20 UNDER 40: Former NFL player raises money to help children, families

Former National Football League player Jared Tomich, who owns several Northwest Indiana businesses, founded and runs an organization dedicated to helping young cancer victims and their families. Tomich also promotes physical fitness for all ages and ability levels.

His commitment to helping these children and emphasis on physical fitness has earned Tomich the honor of being included in the Class of 2011 20 under 40 award winners.

"It is an honor to receive this award," Tomich says. "I've read about it in the past. It recognizes being involved in the community. When you get recognition for working hard, it is always a good thing."

Tomich was nominated by Roxanne Olejnik "for his devotion in every day life to helping those in need."

"He has the biggest heart of anyone that I know," says Olejnik, Classified Advertising Specialist for The Times. "He truly is a hero to these children and their families. He deserves to be recognized for all the lives he has changed and the smiles he has put on children's faces throughout the years."

Tomich owns and operates Fuel Fitness, with locations in Cedar Lake, Winfield, Crown Point and Crete. He also co-owns Zuni's House of Pizza in Cedar Lake and The Engine Room Alehouse in Dyer with his partner Deb Trembczynski.

Tomich says his business philosophy is "feeling good is important no matter who you are or what level you are at or what level you are striving for."

"You have the power to feel good," Tomich says. "You are in control of your physical fitness and awareness."

Tomich says Fuel Fitness Center is family oriented and helps everyone from young athletes who need to learn the basics, Olympians, collegiate and scholarship recipients to seniors with disabilities, special needs students and those who have never worked out in a gym before.

Fuel Fitness conducts youth programs at the Ignite Sports Performance and Athletic Centers in Highland and Cedar Lake, which contain indoor fields and tracks. These classes focus on training both current athletes and children who want to become active and healthy.

Fuel Fitness programs include cardio and strength training machines, personal training, group energy programs, supplement sales, daycare and tanning.

Seven years ago, he founded the Jared Tomich Halo of Hope Foundation, which is a nonprofit organization devoted to providing emotional, financial and educational support to children with life threatening illnesses and their families in Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland area.

The organization also raises funds for these children to attend week-long Circle of Friends Camps across the United States twice a year. The camps bring together children with cancer or blood disease from 11 hospitals nationwide, including Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Tomich says the winter camps are usually held in Wausau, Wisc., with 60 to 80 children participating. The children are taken sledding, skiing, and snowmobiling. The 2012 summer camp will be in Tampa, Fla.

Tomich says his friend Jerry Wuncsh, a former NFL player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, introduced him to the children's camps.

"I had just retired from the NFL," Tomich says. "He started the camps a few years before and invited me to attend one. I loved being around the children who have personalities larger than we can imagine. It was something that really resonated with me. It changed my focus."

Tomich said his interest in the camps blossomed into raising funds to help families of young cancer victims better their lifestyles. For instance, Tomich says Halo of Hope might donate an Xbox or iPad to a bed-ridden child.

"It is very rewarding," Tomich says.

This year, Halo of Hope raised more than $9,000 at the 2011 Fuel Fitness Community Day in Cedar Lake and Winfield. The 2011 annual Hackers and Halos golf outing raised more than $20,000.

In September, Tomich will participate in the Husker Hog Ride which starts at the Omaha, Neb., Harley dealership and ends at Boulder Creek Amusement Park, where participants will meet patients from Omaha Children's Hospital.

A 1992 Lake Central High School graduate, Tomich played football four years and was chosen to play on the Indiana All State football team. The school recently retired his number 75. He played college football for the University of Nebraska, where he majored in business and communications.

A finalist for the Vince Lombardi Award, Tomich was active in the community and earned a spot on the College Football Association Good Works Team in 1996 and Brook Berninger Citizenship Team at Nebraska University. In 1996, Tomich was drafted by Coach Mike Ditka to play for the New Orleans Saints. He also played for the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Another project close to Tomich's heart is training Special Olympians. The past two years, Fuel Fitness brought the most participants to the Indiana Special Olympics. His Special Olympics team will be a big part of the Covered Bridge Festival at the Lake County Fairgrounds this fall, Tomich says, showcasing their achievements.

For the past four years, Tomich has worked to start a Cedar Lake-based youth football team, seeing those efforts pay off this year with the new Hanover Pop Warner Football League.

"This year I am just a consultant on sidelines," Tomich says. "They are doing a great job. We want to have football back at Hanover Central High School."

In August, Tomich was appointed to represent Dyer on the board of directors of the South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority. Tomich says he is excited to be involved in the organization and hopes it will be a huge learning experience.

"So many people want to get involved in their communities but don't know where to start." Tomich says. "I hope I can be a part of getting them involved."