Shine a Light on Joy w/ The Jessie Rees Foundation

Shine a Light on Joy

😢 The Worst Day Ever is when you Hear your Child will Die of Cancer and there is Nothing You Can Do. But, the Battle that Follows is Bringing Purpose to the Pain. Therefore, join the Fight to Cure a Bad Day for Children Battling Cancer and Shine a Light of Joy by joining Erik Rees, Dan Hoffman and the Jessie Rees Foundation Gala at the SpyScape Museum in New York this May 18th. Check it out in the notes Below.

 
🙏 What We Discuss with Erik and Dan:

 ⁃       The Worst News Ever, that Your Child Will Die of Cancer

⁃       Curing a Bad Day for Children with Cancer

⁃       SpyScape Museum Gala in New York & the Intersection of Fighting Spies and Cancer

⁃       Shining a Light on Joy

⁃       Bringing Purpose to Pain

About the Jessie Rees Foundation:

For more than 30 years, Erik Rees has dedicated himself to empowering people to use their lives to helping others. Erik began his career in 1993 as a pastor, strategist and trainer at world-renowned Saddleback Church, where he helped grow the congregation from 3,000 to more than 30,000 followers over a 20-year period. During this amazing time he helped train church leaders around the world on keys to building an "Empowering Church". In addition, he wrote several best selling's books: SHAPE: Finding & Fulfilling Your Purpose In Life and Only You Can Be You: 21 Days to Living Your Purpose.

On March 3, 2011 he and his wife, Stacey, were told their 11 year old daughter, Jessie, had terminal brain cancer. As Jessie started her treatment at Children's Hospital of Orange County, she discovered there were many other kids fighting cancer that couldn't leave the hospital. Upon hearing this news, Jessie created her fun-filled JoyJars to hand out. She also created and adopted her NEGU (Never Ever Give Up) message and motto, which she loved sharing. Sadly Jessie lost her fight to cancer on January 5, 2012.

Under the daily leadership with his wife, the Jessie Rees Foundation has become a beacon of help and hope for all children impacted by cancer. Since 2011, the foundation has raised over $32M, teamed up with over 40,000 volunteers, sent out over 420,000 JoyJars, and given away over $2.5M in financial support. 

🙏 Thanks, Erik! Reach out, connect, and follow The Jessie Rees Foundation across their social platforms:

-       LinkedIn:

Pre-Order my Latest Book: "Unbreakable Alliances: A Spy Recruiters Authoritative Guide to Cultivating Powerful & Lasting Connections" HERE

Unlocking the Power of Trust: Keynote Speaker Robin Dreeke Shares Secrets to Creating Allies - Robin is the former Chief of the FBI's Counterintelligence Behavioral Analysis Program. With over 30 years of experience in recruiting spies and building trust, Robin is the world-renowned speaker you need. Don't miss out on the opportunity to learn from a true expert. Contact us now to book your event! Click HERE to book a time to chat.

🤔 Take Robin's FREE YouTube Keys to Communication Online Course HERE.

😃 Check out Robin's Speaking, and Training Services HERE.

Transcript

Robin: 0:06

We may not be able to cure childhood cancer today, but we can cure a bad day for child fighting cancer right now. Welcome to the Forged By Trust podcast. I'm your host, Robin Dreeke, executive coach, former US Marine, spy recruiter, bestselling author, and your trust and communication expert. Today's episode, Shine A Light on Joy is with my good friend Daniel Hoffman, and c e o and co-founder of the Jessie Rees Foundation. Erik Reese. Want to hear how you can make an impact on childhood cancer and spread joy to families who are in the midst of a hard fought battle with cancer? Then listen in on today's episode as we explore two individual stories who have chosen to turn their pain into purpose, and joining forces to make an impact in the city of New York. We're going to walk through what it looks like to provide support to families who are looking for community and care and how that support turns into a bond of trust, instilling resilience in each child that the Jessie Rees Foundation comes in touch with. Coming up next on the Forged By Trust podcast.

Erik: 1:09

I miss her every day, but March 3rd, 2011 my wife Stacy and I were told that our healthy, wonderful, beautiful little 11 year old girl Jessie had cancer. We got 10 months and two days with her. So January 5th, 2012 she moved to heaven. And before that time, she and her friends and family made over 3000 joy jars. And so that's what the Jessie Rees Foundation does. We don't cure childhood cancer. We cure bad days caused by childhood cancer.

Dan: 1:43

At SpyScape, we'll have Jennifer Griffin, who, her herself Survivor of cancer. She will be the mc that night. She's one of my colleagues at Fox News and I'll be there and we'll be sharing some stories about how the world of national security intersects more than folks might think. With fighting cancer.

Robin: 2:25

Today's episode, Shine A Light On Joy, is with two dear friends Dan Hoffman and Erik Rees. For more than 30 years, Erik Rees has dedicated himself to empowering people to use their lives, to helping others. Erik began his career in 1993 as a pastor, strategist and trainer at World renowned Saddleback Church, where he helped grow the congregation from 3000 to more than 30,000 followers over a 20 year period. During this amazing time, he helped train church leaders around the world on keys to building an empowering church. In addition, he wrote several bestselling books, Shape, finding and Fulfilling Your Purpose in Life. And Only You Can Be You, 21 Days to Living Your Purpose. On March 3rd, 2011, he and his wife Stacy were told their 11 year old daughter Jessie had terminal brain. As Jessie started her treatment at Children's Hospital of Orange County, she discovered there were many other kids fighting cancer that couldn't leave the hospital. Upon hearing this news, Jessie created her fun-filled joy jars to hand out. She also created and adopted her N E G U. Never ever give up message and motto, which she loved sharing. Sadly, Jesse lost her fight to cancer on January 5th, 2012. Under the daily leadership with his wife. The Jessie Rees Foundation has become a beacon of help and hope for all children impacted by cancer. Since 2011, the foundation has raised over 32 million. Teamed up with over 40,000 volunteers, sent out over 420,000 joy jars and given away over 2.5 million in support. To learn more about the impact made worldwide, please visit www.negu.org. Eric and Stacy live in Orange County, California, with their dogs and are close to their other two grown children, Shaya and JT. During the episode today, we talk about the worst news ever that your child will die of cancer. Curing a bad day for kids with cancer. SpyScape Museum Gala in New York, shining a light on joy. The intersection of fighting spies and cancer and bringing purpose to pain. Erik Rees, Dan Hoffman. All I can do is with my humble gratitude. Thank you for joining me on the Forged by

Erik: 4:47

Trust podcast. Oh, Robin, thank you. Such an honor.

Robin: 4:52

And it's an unusual circumstance where I have multiples on the show, but this is really an important cause that we're getting together for. And Dan, you and I chatted with your son and Grant from the Jessie Rees Foundation last year. And this is in honor of your wife, Kim, and we'll get him into more than a second. But, we're coming up on, two years since your wife has passed and you're doing some amazing things with Jessie Rees Foundation and her dad, Erik, who's on the show today. So before we get going on that, Erik, why don't you tell us a little bit about the spark. And the reason behind what forged what is such an important movement in the world. And that's the Jessie

Erik: 5:32

Rees Foundation. Well, thank you Robin and for having me on and allowing me to share about my daughter. Obviously I miss her every day, but March 3rd, 2011 my wife Stacy and I were told that our healthy, wonderful, beautiful little 11 year old girl Jessie had cancer. Obviously the worst news any family could ever hear, hearing that your child has cancer. And then they went on to say, unfortunately it's incurable and inoperable and you have 12 to 18 months with her. So there was a time clock now ticking on our daughter's life and it was very, very chaotic to. Going through those initial days I was on a mission to find a doctor somewhere in the world that would prove the doctors here in California wrong. And I sought over 45 second opinions, and unfortunately every one of'em came back that Jessie had this brain tumor in her brain stem, and there was nothing anybody could do. So we had to put a clinical trial. And that consisted of taking her to the local children's hospital to get radiation, chemotherapy and all those kinds of things. And about three weeks into her treatment plan we were driving out of the parking garage there at the hospital and Jessie was in the backseat. My wife Stacy was next to me. And Jess just simply said, out of the back of the the car, she's like, mom, dad, when do all the other kids get to come home? And I remember pointing to the third floor of the hospital, which was the oncology floor, and I was trying to tell her that Jess, you know, there's some kids that fight different types of cancer that cause them to stay in the hospital for weeks and days. And unfortunately some spend multiple months. And the next words out of her mouth, one statement, five words changed forever, changed my life cuz she said, how can we help? And to be honest guys, I wasn't thinking about them. I was trying to save my daughter's life. But she had this burden for the kids that couldn't leave the hospital. So we came home and my wife and I were talking about what we were hearing about Jessie and her treatment plans and stuff. And Jess had taken the initiative to go to the kitchen table or the island there, and she got out some of our brown paper lunch bags and she started writing on. You know, joy, smile, brave, courageous, and just putting stickers on'em. I was like, what are you doing? She goes, well, I was gonna put my beanie babies in these bags and we could take'em to the kids. And I was like, you really serious? You really want to do something for these kids that are fighting cancer but can't leave the hospital? And she said, yes. So we checked with the hospital to make sure she could do it, and then we found out that there, you know, were certain rules and, you know, obviously age appropriate toys, nothing sharp, nothing choking, no f no foods, lotions, different types of things. And they didn't like the idea of a, of a bag because of these kids that had compromised immune systems. And so we had to come up with a different vehicle. And that weekend we sat around as a family and Jessie saw a jar on a shelf and she said, what about a jar? And so, you know, long story short Jessie's middle name was Joy. So we took joy and jars and created joy jars. Unfortunately, Jesse didn't live 12 to 18 months. We got 10 months and two days with her. So January 5th, 2012 she moved to heaven. And before that time, she and her friends and family made over 3000 joy jars. And while things were. People were wanting more and more of these joy jars for kids in various hospitals. Stacy and I, my wife, decided to create a foundation. And I remember asking Jessie, do you want your foundation to be about care or to be about cure? And she said, care daddy. And so that's what the Jessie Rees Foundation does. We don't cure childhood cancer. We cure bad days caused by childhood cancer. And one of the many ways we do that is through joy jars. And so through the help of so many companies and incredible generosity of people, we now have sent out over 425,000 joy jars to kids fighting cancer in all 50 states and 53 countries. And I can't wait for the cure people to put me out of business. That'd be a great day. No more childhood cancer. But until that time, 400,000 more children are diagnosed with cancer every year, and so our mission is to encourage every one of'em to never, ever give up. And send them some joy and give them boosts of love and help their family, and help their parents and their super sibs to continue to fight. So they know that they're not alone. But they're very well loved because when you hear your child has cancer, it becomes a very lonely space.

Robin: 10:14

Thank you. Thank you so much for having a bravery to share it and the courage to have such a inspirational cause in life that you give everyone else a purpose to keep moving, cuz I know it's not easy to do that. Dan, what's your connection with the Jessie Reec Foundation?

Dan: 10:31

You know our families are intertwined because of two people who left this earth far too soon. My wife Kim, was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer of the pancreas, back in January, 2017. She fought hard for, for four years and passed away almost exactly two years ago. And I can tell you to what Erik said there was nothing that brightened her day more than when she knew somebody was with her. And somebody was, you know, this is an adult thing, but someone would bring her a cup of coffee and, and, and hang out with her, go for a walk with her and just show her that they cared. That gave her a lot of, of, of joy. It gave her a lot of resilience. And you know, the, the other person of course is Jessie Rees, and I never met Jessie Rees and Erik's never met my Kim, but that's why our families are intertwined. And I am deeply thankful to Jessie Rees. I, I wish I could somehow thank her. The best I can do is be thankful to, to her dad and her family, and all of those great volunteers and staffers at the Jessie Rees Foundation because they give our family an opportunity to commit ourselves to the philanthropy that that comforts our hearts. My sons are, are 10 and 13, and all three of us seek to honor Kim's memory, and this is the best way we feel like we can do it.

Robin: 11:46

Dan, you had a truly inspirational moment back in October, when your son Jerron really wanted to do a fundraiser for the Jessie Rees Foundation. Can you tell me a little bit about that? What was that event and what happens at these things?

Dan: 12:01

So I, I, you know, not surprisingly had the same conversation with my son Jerron, when he was then 12 years. That Eric had with Jessie. I, he wanted to do something connected with cancer to honor his mom's memory. And, and I asked him, well, do you wanna work on the care or the cure? And he said, dad, the, the cure is, so, it's just, it's very hard for somebody like me to have an impact, but I think I can help people who have cancer. And he wanted to help kids like him. He had empathy as a kid himself, and he said, dad, Jessie Rees was, she was the same age I am now when she passed away. And so Jerron committed himself to raising money so we could have a Mobile Joy Jar event in Northern Virginia, and he raised$200,000 and we stuffed 3000 jars full of joy for kids in the fight for their life against pediatric cancer. Jerron was on one of your podcasts. He gave an interview for television and committed himself, his heart and his soul to this. And I will tell you what. Meant so much to me that day. You know, we had two shifts, three hours each, and my sons also ran a basketball practice with Coach Faith. And so they sweated out for an hour doing basketball in between the two shifts. And at the end of the day when everyone had gone home, except for the Jessie Rees Foundation staff and volunteers, Erik was there, of course, and one of our friends we were just moving the boxes that we had filled with joy jars to the crates to ship them all over the world. As Erik. And my son Nathan, was still moving boxes and he still had the same energy that he had when he showed up at eight 30 in the morning. And I asked him, I said, Nathan, how is it that you have all this energy? You know, and how could you be doing this? You, you should be tired by now. And he said, dad, we're stuffing Joy jars today. Not tomorrow, not next week. Today, dad. He went off and continued to do that work that he was. And it just drove that point for me. Look, some days matter more than others. And on that day that was, that was his mom's everlasting love, inspiring him to do something great. And that's why we have a lifelong commitment to working with the Jessie Rees Foundation. We'll get into more of this, I'm sure in a few moments about our gala that we planned in New York City at SpyScape Museum in May. But this is something we're gonna be working with the Jessie Rees Foundation forever. My children want to do it. So do I. This is giving us all life, a lot of purpose in life. You know, I, people ask me like, why do you put your feet on the floor in the morning? Well, for me, it's for my kids, and it's for the Jessie Rees Foundation.

Robin: 14:29

I'll tell you, there's nothing more energizing than bringing the joy to those around you and those that are especially suffering and having a bad day. Erik, tell me about the gala that Dan just mentioned. What are we doing?

Erik: 14:42

Well, again because of Dan and his family and his relationships, we get the honor of coming out to New York on May 18th, Thursday evening. And as Dan mentioned we're gonna be at Spy Scape. It's gonna be an incredible evening. There's a lot of wonderful things planned. We've got this very, very Polished Irish tenor that's gonna be singing just incredible talent. But why are we coming? Well, if you look behind me, the name of the event is Shine a Light on Joy. And so you gotta think like, why did we pick that title for a gala? Because it was very intentional. Our hope is that the generosity of people that come that night will help us shine a light on joy, because as I said, when you hear your child has cancer, it's very dark, and I don't know anybody that enjoys being in the dark. Being in the light is good and positive and fun. And we want to rally the New York base to help us shine a light on joy for kids fighting cancer. We work with over 280 children's hospitals and many of them are in the northeast. And do the d do the, just the simple density of population. There's thousands of children in the Northeast fighting cancer right now. And our, our hope is to raise well significant amount of money so we can send every one of those kids a joy jar and start a relationship because it's very important for people that are watching. We don't. Send out joy jars. Yes. That's the tip of the spear from a strategy standpoint. But because of hipaa, I can't go to Google and download a database of every kid fighting cancer, but I know they're out there. So we work with Ronald McDonald's house, at children's hospitals, oncology camps, all these charity partners around the world, and we send joy jars to them. They then dispense them to the kids in that they're caring for. And then inside the jar in the box that arrives in is information for the family to come to our website and ta tell us about them. And so Joy Jars helps us start a relationship with these families. And then Club NEGU, which is this 18 month encouragement program for parents, super sibs and the courageous kid, helps us strengthen and sustain that relationship because the, the concept of never, ever giving up. A unique constant reinforcement. It's really about resiliency. It's about a mindset to keep fighting. And so the opportunity to come to New York team up with Dan and his family and his network and so many wonderful general generous people that are gonna be there to raise awareness of childhood cancer, raise resources to spread more joy so these families don't feel they're in the dark. They feel that there is a community of people, people they maybe never will meet personally, but a community out there that cares about'em and wants them to never feel alone and always feel loved. So we're stoked to come out and hold this event on May 18th at SpyScape.

Robin: 18:01

It's beautiful. Dan, what can people expect to get and see and experience when they come to SpyScape? And tell us a little bit about SpyScape and the location. So Spy

Dan: 18:12

Scape is downtown Manhattan. It's an amazing museum. If you wanna learn about the history of espionage, that's the best place to do it. It's very interactive. You can, you can learn whether you would be a good c i a spy or maybe you'd be better at, at, at cyber. It, it's a wonderful place and wonderful history and it's got. Some kind of kitschy elements too, where you've got James Bond's cars there and, and a whole lot of cool stuff. So just visiting the museum is a lot of fun. And then the connection, like why spy scape? Well, there's a pretty great connection between espionage, I think, and fighting cancer. You know, the mission of the intelligence community where you and I served for decades. Detect threats way out left of boom. So we could preempt them before they cause harm. We would like to do that, as Erik said, we'd like to solve cancer so that Eric and I can put our feet up by the beach and not ha not do this anymore. But that's not. In the realm of the possible, and sometimes things go boom and how you react on those days and how you deal with that is something I know you and I have had to deal with for years. That's part of the intelligence work. You prepare for the worst and you gather all your resources and you support people who need the support after they've undergone a stressful time. And then the idea of never ever giving up. I have exfiltrated sources from harm's way. Behind terrorist enemy lines or other places in the former Soviet Union. And it was always incumbent upon us to encourage our sources. Never, ever give up. We're gonna come get you. We're gonna make sure that we bring you to safety that night. At SpyScape we'll have Jennifer Griffin, who, her herself Survivor of cancer. She will be the mc that night. She's one of my colleagues at Fox News and I'll be there and we'll be sharing some stories about how about how the world of national security intersects more than folks might think. With fighting cancer. And so we think this is, it's a great opportunity Erik mentioned. We've got the Irish tenor coming to sing God Bless America, among other among other songs. And and it's a wonderful venue and we're just honored that that SpyScape museum and John Hunt, who, who, who who runs it has been so gracious and generous to allow us to use that glorious space for this great cause.

Robin: 20:22

It's gonna be an amazing, I'm looking forward to it greatly.

Erik: 20:25

One thing I thought you guys would both appreciate I was talking with Grant who was on our team that's working very intimately with Dan to pull this event off and he was sharing with me about a lady that is helping coordinate on the SpyScape side and her son when he was five, was fighting cancer and received a joy jar. So it's like so incredible to like, I would've never known that this jar reached a family in New York. Something really cool that this woman that works at SpyScape actually knew about us and her son obviously is doing great, but sh he was a recipient of the, of a joy jar and so we're excited to shine a light on this dark time of families that have to hear the news your child has cancer and spread some joy.

Robin: 21:13

Absolutely. So Erik, For people that can't make the gala, what kind of things can they do as a call to action to be involved?

Erik: 21:22

So yeah, anybody wanting to participate and support the event and be there, go NEGU.Org and make a donation. Awesome.

Robin: 21:30

And so, gentlemen, it's been an amazing event to listen to and have you all share your experiences with the Jessie Rees Foundation. Who are some of the people you'd like to thank? Dan, I'll start with you.

Dan: 21:43

I'm gonna start by thanking you Robin, because you've given us an opportunity to. Shine a light on the great work that the Jessie Rees Foundation is doing. And honestly, the questions you asked when we did the first podcast helped me frame how we would approach the work that we're doing together. So I deeply appreciate that. The person I'm most thankful to is Jessie Rees. You know I wrote a column a while back and I quoted the philosopher William James, who said that the greatest use of a life is to spend it on something that will outlast it. Hmm. And how someone who, who left this earth far too soon, at age 12, I told Erik, came to my house. We had dinner together, and I said, you're not supposed to outlast your children. Your children should, should outlive you. And I, I just, you know, I, my heart breaks for the Rees family, and I, I'm so deeply thankful to Jessie Rees because. Because she's shown us the path. She's shown my kids the path and me as well, you know, to honor my wife and to do some good in the world. And to Erik's point about a young boy, you know, who, who survived beat Cancer and received a joy jar. And, and it happens that his mother is working at SpyScape. And that's what makes it a pretty small world. Yeah, the joy jars. Look, I know medicine and, and one of the things that, that I like to talk about is that there's no certainty in life. I, I think to me, the only thing I've always said, the only thing I'm certain about is I love my wife and kids. Love. That's it. I can't go beyond that. And so when you're thinking about beating cancer, it's very hard to measure the value of receiving a joy jar. And yet there is great value. To making a child more resilient and more able to fight back against cancer. And when somebody's in the fight for their lives against pediatric cancer, getting a joy jar can make the difference and can give you the right kind of positive mental outlook that you need to beat it. It's not just about the chemicals that they're throwing at you to beat the cancer. It's about your mindset. And Erik and I know that from having kids who, who swam competitively and the importance of, of gearing yourself up mentally for what you're about to do I just can't emphasize enough. This is, there's incredible value in, in terms of giving these kids a chance to fight back and, and fight back more effectively against cancer. So again, I'm, I'm. deeply thankful to, to Jessie Rees for showing us the way at such a young age for how to do this right. And it's, it follows that a child undergoing this herself would have the empathy to see the world through the eyes of other kids in the same sort of fight she was in for their lives. But then to do something about it is what makes it extra special. She was an extraordinary person, Erik, and it's an honor to be to, to know you and to know your family and to be engaged in this righteous work together.

Erik: 24:36

And I couldn't Thank you so much.

Robin: 24:38

It truly is, Dan, as you're saying it, it's dumbfounding unless you've experienced it and you can imagine it as we're sharing here. But like you're saying, you take the chemicals and the treatments aside. The love and energy that goes into one jar from a group of people coming together for hours on end with nothing but smiles and love on their faces and in their hearts, and put it, it doesn't matter even what's in the jar at that point. Because when a child and a family receives that, it's not just the materialism in there. The, the, that positive energy, love, and prayers that come out of that is profound. Erik, how about you?

Erik: 25:18

For thanks. Well, I, you know, like Dan said, I thank you for giving us this opportunity to, you know get the message out that this awesome event is coming and that we need people signing up so we can spread more joy. In the Northeast coming this, this summer. So, you know, we are very grateful for those that will be there. I also am super thankful for Kim Hoffman, you know, behind every guy as a greater wife. And I believe Jarron had a caring heart, not just because of his wonderful dad. But because of his mom. And I thank Kim for creating a culture that, that molded Jerron and, and Nate to care about others. And as Dan was saying, Nate was there working his tail off till the very end. He didn't have to but he chose to. And so I'm very grateful for Kim Hoffman and what she Chose to cultivate in her young boys that have now allowed us to meet and be on this this podcast together. And obviously I'm super grateful and thankful. And obviously to my, to my wife and to our kids. But to Jessie I'm so grateful that she left me purpose for my pain and that I can do something beyond myself. To try to spread a little joy and to bring a little hope to some families in a really, really unfortunate situation. And so you know, we're better together. And I believe that the more people that unite and choose to help kids fighting cancer never ever give up. The more that we can do and the more joy that we can spread. So we're super excited. To come out to SpyScape in May, and I hope your listeners choose to go to the website and sign up and join us for an incredible evening of, of obviously good entertainment. A beautiful place, but a purpose beyond ourselves to extend an arm of love and joy, and hope to these innocent children that unfortunately are fighting this terrible disease.

Robin: 27:10

Your daughter left you a purpose for the pain that is. Poetic. Beautiful way to state it. Gentlemen, what's something I should have asked you that I forgot to ask you that either of you wanted to make sure you shared before we sign off?

Erik: 27:22

Robin, you've done a great job of asking incredible questions, and I just, again, thank you and thank your viewers for listening, and please make a decision and, and join us at SpyScape on May 18th, so we can together shine a light on Joy for kids fighting Cancer.

Robin: 27:37

Absolutely. Dan, anything that's, you

Dan: 27:40

got me, I, I, at a loss for further words. Erik summed it up beautifully.

Robin: 27:46

Perfect gentlemen, and for everyone listening, please check out the show notes. All the links are in the show notes. Join the community of giving a jar of joy to a child that you're not gonna be able to maybe cure today, but you can definitely bring a ray of light hope and inspiration. So anyway, thanks everyone for coming on and I truly, I'm profoundly thankful for both of you and my life and, and giving me a purpose as well. So thank you very much. Thank

Erik: 28:11

you.

Robin: 28:11

Thank you for tuning into this special episode of Forged By Trust. If you wanna pitch in, make a tremendous difference in the life of a child and family battling cancer, then go to the show notes and attend the gala and or make a donation today to the Jessie Rees Foundation.