A Note From the Director Regarding Our Start

I was raised in a Christian home by parents who taught my five siblings and me to love and care for others.  My parents instilled in us the value of living our Christian faith and not just going through the Sunday motions of being at church.  The Bible passage in 1 John 3: 17-18 reads, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.”  

Following the death of my father in 1999 and my mother in 2015, I inherited a small amount of money.  It was money that I had not earned and knew my parents had worked very hard to acquire.  Raising six children on the salary of a textile worker’s salary was no easy feat. It had required my parents to farm on the side in order to feed us, and they “scrimped and saved” so we could all attend college. “What should I do with the money?” I asked myself. Was there a way I could honor my parents and follow God’s directions to help others with the money they had left? God had been good to me, and I am blessed to have a supportive husband, who also believes in helping others. I prayed about a way I could take a little money, apply some work and effort, and with God’s blessing then multiple my parent’s money to help others. 

With encouragement from friends, family, and a supportive board of directors, we were able to launch Jenny Appleseed Organization with the funds I inherited from my parents.  Many people are familiar with the Johnny Appleseed song in which he sings about God being good to him.  Johnny Appleseed felt himself to be blessed, and in turn planted and grew apple trees to bless others. We embraced the concept found in the story of Johnny Appleseed. Instead of trees, we plant programs which help others. It is our hope our programs will flourish and grow with support of others.

We decided to focus on two vulnerable groups of people -our elderly and our children. Many children are growing up without their needs met in many areas and cannot advocate for themselves. Likewise, many elderly individuals also cannot advocate for themselves as they struggle with mental and physical demands placed on them from aging and disease.

Thank you for taking the time to read about our small but hopefully impactful charity. Sometimes one little seed can grow the most wonderful fruit!

Jennifer Orsak