturing the emotion of the evening.  http://vimeo.com/50436666

The DVE Morning Show has been a terrific supporter of both Jammin' with Jaime and Jam the Gym.  Here they are striking the pose in their Jaime Strong Tee-shirts.  Many thanks to Randy Baumann and Jess Levo for all they have done!

WTAE came out to our event and this is the video from that evening's news.  We have had such great help from our friends in local media.  Folks like Jory Rand, Randy Bauman, Andrew Stockey, Brandon Hudson, and Mike Clark have been extremely involved in getting our story told.  Many thanks to them!

a

b

c

d

a.  Coach Ellen Toy, Christa Harmotto, and the Kiski Area Team during our National Anthem.
b.  A favorite moment captured.  Mia Wilson gets a ride on Thad Paunovich's shoulders, as the team is introduced.  Mia is battling ALL leukemia, and was Kiski's Honorary Captain.
c.  Coach Toy readies the team for an emotional evening.
d.  A real champion.  Christa took the time to sign every autograph and take memorable pictures with her fans.  It was an honor for us to have her as part of our event!
Photo credits to Erica Hilliard and used with permission of Trib Total Media

Well, Jam the Gym 3 is now in the books!  What an evening!  Starting off with the spectacular array of gift baskets we were able to accumulate with the generousity of local fans, teams, and businesses.  We gave away nearly $20,000 dollars worth of merchandise, event tickets, and sports memorabilia! Many thanks to those who donated!  You made this night possible!
Our special guests made the night memorable for those in attendance.  Who will ever forget Bill Deasy's soulful "Hallelujia" dedicated to Jaime.  It will always be a song that takes us back to that night, and we will remember!  Having a local volleyball hero on the bench was a thrill for the Kiski team, as Christa Harmotto stayed on the sideline with them, cheering them on and coaching them up.
Christa's desire to be a part of Jam the Gym gave us a real shot in the arm, when we really needed it.  And none of us will ever forget little Mia Wilson's grand entrance on the shoulders of the Kiski team. Mia reminds us that we need to continue this fight, in Jaime's name.  Mia flashes the same million watt smile, despite her own battle with ALL leukemia.
On the volleyball end of things, we watched two good high school teams working out the kinks early in the season, and working through the emotion of the night.  In the end Butler prevailed, 26-24,
26-24, and 25-16, but in competing on this evening gained a real measure of respect and admiration for each other.  These two teams, along with the teams that joined them on the court for the National Anthem, Plum, Leechburg, and Kittanning, share the common experience of this night, and therefor a special bond that comes with it.  After the High School game, Point Park University took the court for a spirited two game exhibition of what small college volleyball aspires to be.  They joined with us in the emotion of the night, and then played their hearts out in the very first college volleyball played here at Kiski.  It was a privilege to be able to watch the caliber of volleyball that they possess.  PPU is going to be a National power at their level for years to come, and it is because along with their obvious athleticism, they have great character.  Jam the Gym was a night of great volleyball.  More importantly, it was a exhibition of how close knit our volleyball community is, and needs to be in    times of great trial.
So what is next?  Stay tuned here for the latest news!  We will be posting photos and video clips from the various news sources that covered our special evening.  Jam the Gym 3 is indeed a memory, a real good memory.
One more thing...
Stay JaimeStrong!!!

Jam the Gym 3 was successful in so many ways.  It gave a community the chance to gather and to mourn the loss of a dear friend, and then celebrate her amazing life.  It gave a

WPXI was at the gym with us and filed this report:

http://www.wpxi.com/videos/news/dozens-jam-the-gym-to-honor-coach-who-lost-battle/vdq4f/

A special thank you to Brandon Hudson for treating our story with dignity and professionalism.

I am just so proud of my daughter Aly, and what she did to convert the photograph of Jaime in her most couragous pose into the artwork used for Jam the Gym's and jammin' with Jaime's Tee shirt!  Here is what I mean...

You will be able to purchase the Tee Shirts at our event for $15.

All proceeds go to the three charities Jaime saw as most important.

Children's Hospital 9-B-C Oncology Dept.

Kiski Area Education Foundation Scholarship Program

The Fluorescent Angels fund

Breaking News!!!

Jam the Gym is proud to announce a very special guest!  Former Penn State Nittany Lion, and Olympic Silver medalist Christa Harmotto!!!  Come meet Christa on Sept 5th!  She will be serving as Honorary Captain!  Welcome Christa...

Here we are, a mere 6 days away.  I cannot believe that things have gone the way they have.  I am still struggling with the idea of a past tense.  Jam the Gym will never be the same, yet THIS one HAS to be the biggest, BEST one ever.  My friend Jaime deserves nothing less than a terrific night.  We are determined to give her just that.

To that end, we have developed a schedule of events for our evening.  With God's grace, and Jaime looking down on us, here is how we are planning for things to go.

    

     5:00-JV match-Kiski Area vs Butler

     5:00- Gym B open for purchase of tee shirts and tickets for 50/50 and prize baskets

     6:00-Please be seated for...

          Parade of teams
          Introduction of special guests, Christa Harmotto, Bill Deasy, and Mia Wilson!

          Comments from Family, Friends of Jaime

          Bill Deasy performs Hallelujah and The National Anthem

     6:15- Kiski vs Butler Varsity Match

          Gym B will remain open for purchases until the end of the High School match.

     8:00-Point Park will be playing a intersquad match.  This team is a nationally ranked program.  I  know  these ladies will be going hard.        
 During the College warm-up the 50/50 will be awarded along with the prize baskets.  Results of

          these drawings will be posted along the matted wall near the gyms exit.  Baskets can be picked up in

          the lobby after the match.

     All proceeds of this event go to three fine charites that Jaime wanted so badly to help.

          Children's Hospital 9B-C Oncology

          Kiski Area Education Foundation Scholarship Program

          The Fluorescent Angels Fund

     Please consider joining us for the Biggest, Best Jam the Gym yet.  It will be an emotional evening        we'll all get through it TOGETHER...

Last Monday, we learned of the passing of our dear, beautiful, friend Jaime Moran.  It was Jaime who inspired us to start Jam the Gym, it was Jaime who wanted to give back with Jam the Gym 2, and Jaime's imprint will be on Jam the Gym 3, and on into the future.  This news has left those of us lucky enough to have known and loved her with a giant hole in our hearts.  We will miss her fighting spirit and her brilliant smile.  We take comfort in the knowledge that Jaime's place in the Kingdom is assured, and we will meet her again, someday.

I am a 26 year old female currently battling ALL (Acute Lymphomic Leukemia) for the third time in my life. After each battle I had thought I won, five to six years passed of healthy living and freedom which allowed me to grow as a person in every way possible. I am looking forward to ending this battle once and for all. Here is my story:

This is year three for Jam the Gym, so it may be important to keep tabs on its history. On a Thursday Night in October 2009, on the way to the final volleyball game of the season at Franklin Regional, Head Coach Ellen Toy got the call all cancer patients will never forget. She had been diagnosed with Gastric Cancer. On board that bus along with the Kiski Area team, was Asst. Coach Jaime Moran. Jaime was a two time survivor of battles with Leukemia and immediately became one of Ellen's biggest supporters.

Iceberg, Kris Letang, and Marc Andre Fluery stopped by to say hello to Jaime.  You have to love the professionalism of the Penguins organization.

“Help me! Help me!” A frail, defenseless woman in a white dress is tethered to a railroad track pleading for someone to save her. The tracks begin to quiver. Gentle “chugs” quickly increase their clarity. A whistle sounds. She turns her head to see a plume of smoke bellowing out of the smokestack of a train coming closer and closer....

Full Essay Here

LEECHBURG (KDKA) – On this day of giving thanks, a local high school volleyball team is thankful to have both of their coaches alive today.

Cancer may have slowed them down, but hasn’t stopped them.   CONTINUE READING HERE

To tell the tale on how Ellen and Jaime's cancer stories converge we have to go back a few years. Ellen had just been named the new Head Volleyball coach at Kiski Area. She was holding one of her first open gyms and Jaime came in to express interest in helping out as an assistant. Jaime was fresh out of college and hoping to get a job in the district teaching math. We didn't know Jaime at the time but we knew her story very well. We knew that Jaime had battled leukemia in High school and again while she was a student at St. Vincent. We may have questioned how much volleyball Jaime knew, but the bottom line was this. If anyone can teach our athletes about courage and perseverance, it was Jaime. Little did we know at that time that it would be Ellen and I who would need the lesson.

Exciting details to come about Jam the Gym 3. Tentative schedule and an exciting new "twist"! A long way off but the planning has begun! More details to come.


- Tim Toy