Don’t miss your connection. Last week, Stacy Johns, Katie Locke, and I had the pleasure of going to Dallas-Fort Worth to the Western & English Sales Association tradeshow. We had a few missions for our trip.

Mission 1:

We were on a mission to buy BOOTS for 2026, preparing to put more than 6,000 pairs on High School Seniors in the name of mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Each Jae Boot is a reminder to have BOLD conversations and to know you are loved, valued, wanted, and needed here. It was incredible to feel the support from our loyal boot vendors and brands. The love for this mission was evident in every handshake and conversation. It is a true honor to stand among the cowboys and cowgirls who help make it all happen. Your generosity of time and resources fuels this work, and we’re deeply grateful.

Mission 2:

We were on a mission to buy other AWESOME products to sell in the store. We shopped until we dropped to bring back clothes for men, women, and children. We put together a haul that will make shopping in Jae’s Place so impactful. At Jae’s Place, the power of your purchase is so much more than just buying a shirt or a pair of pants. Each purchase fuels the store whose mission is to sustain the mission of the Jae Foundation. Shout out to Lyle, a sales rep with many years of experience, for doing us a solid favor by providing all the awesome tips to make shopping at Jae’s Place an experience that fuels the mission.

Mission 3:

We were there to tell Jae’s story every chance we could, to every vendor, to every passerby. We also hosted two unforgettable Jae Foundation experiences. The first was a group of construction executives connected to us by Kelly Smith of Alltech Electrical. Their heart, generosity, and drive to help were awe‑inspiring. Thank you, Kelly, for championing this mission in Texas. We also spent time with the Men’s and Women’s Tennis teams at TCU. These athletes come from all over the world, and the impact of their boots will travel just as far. Thank you, Lee, for opening the door to your team, your coaches, your school, and your state.

What we learned:

Here’s what we learned along the way: don’t miss your connection. Slow down and connect. It was so meaningful to spend time with our growing Jae Foundation community in Texas. Whether talking about suit coats, boots, a new boat, or even playing cards with a surprise addition to our travel crew, we were reminded how vital connection is, both for this mission and for our mental health. It’s Boot‑Check time, even in DFW!

And even though we missed our airplane connection (more than once), we’re already planning our return to the Lone Star State. The connection continues…just after Snow‑Mageddon clears!