Jon-Alec Chervin came to Colorado for a certain kind of lifestyle. An avid rock-climber, backpacker, snowboarder, and all-around adventure seeker, he found his home among the Rocky Mountains, where he could fully embrace his passions.
“He was the guy who was taking the jump on the half-pipe,” says his dad, Dr. Brad Chervin. “He was also the guy who would step up and help the person who needed some help, whether with somebody on the side of a mountain or in a car accident.”
When not adventuring in Colorado, Jon-Alec studied at the Community College of Aurora, where he earned his EMT certification. He then went on to earn his Wildland Firefighter Certificate. He used these credentials to help battle wildfires and work on fire and rescue teams.
He passed away in 2018 in a swimming accident in Australia. Jon-Alec’s legacy of helping others lives on through his parents, Brad and Lori, who have established a scholarship fund in his name.
Lori Murchison-Chervin, a teacher, and Brad, a physician, manage the Jon-Alec Fund from their home in Connecticut.
They say they were fortunate to provide educational opportunities for their children and recognize that others may face barriers in doing so. Jon-Alec’s time at CCA inspired the family to focus on places like CCA, where underrepresented populations may face financial challenges in paying for college.
“We realized there are a lot of people who have great credentials but may have a financial stumbling block in front of them,” Dr. Chervin says. “We wanted to give back to people and do his work since he cannot.”
With Ivy League universities like Yale nearby, with billion-dollar endowments, the Chervins felt their fund would have a greater impact at institutions like CCA.
“So, to give money to them or to our alma maters wouldn’t have as much impact as giving to someone at CCA, $500 or $2,000 to get them down a career path where they can be that caregiver.”
Since 2020, the scholarship has provided over $4,000 to six CCA students pursuing Fire Sciences, Paramedicine, and EMT pathways or certificates.
“The Jon-Alec Chervin scholarship has really been a kind of lifeline for students pursuing these programs that are not aid-eligible. I love that we can help fund future first-responders, the ‘helpers’ of the world, with a scholarship that comes from the memory of an amazing human like Jon-Alec,” says Britt Davis, Scholarship and Donor Impact Coordinator at the CCA Foundation.
In the spirit of Jon-Alec’s commitment to saving others, the Chervin family has focused their giving on first-responder programs. But Jon-Alec’s work extended beyond fire and rescue. His parents say he took time to help not only those in physical need but also those facing mental health crises.
“When he was working as an EMT, he really liked when he got the mental health calls,” Lori says. Many first responders, Jon-Alec would say, focus solely on the physical aspects of their patients, sometimes overlooking their mental health. But Jon-Alec found pride in offering comfort to others.
“He always said that he liked to ride in the back of the ambulance when they were doing a mental health call. He would take the time to say, ‘Dude, what’s going on? How can I help you?’”
This compassion inspired the family to expand their scholarship to CCA’s Behavioral Health pathways. Currently, these programs do not qualify for financial aid. The scholarship will greatly benefit those pursuing careers in behavioral health.
“We want to take that financial stumbling block out of their way,” Dr. Chervin says.
The family says they’ve raised thousands of dollars so far and look forward to a future when they can expand even further and raise millions. For now, they continue to work full-time and manage the scholarship as much as possible.
“A few years down the road when we retire, or maybe at least make our hours a little less, we’ll be able to do more,” Lori says.
When they established the fund during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, they struggled to attract large-scale corporate donors. But they have found people in the community who resonate with their story and have been generous in their support.
“And despite that, we’ve raised a couple hundred thousand dollars. These are people who have never even met Jon-Alec.”
In the long-term, the Chervin’s hope to see the fund take on a legacy of its own.
“What we really want to do is perpetuate this. And our daughter, grandkids, and then hopefully a board of directors will hopefully carry this forward,” Dr. Chervin says.
“Hopefully long after we’re gone, CCA will have been the benefactor of, you know, tens of thousands of dollars, if not more.”
Read more about Jon-Alec’s story at https://www.jonalecfund.org/, and make a donation today. Visit https://ccaurora.edu/to learn more about CCA, and find out more about scholarships HERE.