Jason Ellis Young Memorial Fund

“He packed a lot into his life,” Peter and Patricia Young agree of their son, Jason.

Born in Warwick, Jason attended Rocky Hill School, followed by East Greenwich High School. He played soccer, was active in theater, and achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest award in the Boy Scouts of America. Although his parents indicate he was a good student – participating in the gifted program – “He was more creative. He always had an interest in music, was an avid reader, and did a lot of painting and writing, especially poetry. We figured that was his path,” his mother shares.

That creative path took Jason to Emerson College where he earned a degree in film studies. While at the Boston school, he wrote, directed and acted in social issue dramas. But the job market following his graduation wasn’t good. He considered a teaching career and spent a summer as a writing instructor at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Korea before pursuing another path, certification courses in alcohol and drug abuse treatment through DATA (Drug Awareness and Training Administration) of Rhode Island. His training prepared him for work as a substance abuse counselor with young males at Corkery House and later as a unit manager for individuals undergoing detoxification at SSTAR of Rhode Island.

Peter Young recalls how different Jason – with his love of poetry, music, and the arts – was from his older brother, Christopher, now a certified financial analyst in Washington, DC, noting, “They were entirely different guys, but they were so tight, so close to each other.”

Helping others came naturally to Jason, his parents believe. “Scouting promotes a lot of that. It really plants the seed,” Pat Young explains. She recalls the time
Jason rescued a baby owl after it fell out of a tree and how he volunteered at the East Greenwich Animal Rescue League.

Jason died in 2002 at age 31. The Youngs see this donor advised fund as a means of continuing his legacy of helping others.

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