Our Impact

The JBCCP is proud to say our small grant program has made big impacts. Early in this third year of operation we have already given one grant of $5000 (after 12 grants in 2025) to a family that has lived with ALS and invasive mechanical ventilation for 11 years. Charlie Wren and his wife Angelina have been going it essentially alone – imagine, if you can – in their small home in Central California. Our grant is allowing Angelina to get additional help to care for Charlie – a rare “luxury” for them.

We know how the stakes rise when a person chooses intubation to prolong life. It thrusts people into perpetual uncertainty about how the increased care needs will be met as time goes on with dwindling finances. A home healthcare industry estimate of the minimum number of caregivers needed to safely care for a medically complex person such as Charlie is four. To create and sustain such a team of caregivers is a distant dream for all but the most well-off or extremely fortunate. Charlie has only Angelina. This puts the health of both of them in a precarious position, making grants like ours a true life-line. If you’d like to learn more about Charlie and Angelina, they appear in the PBS documentary Matter of Mind – My ALS. https://www.pbs.org/video/matter-of-mind-my-als-xvyhjd/

We are still a small and completely volunteer organization with rock bottom overhead. Nearly every penny of what comes in from donors goes quickly out to our recipients who need it. Apart from insurance and a few postage stamps we have almost no expenses. We love our “farm to table” approach and it is working great on a small scale. Help us scale this miracle up and give people with ALS and their families and caregivers more of a reason to keep fighting for breath. Your donations are 100% tax deductible and nearly 100% goes to people like Charlie and Angelina who are waiting for a cure while coping with relentless care needs. If we can’t yet give the cure, let’s at least respond to that need.