Jakefest

Two Decades. Millions Raised. One Family’s Promise to Their Son.

For nearly two decades, Jakefest has raised millions in loving memory of Jacob Koenigs, thanks to the enduring dedication of the Koenigs family and Kiewit Corporation. And every year, that love grows stronger.

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Twenty years of impact

The Impact of Jakefest

$9 million+ raised over 20 years

Over 20 years, Jakefest has raised more than $9 million to support groundbreaking childhood cancer research projects conducted by CureSearch-funded investigators, including work like Dr. Mary Beckerle’s Ewing sarcoma research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. Dr. Beckerle’s work showed enough promise to be licensed to Salarius Pharmaceuticals for a phase 1 clinical trial. This legacy of impact is made possible by the Koenigs family’s enduring love for Jacob and Kiewit’s steadfast generosity.

In loving memory

Jacob’s Story

Harry and Robin Koenigs’ son Jacob was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when he was barely five years old. Jacob never complained about his frequent hospital stays; he made the best of them playing video games with his sister Emily and never tired of watching his favorite show, SpongeBob SquarePants. He could often be seen wearing his Jeff Gordon hat, in honor of his favorite NASCAR driver. Jacob showed incredible strength throughout his cancer journey, inspiring everyone around him to do whatever they could to help other children with cancer. After a heroic fight, Jacob passed away in December 2006, just one month before his 9th birthday.

A legacy fund

The Jacob Koenigs Memorial Fund

Harry and Robin wanted to take Jacob’s strength and turn it into hope for other families, so they didn’t have to face the same hardship.

“When we realized that Jake wasn’t going to survive, we wanted to find a way to give back to an organization that was working towards finding a cure. We knew that CureSearch was that organization.”

Harry Koenigs, Jake’s dad

The Koenigs knew more research was needed to ensure other children with rhabdomyosarcoma received the best possible care, and they wanted to raise awareness for childhood cancer more broadly. In Jacob’s memory, they established the Jacob Koenigs Memorial Fund, a CureSearch legacy fund dedicated to honoring Jacob and advancing the research that could spare other families the same loss.

Kiewit and Jakefest

What Is Jakefest?

To help bring that mission to life, Harry’s employer, Kiewit, turned its annual employee golf outing into Jakefest. For 20 years, Kiewit has proudly sponsored the event, which has grown from its original outing into a series held across the country each year. Harry and Robin try to attend every Jakefest, sharing their family’s story with attendees and reminding everyone why continued funding matters so much.

2026 series