A local group of Jeep enthusiasts has gathered over the years to raise funds for a cause that unites many, with this holiday season proving especially fruitful as it continues a mission of ensuring no one has to face cancer by themselves.

Bill Browne of Columbia is president of the nonprofit known as the No One Fights Alone Jeep Army, an organization he started in large part due to his personal losses to cancer.

Browne recalled how his father passed away in 2005 after being diagnosed with brain cancer. His brother-in-law similarly died about a decade ago of the same condition.

“I lost both of them to a glioblastoma, brain cancer,” Browne said. “It’s hit me hard, close to my heart. Have a couple family members who are also breast cancer survivors. I think cancer hits everybody.”

With this experience of cancer having an extremely strong impact on him, Browne said he long wanted to do something to make a positive difference.

In 2021 – some time after he purchased a Jeep of his own – he got the idea to put together a Jeep run given his experience with other owners.

“I noticed that the Jeep community is a very charitable and giving community, very caring people,” Browne said. “They support any kind of charitable contributions or events.”

That year, Browne and other Jeep owners put together the first Chief Jeep Jam and Poker Run, a fundraising event which has taken place the second weekend of August for the past four years.

Created in the memory of the family he’s lost to cancer, Browne said the event originally raised funds to benefit the Glioblastoma Foundation, though for some time he felt an urge to bring the charity closer to home in order to prioritize caring for locals fighting cancer.

Speaking with folks who have been involved in the fundraisers, Browne was able to gather several individuals who were eager to serve on the board of directors for what became the NOFA nonprofit earlier this year.

The acquisition of a nonprofit status has proven to be beneficial to the organization’s mission, as Browne explained NOFA has been able to offer support for several families in just the past few weeks.

“Money generated will stay here and be distributed from our non-profit to local families and individuals who are battling cancer and could use the help. So far just this holiday season, we’ve been able to help out four families, and we’ll be helping out another one right at the end of the year,” Browne said.

He noted that the organization, over the past few years, has raised around $65,000 altogether.

This number has been reached thanks in part to the roughly 150 area Jeep owners who have pushed to make the annual summer event so successful.

Browne also stressed, however, that folks don’t have to be Jeep owners to be a part of NOFA.

“You don’t have to have a Jeep to be in this cause. It’s to raise awareness on cancer, and it’s to help generate funds to fight cancer,” Browne said. “You don’t have to have a Jeep to participate in any of our events and our Jeep runs or rides. It’s all about supporting our cause and having fun while doing it. It’s bottom line to raise money for local families that are battling this disease.”

Several individuals involved in NOFA offered their thoughts on the organization.

Scott and Rebecca Albers explained that they started with the group through the first Jeep run several years ago during their anniversary.

With both of them having a medical background, they’ve had plenty of experience with cancer and the damage it does to individuals and families, so they’ve been happy to join in the annual summer event both for the fun and the fundraising.

“Scott was a first responder, and I’m a nurse, so not just out in the field but with loved ones,” Rebecca said. “Cancer affects everyone in different ways, so if you can go out and you can minimize that effect or show that you care, it’s a great way to have fun with the community while also giving back.”

They also described how they’ve gotten their children involved with the group, helping them appreciate the difficult situations many in the community face.

Rhonda O’Farrell is another NOFA member, and she spoke about how, having known Browne from a very young age, she was pleased to join his efforts as she got her own Jeep.

She, too, spoke about how far-reaching the impact of cancer is, with her own father being diagnosed with brain cancer and passing away little more than a year later.

O’Farrell said she joined the organization in his memory.

“I don’t know anybody that’s never been touched by cancer in immediate family,” O’Farrell said. “So many cases and so much effort needed to try and help people through the worst times of their life, especially when it’s a child involved.”

She emphasized the impact she’s seen cancer have when it comes to the young cancer warriors she’s encountered, describing how disheartening it is to see kids suffer and how uplifting it can be to help them.

“If we can make them smile, these little kids, that’s especially rewarding, but I don’t do it for my own reward,” O’Farrell said. “It’s for the kids and for the families.”

Browne also spoke about his involvement in NOFA and what it’s been like to be able to help where he can the past few years, specifically speaking about where his mind goes during every summer Jeep run.

“I think about my dad, and I think about my brother-in-law, how much those two meant to me,” Browne said. “I started this out in memory of them… Every time that we get back here, it’s like I always have my dad and my brother-in-law at the back of my mind. ‘What would they be thinking?’ It’s nice to touch people and help people out.”

With a successful holiday charity season winding down, NOFA is sure to provide further support in the future.

Browne said he and other members of the nonprofit board are eager to expand the group’s event schedule beyond its annual summer Jeep runs.

For more information or to make a donation, visit the NOFA Jeep Army page on Facebook. 

Donation checks can also be mailed to NOFA Jeep Army, P.O. Box 572, Columbia, IL  62236.