About Us

What We Do

BounceBack Kids is a Section 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to enrich the lives of children with serious medical conditions and their families through free year-round recreational, athletic, and social activities offered in a caring and supportive environment that is medically-safe.

BounceBack Kids provides group and individual sports sessions, recreational and social events, a College Planning Guide, and support services. All BounceBack Kids offerings are free for participants, their siblings and parents.

Participants in BounceBack Kids are children who have a serious medical condition. We have children who have a variety of medical conditions including cancer, asthma, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, cystic fibrosis, bi-lateral kidney disease, Crohn’s, ulcerative- colitis, and lupus. A child must have a doctor’s permission to participate in BounceBack Kids’ sports program.

Children in BounceBack Kids range in age from 3-21. The program is open to all children who meet our eligibility criteria both chronologically and developmentally. If you would like to refer a child, please print and return our particiation form and medical form.

Our Mission

To enrich the lives of children with serious medical conditions and their families through regular social, athletic, and recreational activities offered free of charge in a caring, supportive, and medically safe environment.

Our History

BounceBack Kids was founded in 2003 by three caring and committed men – Bill Jessup, a successful businessman with a love of sports and giving back to the community; Henry Friedman, a prominent neuro-oncologist who is co-director of the Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke University; and Mike Zeillmann, a talented basketball coach who has trained NBA players, members of the Duke University women’s team, and many school-age players.

The first four participants in BounceBack Kids were patients at Duke’s Brain Tumor Center. BounceBack Kids later expanded to include patients suffering from other serious diseases such as cancer and Crohn’s, diabetes and asthma, and we now include patients being treated at Triangle area hospitals.