JACK-TO-JACK RENOVATION REFLECTION FROM CHAMPION DUSTIN CESAREK

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A meme I found on the Internet once read “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” I don’t know about you but that is some solid advice that I regularly don’t follow. However, that doesn’t mean you should rest on your laurels either, right?

After years of letting our Jack-to-Jack Program run on autopilot (and that autopilot’s name is Kyle Woody), we decided 2022 was the year to look under the hood and hope the cobwebs weren’t too thick. What we found was an inspiring group of guys – active caregivers, guys transitioning to Sequel Makers, and some guys with the opportunity to return to a post-treatment life – all choosing to step out of their own situation and make space for our members to feel heard, have their emotions validated, and celebrate wins in a one-on-one environment that is created just for them. Our Coaches are amazing people and when I learned from our community-wide survey that the Jack-to-Jack Program is viewed as the most important program we offer, I got even more excited about finding ways to support our Coaches and elevate this program.

But how do we elevate what is already great? I honestly don’t know – we still haven’t found anyone doing this the way we are – but this is a sample of what we are going to do and next year we will let you know if it worked:

• Currently our Coaches have profiles on our website, which members can review when looking for a Coach or to get a feel for the Coach they are paired with. We are digging into the content of these profiles to make sure the variables we use to pair our Coaches and their Coachees are the same as what our members are looking for in a Coach. 

 

• We are immensely grateful for the “pay it forward” attitude that is universal among our Coaches, but wanting to help is not the same as being able to help. We are developing an application process for our Coaches that is about as close to a rubber stamp as possible but still allows us to gauge whether being a Coach is the best way for a member to contribute. 

 

• Over the last year we heard time and again that our Coaches felt a little adrift regarding our expectations of them. We are going to start checking in on the regular to make sure our Coaches feel seen. We’re ready to hold space for our coaches or step into the fire with them if need be. • Of course, we don’t just want our Coaches to feel equipped, we want them to be equipped so they can be champions for our community. We are going to develop a variety of content, from on-demand trainings and organized Coach gatherings to guides containing icebreakers for first contact and calendars so our Coaches can more easily track their own checkins because our Coaches have a lot going on too and they are all volunteers.

I am grateful to all of our Coaches who met with me one-on-one, participated in our workshops, and helped come up with these amazing ideas that Kyle, Jeff, Haley, and I now get to create. We are changing lives together. - Dustin Cesarek