Basketball Fundraiser Set For Howell Boy Battling Cancer

HOWELL, NJ — Howell Township's Jake Honig, the police department's biggest fan and young cancer warrior, will be getting support for his ongoing battle with Ewing's sarcoma at a fundraising basketball tournament in early January.

The Hoopin' for Honig 3-on-3 basketball tournament, sponsored by the Frances Foundation, is set for Sunday, Jan. 7 at Howell Middle School North and is open to children and adults, according to organizers with the Frances Foundation.

There will be a host of activities in addition to the basketball games, along with raffles, a 50/50 prizes and much more, organizers said.

Jake, 7, who has been fighting Ewing's sarcoma since he was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of 2, is continuing to fight the cancer and the Frances Foundation is raising the funds to help his family with the medical expenses.

In June, he received a gift of his very own (kid-sized) police motorcycle from the Howell Township Police Department in recognition of his love for the police.

Jake, whose nickname is "The Tank," visited the Howell police department in 2016, receiving a tour and going with Detective Cpl. Mike Pavlick in a ride-along in a patrol car.

"He's a huge fan of the police," said Police Chief Andrew J. Kudrick. So in the summer of 2017, the police department visited him. The department shared the flyer about the 3-on-3 basketball tournament in honor of their biggest fan.

"(Jake) truly is an inspiration to all of us," Kudrick said over the summer. "I'm sure he has positively impacted more people in the past 5 years than most adults do in their entire life."

Jake Honig photo by Howell Township Police Department