Mission of Our Foundation and the Story of Rob Grim
The Rob Grim Memorial Athletic Foundation (RGMAF) was created last year by his family (Kim, Tyler, Dylan, and Peyton) after he lost his battle with colon cancer. The Foundations focus stems from two areas of Rob’s life he had a tremendous passion for; Sports, youth sports specifically, and the drive to get everyone he knew to their colonoscopy appointments. Please keep reading to learn our story.
Our Story
We are supporting youth in need by providing resources to participate in athletics, as well as raising the level of awareness around the importance of early screening for Colon cancer.
Rob was a basketball player at heart but loved all sports. He was involved with the local basketball community for most of his life. He played for Downingtown High School and Kings College. In his adult life, he coached in many youth leagues, as well as at Henderson High School, Downingtown East High School, and The Westtown School.
Rob was also very involved with West Side Little League. He served as the Treasurer and Executive Board Member for seven years, long after his children had outgrown the league. He played a pivotal role in the revitalization of the program and the grounds.
All three of his children play a variety of sports. Rob loved to watch and, of course, criticize them, whether it was basketball, baseball, or field hockey. Peyton lucked out. Rob knew nothing about field hockey, so there was limited judgment there.
When Rob was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, it caused him to reflect on things, and he became very focused on getting his friends and family to the doctor for their colonoscopies. Rob did not like doctors and had not gotten his colonoscopy, although he was long overdue. He wanted to use his diagnosis as a trigger to get people tested. Over the course of the year he battled the disease, he had gotten 41 people to get their tests, and he saved many of their lives.
We carry on Rob’s passion; we don’t want other families to have to go through the devastation that we did.
On January 10, 2021, Rob lost his battle with colon cancer. If Rob had gotten his colonoscopy at the age of 50, he would still be with us today.
Meet Rob
Rob was a student athlete and graduated from Kings College, Wilkes Barre, PA. In May of 2000, he married his best friend, Kim Szymura. They raised two sons, Tyler and Dylan, and a daughter Peyton, and their beloved dogs, Coco, Oakley, and “Shammy.” He received an EMBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2014 and practiced business finance for over 30 years.
Rob had a passion for basketball and for helping his community. Rob led the 1982 Downingtown Whippets basketball team to its best record in school history at 25-5. He volunteered and coached for West Side Little League, Henderson High School, Downingtown East High School, and West town School. He previously served for seven years as an executive board member for West Side Little League and was a delegate for The American Cancer Society’s Real Men Wear Pink Campaign of Philadelphia.
Rob was also an avid sports fan, particularly of the Boston Red Sox, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was known for his quick wit, enormous heart, and his fiercely competitive spirit.
