James Doss Memorial Foundation

05/24/2026

⛳ Registration is OPEN! ⛳

We are excited to invite you to join us for the 2026 James Doss Memorial Foundation Golf Outing on October 24th at Aston Oaks Golf Club!

Whether you’re a golfer, a supporter, or simply someone who believes in making a difference, there is a way for everyone to be involved.

🏌️ We currently have 24 foursomes available and would love to fill the course with friends, families, businesses, and community members who want to support this mission.

🍽 Not a golfer? Join us for our Banquet Dinner! Dinner tickets are available and include dinner, drinks, dessert, and access to our after-round FUNdraising activities.

💙 We are also seeking Hole Sponsors. As many of you know, each hole will once again honor a heart angel who was affected by Congenital Heart Disease. These sponsorships create one of the most meaningful parts of the day as golfers learn about the beautiful children remembered throughout the course.

🚗 Cart Sponsors are also available. Golf carts will feature children affected by CHD, helping us celebrate the strength, resilience, and stories of the heart community.

Every registration, sponsorship, and donation helps us continue our mission and make an impact for families affected by CHD and loss.

Visit the link below for registration, sponsorship opportunities, and event details:

🔗 https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/4th-annual-golf-outing-3

Thank you for helping us honor these children and support families who need it most. 🤍

05/01/2026

You’re invited ⛳️🤍

Join us for the 2026 James Doss Memorial Foundation Golf Outing—a day of golf, connection, and purpose as we come together to support families experiencing the loss of a child.

This year, we’re honored to focus our efforts with Cincinnati Children’s as our primary beneficiary.

Whether you’re golfing or joining us for dinner, we would love to have you there.

👉 View details + register here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/4th-annual-golf-outing-3

04/25/2026

We’re so excited to finally share this…

James Doss Memorial Foundation will be hosting our 2026 Golf Outing ⛳️💙

After a lot of time, reflection, and behind-the-scenes work, we want to be honest with our community. We took a step back to really review and reorganize what this foundation looks like moving forward. There were moments where we considered closing our doors but instead, we felt pulled to reshape how we operate and continue this mission in a way that feels sustainable and meaningful.

And because of that… we’re not done 🤍

We are incredibly grateful for each and every person who has continued to support JDMF, check in on us, and believe in what this foundation stands for. It truly means more than you know.

📅 Our Golf Outing will take place on October 24th, 2026
📍 Aston Oaks Golf Club

More details will be coming soon regarding golf outing details and how we will continue supporting families experiencing CHD loss. What we can share now is that we will be focusing our efforts with Cincinnati Children’s as our primary beneficiary moving forward.

This next chapter may look a little different but the heart behind it remains the same.

We can’t wait to be back on the course with you 🤍

10/27/2025

The family of sweet Benny is asking for help from the community for help to purchase a beautiful headstone for their precious boy — a lasting place to honor and remember his incredible life.Benny’s journey began with unimaginable challenges. He was born with one of the most complex congenital he...

10/22/2025

🫀Benny’s family is hoping to create a special place to remember their sweet boy — a lasting memorial to honor the love and light he brought into this world.

Your donation, big or small, will help give them that gift.

The family of sweet Benny is asking for help from the community for help to purchase a beautiful headstone for their precious boy — a lasting place to honor and remember his incredible life.Benny’s journey began with unimaginable challenges. He was born with one of the most complex congenital he...

10/10/2025

We love making new friends who make an impact! Thank you William's Wardrobe 💕

The James Doss Memorial Foundation - another one of our friends who supports the CHD community. On their page it reads, “Supporting families affected by congenital heart disease (CHD) through financial assistance, comfort, and connection—from diagnosis, ongoing care, and through loss. Embracing community and showing our gratitude along the way.”

The Doss family has dedicated so much time and love into their mission in honoring of their son, James whose legacy has effected so many people in such a profound way. Stephany was able to meet Carlee, James' mom at the Heart Loss Mom's retreat she attended in May of 2025. As she got to know her, Stephany realized that JDMF's mission is so much more than just giving back - it's a part of Carlee's spirit now, similar to how Steph feels about William and William's Wardrobe.

We encourage you to learn more about James and JDMF on their socials and website:
https://www.jamesdossmemorialfoundation.org
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www.williamswardrobe.

10/03/2025

Grief doesn’t only live in me—it lives in my children too.

The other day, my 3-year-old daughter looked up at me and said, “I am worried about James.”

It stopped me in my tracks. She never got to meet her big brother, yet James is still part of her little world. Her heart somehow carries a piece of the weight that mine does.

That’s the thing about grieving with children—your child is always present, even in the spaces where their siblings never got the chance to know them. Their absence is felt, their name is spoken, and their love trickles down through the brothers and sisters who remain.

Our kids grieve differently. Sometimes it’s in their words, sometimes in their play, and sometimes in quiet moments that catch us off guard. And as parents, it’s both heartbreaking and beautiful to watch them carry love for a sibling they cannot see.

Grieving with children is messy, tender, and sacred. It’s reminding them (and ourselves) that their brother or sister is forever a part of our family story.

James isn’t here in the way I wish he was, but he is still loved, still remembered—and even the littlest voices in our home remind me of that. 💙

10/01/2025

About Us | Why We Started

James Doss Memorial Foundation began as a birthday celebration for our son James’ 5th birthday. We didn’t want the day to pass quietly—we wanted to honor his life, his love, and his light. So, we planned a golf outing, a birthday party of sorts, and decided to raise money during it.

But then, I met Alyssa. Alyssa is Easton’s mom. She shared with me the story of her son, and the heartbreak their family endured. Her courage and her love for Easton lit something inside me—it made me realize that James’ legacy could be more than just one event, more than just one day.

That’s when JDMF was truly born. It started with James, but it grew because of Easton. Together, they are the inspiration behind everything we do. Every gift we give, every family we support, every step we take—it’s in their honor. Thank you to Easton's family for allowing us to know him.

💌 Want to stay connected and hear more about the families we serve? Join our email list here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/newsletter-form/sign-up-for-jdmf-the-circle

09/29/2025

“The hardest part of being a heart parent no one talks about”

It’s not just the surgeries and hospital stays.
It’s the waiting rooms, the test results, the what-ifs that never leave.
It’s lying awake at night wondering how much time you’ll have.
It’s celebrating milestones with both joy and fear — because you know how fragile they are.

It’s the questions you carry but rarely say out loud:
Will my child get to grow up?
Will they be treated differently because of their scars?
Will they find love, build a life, outlive me?

It’s the invisible weight you carry into every moment,
the way worry lingers even on the good days,
and the ache of wanting a future you cannot promise.

CHD doesn’t end ~
we learn to live alongside it.
But the worry never fades.
And the love never stops. ❤️

09/26/2025

There was a time I counted every second since the last time I saw James.
Every minute that separated us felt like something I had to measure—like if I kept track, it would somehow keep me close to him.

At some point, I stopped counting.
Maybe it was after a year had passed.
Maybe it was because the numbers started to feel too heavy.
Maybe I thought if I stopped counting, it would hurt less.

Now, almost 7 years later, I don’t count anymore. But the void is still there.
It hasn’t lessened. It’s just… familiar now.

Sometimes it still feels like I lived someone else’s life.
Like surely this couldn’t have been mine—how could I have lost a child?
And then grief creeps in with its harsh reminder: this is my story.
James is my son. And we lived through losing him.

The pain hasn’t gone away.
We’ve just learned how to carry it—how to make space for both the ache and the joy.
We stay busy living the life James would want for us. But that doesn’t mean it’s ever easy.

Time doesn’t heal everything.
But it teaches you how to move forward with what you carry.

To whomever is reading this, I send my love to you 💕

Carlee Doss
JDMF President
James' Mom

09/25/2025

Understanding Heart Surgery for Children with CHD 💙

Heart surgery can feel like a terrifying concept for any person, but for children born with congenital heart defects, it is often a critical step in keeping their tiny hearts alive. For many of these children, they will need more than one open heart surgery to help them thrive.

These surgeries range from correcting defects to helping the heart function as best as possible.

Heart surgery is invasive, intense, and high-stakes—but it is also life-saving. For families, it’s a journey of fear, hope, and unwavering love.

For the child, it’s a demonstration of incredible bravery. Every surgery is a reminder of how strong these little hearts and the families who love them truly are. 🫀