Warren Playoff: $5,000 Target for CK Foundation Fund

Mike Papouras is aiming to raise $5,000 for the CK Foundation during Friday's playoff game in Warren. The University School junior cornerback organized the event, titled "Some Things are Bigger than Football," to provide direct financial support to families currently fighting childhood cancer. The fundraiser uses gold, the official awareness color for the disease, as its central visual theme for the match against Howland.

Papouras said the goal is to "raise money to support families in the fight right now." Players will wear gold decals and laces during the contest. The initiative traces back to October 20, 2023, when Mentor High School named Jack Sawyer, then 17, as honorary captain while he battled Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer. On that night, Euclid players presented Sawyer with a shirt bearing the same slogan Papouras is using this week.

Papouras was 13 years old during the 2023 event. He recalled realizing that many children face challenges far more difficult than his own daily life. He stated, "I would like to make it a little easier for them." Sawyer passed away shortly after the 2023 game, but the memory of his resilience stayed with Papouras, who was the son of the Euclid City Schools superintendent at the time.

This fall, Papouras wrote to Dawn Sawyer, Jack's mother, to ask for her blessing. He told her that although he never met Jack, he admired how the teen remained positive while lifting others up. Dawn Sawyer called the letter an amazing gesture and said she is deeply touched by the effort to keep her son's legacy alive.

Sawyer is expected to join Papouras on the field for Friday's game. The message of the event includes Jack's personal motto, PACE: Positive Attitude Changes Everything. Papouras hopes the crowd will hear the phrase and carry it with them. Dawn said she is proud of the young people championing this memory.

Support is also arriving from Jack's former school. A Mentor High School football player informed Dawn that the entire Cardinals team will wear yellow socks in Jack's honor during their Friday game against Euclid. The seniors specifically decided to find a way to remember him. Justin Hodge, a former Mentor student now playing at Miami University, is also credited with helping maintain Jack's legacy.

The next major event is Friday night in Warren, where the gold-themed fundraiser will take place. Dawn Sawyer will be on the field, and the Mentor High School team will observe their tribute in their separate game. The $5,000 target stands as the primary financial goal for Papouras's initiative.