JD saw a need and took action. He talked with the pastor at a Lincoln Park church about the homelessness program they’d been running for decades. He noticed that the volunteers were building trusted relationships with their guests which weren’t happening at many nonprofits. He hoped they could build on this foundation and do more. The church didn’t have the infrastructure in place to support an expanded program, so JD partnered with volunteer leadership to incorporate the program as a standalone nonprofit – and Care for Friends was born. It has more than 12,000 homeless contacts per year in their lunch program. Providing more than a handout, the organization uses the trusted relationships they develop to introduce guests to life-changing community resources. During the work week, JD is Chief Revenue Officer of Motus, LLC, and serves as a business mentor to Chicago entrepreneurs at 1871. He is an active member of the Alumni Advisory Board at the University of Illinois Department of Communications, where he also has endowed a fund to support undergraduate students pursuing business careers.
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