There is something I have been thinking about a lot lately: the people who show up.

When we share Jae’s Story, we talk about Jason’s observation at Jae’s funeral–seeing people from every part of Jae’s life. Different ages. Different backgrounds. Different circles. People who may not have had much in common with one another except for one important thing: Jae had made them feel like they mattered, and it mattered to them to show up to honor Jae and the Bings.

I’ve thought about that observation countless times, but lately, I’ve been seeing another version of it unfold across Wyoming.

Everywhere I look, people are showing up.

They are our trained ambassadors who continue to stand in front of rooms, often sharing a story that never gets easier to tell, because they know it might help someone else feel less alone.

They are our hub leaders across Wyoming who have taken ownership of this mission in their communities—moving boots, organizing volunteers, coordinating schedules, solving problems, and doing a hundred things most people will never see.

They are the volunteers who walk through our doors from every imaginable walk of life and ask a remarkably simple question: “What can I do to help?”

They are the people at the McMurry Foundation who believed deeply enough in what we are building in Wyoming to invest in it—not only financially, but personally.

And they are our small-but-mighty Jae Foundation Wyoming staff. Over these past few months, I have watched this team work incredibly hard. They have built relationships, answered emails, moved thousands of boxes of boots, coordinated, supported, worked long days and continued to show up for one another through all of it.

This past week, as we prepared for our first Senior Boot groups of the fall, I found myself noticing these people and feeling overwhelmed with gratitude.

Because none of this happens because of a building.

It doesn’t happen because of a pair of boots, either.

It happens because people choose to care for other people.

That is the heart of Jae Foundation.

And perhaps that is one of the most beautiful parts of Jae’s legacy. A young man who had an extraordinary ability to make people feel seen and valued has inspired entire communities of people to commit to doing the same.

As Senior Boot season gets underway across Wyoming, thousands of young people will hear Jae’s Story. They will receive a pair of boots. They will be reminded to check on their people and to have the courage to say when they aren’t okay.

But before any of that can happen, someone has to show up.

And Jae Fam, you keep showing up.

To every volunteer, donor, ambassador, hub leader, employee, partner and friend carrying this mission with us: thank you. You are some of the very best and I am incredibly grateful to stand alongside you.

Want to be part of it? Show up with us. Whether that means volunteering, sharing our message, or simply taking the time today to really check on someone you love—there is a place for you in this work.

With gratitude,

– Jansen