Story updated to include the latest fundraising total.
A memorial fund created to support the children of Jake Brewer, a White House staffer who died during a charity bike ride Saturday, reached its $200,000 goal in donations a day after it was launched.
Brewer, 34, was married to Mary Katharine Ham, a former Heritage Foundation employee who is the editor at large of HotAir.com and a Fox News contributor. The memorial education fund will support the couple’s daughter, Georgia, 2, and a baby soon to be born.
Ham shared the news in an Instagram post, followed by several other photos of the couple.
Brewer died Saturday after losing control of his bike and being struck by a car during the Ride to Conquer Cancer, a two-day 150-mile event from Washington, D.C., to Mount Airy, Md., and back.
News of Brewer’s death prompted an outpouring of support for across the political spectrum, including a statement from President Barack Obama:
I am heartbroken at the tragic loss of one of my advisors, Jake Brewer. We set out to recruit the best of the best to join their government and help us harness the power of technology and data to innovate new solutions for the 21st century. Simply put, Jake was one of the best. Armed with a brilliant mind, a big heart, and an insatiable desire to give back, Jake devoted his life to empowering people and making government work better for them. He worked to give citizens a louder voice in our society. He engaged our striving immigrants. He pushed for more transparency in our democracy. And he sought to expand opportunity for all. I’ve often said that today’s younger generation is smarter, more determined, and more capable of making a difference than I was as a young man. Jake was proof of that. Michelle and I are praying for all of Jake’s family and his many friends, most of all his wife, Mary Katharine Ham, their daughter, Georgia, and their growing family. They’ll always have a family here at the White House.
The memorial fund was started Sunday afternoon by Guy Benson, co-author with Ham of “End of Discussion.” He set a goal of $200,000; half of the money was raised by 11 p.m. Sunday. Benson said the contributors will provide for the Brewers’ education.
Ham encouraged others to donate to the Travis Manion Foundation in support of families of U.S. servicemen who have died.