10th annual fundraiser held by Woodstock mom for her late son will be the last

For the past nine years, Woodstock resident Diane Brokaw has been hosting her Stuff the Stocking for Zach fundraiser in honor of her son, Zach, who died in a car crash at age 20 after falling asleep behind the wheel. This year’s fundraiser, the 10th, will be Brokaw’s last, in hopes of raising more money than ever.

“He was definitely an old soul, and so kind to everyone he met,” she said. “He truly wanted to make the world a kinder place, which is why I started this fundraiser, so that I could honor his life’s passion.”

The 10th annual and final Stuff the Stocking for Zach fundraiser will be collecting donations until Jan. 10. Brokaw’s goal is to raise $20,000 – her highest goal ever. The fundraiser takes months to plan and coordinate, plus the work of giving out the donations, and Brokaw hopes contributors will continue to donate in other ways to honor Zach’s memory.

“It’s time I need to focus on some other areas of my life that I’ve been neglecting,” she said. “I’m hoping people will continue on with it.”

Brokaw’s first fundraiser started six months after Zach died, as Brokaw debated how to handle her first holiday season without him in 2015. The idea of the fundraiser came to her when she came across his stocking and decided to fill it up with the community’s assistance to help others. She said she never expected the fundraiser to grow so large.

“I honestly didn’t know what to do for Christmas,” she said. “I was lost. I didn’t know if I should decorate or not.”

Over the years, Brokaw has been able, through the Stuff the Stocking effort, to fund outings for Zach’s Boy Scout troop, donate nature books, underwrite school field trips for Woodstock School District 200 and give out backpacks filled with supplies for birding. Then, she started to donate through “random acts of kindness” by giving gift cards and cash to people in the community struggling with financial problems like medical bills, veterinary bills, groceries and auto repairs. Donations have gone to veterans, people in recovery and senior citizens, Brokaw said. She has also distributed thousands of dollars in gift cards to local families, hospitality industry employees and volunteers at nonprofit organizations.

In total, Brokaw has raised over $90,000 in the past nine years. She was able to surpass her $15,000 goal last year and collected over $18,000, she said. Those donations helped fund a getaway with friends for a 15-year-old battling cancer, teddy bears for Valentine’s Day to residents in two local nursing homes and a dinner for residents of the New Directions Sober Living facility.

A small portion of this year’s fundraiser will go to help residents in communities in Tennessee and North Carolina who were affected by Hurricane Helene. Brokaw plans to stop by affected towns on her way to her annual trip to Florida.

“They lost everything,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking.”

In 2022, Brokaw used a portion of the funds to help Hurricane Ian victims in Fort Myers, Florida. Fort Myers was a special place for Zach, since they spent many family vacations there, Brokaw said.

In addition to the Stuff the Stocking effort, people can also participate in a fundraising event at 1 p.m. Dec. 8 at Kingston Lanes in Woodstock. The event will have a 50/50 drawing and raffles including 14-carat white gold 1-carat diamond earrings, a party cart filled with $500 worth of alcohol and baskets donated from local businesses. Winners do not need to be present and anyone planning to bowl in the tournament must register by Nov. 30, Brokaw said.

Zach Brokaw was an Eagle Scout and graduated from Woodstock North High School, where he served as president of the National Honor Society, played trombone in the band and was a member of both the track and cross country teams. He was a member of both the McHenry County and Illinois Audubon Societies, as well as the Climate Justice Coalition, according to his obituary.

Brokaw’s fundraiser honors Zach’s giving nature while also raising awareness of the dangers of drowsy driving.

“Newer cars now have added safety features to alert you if they feel you may be dozing off, but the best thing you can do is pull over and take a break,” she said. “Sometimes all you need is a few minutes to get out and walk around to overcome that sleepy feeling.”

Donations can be sent to Diane Brokaw, P.O. Box 762, Wonder Lake, Illinois 60097 or through Zelle and PayPal at dianebrokaw@juno.com using the “sending to a friend” option through Jan. 10. For more details, Brokaw can be reached at 815-276-4194.