Asking for Millions of Dollars

Where servant hearts are born.  Dad in Brazil serving on a mission trip.

We did a thing. Isn’t that normal for us?

It’s a lot to take in when we sit down, breathe, and look back over the last six years. The phone call that pulled us fully into the caregiving role with our mom in 2019. Fourteen years since we dipped our toes in after Dad died, trying to piece together a plan for what was to come. And twenty-two years since Parkinson’s was finally given a name—the name for the unknown that had plagued our mom for years before.

So yes, we did a thing.

We know caregiving. And a podcast started by three sisters—who had never even listened to a podcast (“Where’s the video?”)—prepared us for a time such as this. Caregiving makes you brave. It makes you weep, rejoice, and break down—often all at once. Ultimately, we believe it makes you stronger. You discover something inside you that you never knew was there. Each day, we see that superpower shining through—just a little more in each of us.

So, JJ, what is this “thing”?

Many of you know that last year we launched a company born from servant hearts and our own experiences with Mom. Acts of service and kindness that would have made the journey easier. That dream became CareForward.

On Monday, we took a chance.

The One Big Beautiful Bill—something that leaves many of us anxious about the future—includes a little-known program: the Rural Health Transformation Program. It was built for the innovative organizations we know and love. Startups whose ideas are rooted in lived experience—what’s truly needed for people struggling to survive when the care they need isn’t coming. These companies have found ways to change lives with systems born of urgent need and solutions they know work. CareForward is one of those solutions.

So, with only a three-day turnaround, we fearlessly prepared and submitted a proposal in the State of Virginia.

Just like the day we introduced our podcast—the day we asked Joe Rogan to take the day off and let caregiving be number one—we hope the reviewers take a moment to evaluate each proposal with one thing in mind: the care crisis cannot be solved with the same tools being used now. We ask that consideration be given not only to large corporations and established systems but also to innovative, lived-experience solutions that have yet to be fully seen.

It takes experience to solve the crisis impacting rural America and the health of its citizens. And that doesn’t always mean an advanced degree. Sometimes, it means an idea born of life experience and a solution built on the need to survive. CareForward is one of those solutions—created by caregivers, for caregivers, and for the communities we love.

This time, we’re asking that caregivers be number one.

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” — Matthew 18:19 (NIV)

Learn more: www.careforward.io

Where servant hearts are born. Dad in Brazil serving on a mission trip.