Community Highlights: Meet Mindy Bess of James Bess Foundation

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mindy Bess.

Hi Mindy, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
How I got started: James Bess, my dad, was in the prime of his life, supporting his family, serving in his church, and loving every person he came into contact with, until one day in the fall of 1997 when he started exhibiting problems with his vision. Knowing there was an issue, he went to see his physician, who diagnosed him with simple sinus issues. However, as the months passed, my dad didn’t get better with treatment. Instead, he got worse. It wasn’t until the spring of 1998 that he was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and given at most six months to live! On that day – April 13, 1998 – he faced the battle of a lifetime against Glioblastoma-Multiform. However, due to God’s grace and mercy, he surpassed the six-month mark and lived another three and a half years. Together with his family and friends, he fought the disease with everything he had. At the worst of times, he remained strong. His unwavering faith spurred them to conquer the difficult day‐to‐day battles and make frequent sacrifices to keep the family afloat.

Unfortunately, the fight ended for my dad on June 18, 2002, but not the powerful and eternal legacy he passed on to my siblings and me, for which I am so grateful. For me, there are three main parts to this lasting legacy; his faith and sense of family, his selfless love for others, and his passion for music (especially country music, such as the incomparable Garth Brooks). Like many adults struggling with a life-threatening illness, my father wanted to experience life to the fullest while he had the chance. Because of that, I made it my mission to arrange a meet‐and‐greet with Mr. Brooks or, better yet, concert tickets to one of his out-of-this-world concerts, but without connections and resources, I could not make either event happen. This so-called “failure” ended up being the catalyst for what is now known as the James Bess Foundation.

The goal and purpose of the James Bess Foundation are to provide a solution to this problem in honor of the whole and exciting life my dad lived despite vexing trials and disappointments. Everyone deserves to have their dreams fulfilled, including adults. In essence, we want to encourage people to search within themselves and uncover dreams that have become lost due to life’s difficulties and then grant such a dream to the best of our ability. It is time for adults to dust away the cobwebs of life and start dreaming again!

How I got where I am today: I can answer that question in one simple word, “Perseverance.” From the time the idea to start the organization hit me until we granted our first wish was seventeen years. I wanted to start it sooner, but the timing was never right. Looking back, I realize I didn’t have the maturity necessary to sustain and grow such a world-changing dream at that time. However, knowing this was what I wanted to do with my life, I dedicated myself for the next seventeen years to seriously unpacking my baggage and healing from emotional and mental trauma—ultimately growing in character and maturity.

In 2015 I moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and began setting down roots and networking with other local businesses and city leaders. In 2016 I was able to raise the necessary funding to attain 501c3 status, and finally, in August of 2017, we were able to grant our first wish – a riding lawnmower.

Since then, we have granted twenty-five wishes nationwide, including several celebrity wishes. Most of the dreams we have granted had everything to do with family – clients wanting to make lasting memories with their families before they pass. All in all, when adults are battling a terminal illness, they wish for something practical and sentimental, which makes granting their wish all the more unique and rewarding.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Running the James Bess Foundation has been anything but smooth. In the last five years of operation, we have faced numerous hardships, including financial, but outside of that, there are two that have been the most difficult to overcome: changing the general public’s mindset and changing the mentality of potential clients.

When it comes to the general public, they are so used to organizations that grant children their wishes that the idea of an adult wish-granting organization is entirely foreign to them. I can’t tell you how often I’ve heard people say, “This is an awesome organization! How come someone didn’t think of this sooner?!” and then walk away, never remembering us. Deprogramming their minds into thinking that a wish organization is just for kids has been difficult. However, through perseverance and storytelling, we have been, slowly but surely, working on changing the mindset that adults deserve to have their wishes granted as well.

The other thing that has been difficult to get through to the general public is that most people believe what we do in working with the terminally ill is depressing and, therefore, they would rather not discuss it. Although they are correct in that we work with the terminally ill, I propose that what we do is far from depressing. Most adults battling a terminal illness have gone from a life of thriving to simply surviving. The joy and happiness they once had are replaced with depression and hopelessness. By granting them a wish, we, in turn, come alongside them (and their family) and not only give them a gift of hope wrapped in joy, but we show them that even amid an intense battle, they are loved and not forgotten. For example, I had a client who wished to see the ocean in person for the first time. We sent him and his brother for an all-expenses-paid, four-night stay in Panama City Beach, FL. When he returned home to Michigan, I called him to see how things went, and this was his response, “Because of what you did for me, I now have a reason to fight again!” This is why I do what I do and why the general public must understand the need for an adult wish-granting organization.

The second hardship we have had to face is changing the mindset of potential clients. When faced with a terminal illness, adults move into survival mode and begin thinking either they are unworthy of such a gift or that someone else is worse off than them and, therefore, they don’t deserve to have their wish granted. Getting them to understand that they are loved and worthy to receive such a gift is difficult, so we rely heavily on their family and friends to help them apply. The family and friends encourage them and lovingly persuade them to take a chance and submit the application. Without the family and friends of the potential client persuading them to apply, we would not be where we are today.

I want to say that after five years, we have succeeded in changing the mindsets of the general public and our potential clients, but unfortunately, it is still an uphill battle. Until then, we will continue spreading our message of hope and joy to all who will listen and partake.

As you know, we’re big fans of the James Bess Foundation. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Please tell us more about your business or organization. What should we know? The James Bess Foundation is a nonprofit organization that grants wishes to adults battling a terminal illness. Our mission is to deliver a gift of hope wrapped with joy to adults engaged in a tough battle of survival; when faced with a terminal illness, the life of the individual and their family gets replaced with survival and hope with hopelessness. The James Bess Foundation is blessed to come in and restore hope and joy to the person and their family. Ultimately, our vision and goal are to encourage people to search within themselves and uncover dreams that have become lost due to life’s difficulties and then grant such a dream to the best of our ability. It is time for adults to dust away the cobwebs of life and start dreaming again!

What do you do, and what do you specialize in?
I am the CEO and Founder of the James Bess Foundation. As the CEO, I run every aspect of the foundation, from fulfilling each wish to coordinating fundraisers to running daily operations. I wear many different hats daily. My favorite hat is organizing the fulfillment of each dream and coordinating the various fundraisers. My least favorite hat is marketing.

What are you known for?
Over the last twenty-plus years, I have been building my leadership abilities. At seventeen, I had to become the second adult in my house as my father suffered from terminal brain cancer. I helped run the house and cared for my two younger siblings and my father, all while my mother went to nursing school. Even though I had a lot of extra responsibilities, I still managed to go to school and work – graduating high school at the top of my class and becoming the first person in my family to graduate with a bachelor’s degree.

As an Event Coordinator, I have coordinated several events, including a large community event for low-income families and several other fundraiser events. In 2016, I started the James Bess Foundation and have since built and run the organization to what it is today. In 2019, I coordinated the first annual James Bess Foundation Fishing Tournament and have since coordinated four more fishing tournaments and a basketball game fundraiser celebrating first responders. Finally, in 2019, I partnered with a Dove and Grammy Nominated producer to produce a music CD for an ongoing fundraiser project.

I have the heart to serve and love others in any way possible. I also understand that hard work and perseverance are what it takes to lead and run a successful business. Lastly, my upbringing taught me to be fiscally prudent, and I carry that into my personal and professional life. Finally, I hold a BS in hospitality management with a course emphasis on event coordination from the University of Central Florida.

What sets you apart from others?
Regarding the foundation, I’d like to think that communication, compassion, and flexibility are what set us apart from similar organizations. For example, as soon as we get the application, we open the lines of communication with the client or their family member and continue communicating throughout the process and wish fulfillment. Also, if the client wishes for something they can’t have due to health conditions, we work with them, their family and their medical team to come up with something else they may want instead. Bottom line, when we get an application from a prospective client, we do our best to show them compassion and love on them to the best of our ability.

What sets me personally apart from others is my determination and my willingness to think outside the box. When most people face rejection and give up, I look for another way to accomplish the goal in front of me. I also don’t let fear and criticism stop me from attaining what I am trying to accomplish. However, even though I am highly driven, I try not to hurt or offend anyone. Instead, I aim to gather people to persuade them to grasp my vision. Ultimately, when I set my mind on something, I not only have faith that it will work out, but I put my steely gaze on the goal and never give up, even when everyone else says otherwise.

What are you most proud of brand-wise?
The thing I am most proud of about the brand is the foundation’s name. James Bess was a veteran and a man of honor who loved to serve and care for people, no matter their situation. As his daughter and the CEO and Founder of the James Bess Foundation, I am honored to continue building his legacy by serving and caring for those who need it most.

What do you want our readers to know about your brand, offerings, services, etc.?
When the James Bess Foundation grants a wish to a terminally ill client, a ripple effect transforms the lives of everyone associated with that client. As each ripple touches another person, they move from a place of survival and hopelessness to a place of life, joy, and hope, something everyone needs. As someone who watched a loved one go through such a painful battle, I understand what goes on in the trenches and how important it is as a family member to be shown compassion. They, too, need to know that they aren’t alone and that someone out there loves them too.

In summary, although the James Bess Foundation grants a wish to adults battling a terminal illness, it also serves to bless and love the family and community of those individuals. If they, or someone they know, is fighting a terminal disease (a diagnosed life expectancy of eighteen months or less), I want to encourage them to apply or have their loved one encourage them to apply. By applying, they are in no way admitting to or succumbing to their diagnosis but simply asking for a fun experience and a brief escape from their daily trials.

We all have different ways of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
To me, success means having a world-changing dream or vision and being willing to chase that dream into fruition through character-building fire. It also means never giving up on that dream, no matter how difficult things may get.

Contact Info:

• Website: JamesBess.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesbessfoundation/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/James.Bess.Foundation/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7TJtkwkYrnmsKRVamC6PNw
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@jamesbessfoundation