There are moments that move in your heart and you know that action is needed, but you feel powerless.
You have an idea and a vision, but you just don’t have the mental space to make things happen.
Anyone else know this feeling?
More than four years ago, I felt a stirring deep in my heart, a quiet tug toward starting a nonprofit. At the time, my hands were full with Sojourney Travel, the little agency I had founded that was suddenly blossoming beyond anything I imagined. Dozens of advisors were joining our team, and with each new face, it became clear that we weren’t just building a company…we were building a community.
The more we leaned into leading with heart, the more we seemed to attract people who shared the same spirit. Servant-hearted, generous, full of integrity; they came alongside us not just to sell travel, but to care for people. The old adage “like attracts like” became our reality. By choosing to lead with honesty, love, and respect, we watched Sojourney Travel grow like wildfire…not only in numbers, but in purpose.
As we expanded, we began to recognize something bigger: the more we grew, the more opportunity and responsibility we had to give back. I didn’t have the bandwidth then to pursue the dream, but the thought never left me. It was a seed waiting for the right season.
Last year, shortly after one of our Sojourney Travel conferences, one of my friends (Julie Marsh, who has worked with us since Sojourney’s launch) asked me a question that stopped me in my tracks: “Have you ever thought about starting a nonprofit?” Her words felt like confirmation of the dream I’d quietly carried for years. I chewed on it. I did some research…yet I still waited for the “right” time.
Then, in the fall, The unimaginable happened to a not far from us that is near and dear to my heart: Hurricane Helene brought devastating floods to Western North Carolina. Communities in the mountains were hit hard, and my heart knew I couldn’t sit on the sidelines. Through our church, we connected with several churches and local “storehouses” set up by citizens in the Swannanoa/Black Mountain area, and I felt compelled to act.
What happened next was nothing short of extraordinary. We harnessed the power of social media, the influence of our networks, and the strength of community. People from all over the country responded. In just two months, we raised more than $26,000 to support flood victims—proof that there is real power in numbers and connections when people come together with compassion and the willingness to make a difference in folks’ lives. We connected with “boots on the ground” and found need outside of government organizations. We connected with real people who had lost everything.
Trailer after trailer was loaded with supplies bound for North Carolina. We delivered food, diapers, water, batteries, generators, clean up tools, blankets and a plethora of other needed items to families devastated by the floods. We sent a dozen hot tents so families could stay warm through the winter, and not lose their children (YES, children were being removed from their “homes” because all their parents had were their vehicles to live in!). We brought trailer loads of supplies to the Black Mountain Home for Children (who had a devastating loss). And each trip reminded us that this was about so much more than donations, it was about showing up with love. It was about being “Hope in Action.”
It was during one of those planning meetings that Jackie Hardy, one of our amazing Sojourney Advisors, echoed the words my friend Julie had spoken months before: “Have you ever thought about starting a foundation?” Her question lingered in the room, almost like a confirmation. And then, as if to seal it, that very same week a dear friend in California, who had generously donated to our relief efforts, reached out and said she wanted to cover the attorney fees to make it official.
Everywhere we turned, it seemed the message was the same: this was the time. What had been planted years earlier was now being confirmed again and again. The dream was no longer just mine….it was becoming a calling shared by others.
Within weeks, the Sojourney Foundation was no longer just a dream….it was reality. Nine incredible board members stepped forward, and together we laid the foundation for something bigger than ourselves. And now, less than one year later, we are humbled and proud to share that The Sojourney Foundation has been awarded 501(c)(3) designation. We can now officially receive tax-deductible donations and move full-scale into the work we were created to do.
This is our beginning. Born from compassion, strengthened by community, and confirmed by the amazing human beings around us, and in our community/spheres, who kept saying: yes, this matters.
So…journey with us. Together, let’s be Hope in Action…together.
Want to get involved? You can donate HERE, or message us to see how you can help HERE.