Patience
​
Self
Control
gentleness
&
But the fruit
of the Spirit is
​
LOVE
Joy
PEACE
~
Kindness
Goodness
Faithfulness
Galatians 5:22-23
Gone From My Sight
​
I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
​
Then someone at my side says:
"There, she is gone."
​
Gone where?
​
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left
my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port. Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
​
And just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There, she is gone!", there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: "Here she comes!"
​
And that is dying.
​
- Henry Van Dyke
1852-1933
My Story
​
Jane Gerlach Booge attended Downingtown High School from 1981 to 1984 and was a member of the Girls’ Tennis team. Her quiet confidence and positive attitude took her to numerous championship matches including Districts and States.
Jane was well known off the court for her compassion and friendship to many. After graduating from Penn State, she cared for the children of many families in Chester County as the Director of the Chesterbrook Academy in Lionville, PA. Jane later worked as an Instructional Aide at Uwchlan Hills Elementary School.
A mother of three, Jane was an active, vibrant woman who always smiled. Although she was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer at age 44, she was steadfast and courageous, never complaining about her illness.
Instead, Jane bravely faced her cancerous foe the same way she played on the tennis courts – quietly and confidently intending to dismantle her opponent.
On September 23, 2012, at age 47, Jane took her last breath here on Earth and her first in Heaven.
The Foundation
​
In February 2012, as Jane Gerlach Booge bravely fought breast cancer, her son’s Ice Hockey team attempted to send her a basket of flowers. However, she graciously declined the offer, asking instead to “use the money for the boys.” Thus, the Sweet Jane’s Wish Foundation was established in her memory.
Sweet Jane’s Wish Foundation has granted over $125,000 in scholarship awards for 2 Girls Tennis Scholarships and 2 Ice Hockey Scholarships at both Downingtown East and Downingtown West High Schools to seniors who will be continuing on to higher education.
​
Since 2015, the SJW Foundation has contributed over $25,000 to the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Fund and the Chester County Hospital SHiNE Fund both funds provide small quality of life grants to local women diagnosed with breast cancer who are experiencing the out of pocket expenses of fighting this terrible disease.
​
Sweet Jane's Wish Foundation is a licensed 501c3 fund of the Chester County Community Foundation.
Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law.