Steak ‘n Shake to help raise money for Jill’s House

A quick Steak ‘n Shake run today and Wednesday can help raise money for Jill’s House.\nJill’s House, which is set to open July 1, will be a temporary home for patients at the Midwest Proton Radiological Institute who will receive six to eight weeks worth of proton therapy. The goal of the fundraiser is to provide housing for patients at Jill’s House for little to no cost. \nThe house will be built in honor of IU student Jill Behrman, who was murdered in 2000\n“Pretty much the entire Bloomington community was waiting on Jill’s arrival,” said sophomore Cortney Frahm, president of the IU steering committee for Jill’s House, which organized the fundraiser. “Bloomington was very affected by everything that happened. It made national news.”\nFrom today until midnight Wednesday, students, faculty and community members can eat at any of the three Steak ‘n Shake locations in Bloomington and the restaurant will give 20 percent of their bill directly to Jill’s House.\nDuring the fundraiser, greek houses will also compete for a $250 Steak ‘n Shake gift card. Whichever house has the most members eat at Steak ‘n Shake wins the gift card.\n“I think Jill Behrman would be thrilled to know that IU students are fundraising for this,” said BJ Walls, who serves on the Jill’s House board of directors. “She was a very humble, kind person. She never would have imagined that a house would be named after her.”\nLast year a similar fundraiser for Jill’s House was held at Steak ‘n Shake and within four days, it raised $20,000. A total of $3 million has been raised so far for Jill’s House.\nWhen finished, the house will have 25 bedrooms, four kitchens, playgrounds and a chapel. Bloomington’s Proton Radiological Institute is one of five throughout the country, and patients come from throughout the country for the proton treatment there. Each room would cost patients about $2,700 a week without fundraising efforts. \nProton therapy is often used for children with tumors because it is less invasive than other treatment options.\n“There are 15 children here now undergoing proton therapy,” Walls said. “The youngest is 12 months and the oldest is 14 years. It’s just unbelievable how the proton therapy is saving the lives of these children.”\nRecently, a group of three IU students and one Ivy Tech student – including Frahm – started its own IU steering committee for Jill’s House. They meet once a week at Steak ‘n Shake to help plan fundraisers, including today’s.\n“It has a lot of potential to be something great here at IU,” said sophomore Cale O’Bryan, a member of the IU steering committee. “I know the Dance Marathon has jumped out of nowhere and got huge in a few years. We’re really adamant about getting the word out about Jill’s House. I think the Jill Behrman story is something that people can ride behind and make IU different.”\nJill’s House was originally created by Bud Howard and his wife Peg Howard, who lost a son to cancer 37 years ago. Peg Howard had to travel to New York for six weeks for her son’s treatment, so she has been through the same situation as many of the families currently receiving proton treatment.\n“When we first started this house, she had just been abducted,” Peg Howard said of Behrman. “We thought it would keep the name in the public. This name could encourage the police. We also felt it could give the Behrmans some comfort. It just seemed like the right thing to do for this lovely women who had a tragic end to her life.”\nThe community open house for Jill’s House will be from 1 to 5 p.m. June 29.