Today we’d like to introduce you to Bill Jacobs.
Bill, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Sitting with my good friend Michael Karol and talking about things we experienced while living in other countries led to the common statement that getting out of your comfort zone can expand your life in unimaginable ways. Talking about that more in the context of traveling to other countries, we also agreed that many of our friends had not experienced the same opportunity for growth that we experienced. Traveling to other countries exposes you to doing even common activities, like cooking, in a different way. A great example is an almighty potato and how many different ways it is used. This obvious example can be applied to so many other aspects of life, such as the pros/cons of taking a nap after lunch, slowing down to smell the roses, how different rights of passage develop, urban design, healthcare systems, education systems, political systems, etc. Even further, young people can gain a massive sense of independence, a global network, another language, and a more inclusive thought process. Realizing the benefits of traveling abroad and knowing that Fort Worth people almost always find their way home, we thought this would be a great investment for the community. A common response to traveling is “it must be nice,” basically that folks didn’t have the time or money to do so. As far as time, probably the most reasonable time in one’s life to travel for a long stint is during college. The geographical restraints of a professional career are not as strong and there are also some financial programs available. You can still be working towards your goals for your career but in another place. That leaves completing the financial aspect to make studying abroad more reasonable, so we decided to start a scholarship program to help more people in the community accomplish this goal.
To work towards this goal, we decided that we should start a scholarship fund. Needing to raise money and generate awareness of what we were doing, we decided to use an event, the annual Funkytown Gitdown. After 6 years of sticking to it, we have been able to award 12 scholarships ranging from $1,000-$2,000. There have certainly been a lot of learning opportunities, but the community of support has been growing quickly! In the beginning, Meg York came on board to support Michael and me get the event organized and has been instrumental in keeping the organization moving forward. Thompson Purvis, Jeff Watson, and Olivia Jacobs were also there in the beginning and we wouldn’t have gone anywhere without this support. In the last couple of years, we have added board members, including Katie Carrol, Jeremy Graves, Makenna Barbara, Jeff Parish, Thomas and Katie Carrell. The support from this group and many others is 100% what has made this organization able to grow. With a special appreciation for Lynsie Blau, Jen Franke, Eddie Vance, and Jason Suder for giving us the guidance and locations for making a successful event!While we cannot currently cover all of the opportunity costs associated with not being able to work while abroad, we have been able to cover the biggest expense difference, which is the price of the plane ticket. Along with the other financial programs available, it helps this goal of studying abroad become much more feasible and we have big plans to continue growing the level of support that we can provide! We are also starting to work on educational programs with high school-aged students to help them prepare and plan for this type of opportunity.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been a smooth road. The first year we were a little too ambitious for our britches and ended up losing money. We did expect this in a first-year organization, but our expectations for support were a little overzealous. Along with everybody else, we dealt with Covid, which made for an interesting event year. Finally, surprisingly enough, it was hard to find people to give scholarships to!
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We raise money and give scholarships for students to study abroad.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.fortworthabroad.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fortworthabroad/
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/fwa.org
