Hello amazing humans, Jugbeh Charles here!
This Spring/Summer, I am deeply excited to celebrate both my birthday and the successful completion of my Master’s degree in Management. As I reflect on the journey that has brought me this far, I am filled with gratitude for the experiences, both personal and collective, that have shaped my life and strengthened my purpose.
Through those experiences, a foundation built on resilience, sacrifice, perseverance, and faith has been forged into a renewed commitment to service, empowerment, and impact.
Since childhood, I have carried a heart for helping others and being of service. Growing up in Liberia, I witnessed both beauty and hardship side by side. I saw brilliant young people abandon their dreams because they could not afford school fees. I watched women sacrifice their own goals to keep their families afloat. I saw children with disabilities overlooked, not because they lacked potential, but because they lacked access, opportunity, and support.
One memory that has never left me is watching children smile with pure joy over things many of us take for granted: a warm meal, a notebook, a hug, or simply someone believing in them. In those moments, I realized something powerful: changing a life does not always begin with millions of dollars. Sometimes, it begins with one act of compassion. One person choosing to care.
I have also witnessed hardship here in Colorado, where families, including mine, work multiple jobs and still struggle to provide stability and opportunity for their children. Those experiences reminded me that hardship may look different across communities, but its impact is deeply felt everywhere.
I returned to school to earn my Master’s degree in honor of women, mothers, and dreamers who wanted to continue their education but could not because of financial hardship, limited access, or life circumstances. I also did it to teach my daughters one important lesson: always finish what you started.
What many people may not know is that this journey was not easy. While working, raising my children, managing my family, and pursuing my degree, I was also helping my family navigate my grandmother’s battle with dementia. Watching someone you love slowly fade in memory while trying to remain strong for your family changes you deeply (RIP grandma). There were days filled with exhaustion, heartbreak, uncertainty, and emotional weight that many people never saw behind the scenes.
At the same time, our family experienced multiple losses and seasons of grief that tested us emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. Yet through every challenge, I kept moving forward with faith, purpose, and a commitment to building something greater than myself.
What many people may also not know is that while pursuing my degree, I was quietly building and developing the vision behind the Juds Charles Foundation. Between classes, work, motherhood, caregiving responsibilities both near and far, and life’s many challenges, countless hours were spent researching community needs, developing programs, building partnerships, strengthening organizational structures, and laying the foundation for an organization centered on inclusion, empowerment, and sustainable impact.
This is not just a project to me. This is my life’s mission.
This journey has never been just about earning a degree.
It has been about preparing myself intellectually, professionally, and personally to better serve communities in both Liberia and Colorado.
That purpose led me to create the Juds Charles Foundation alongside an exceptional team committed to building a more inclusive and empowered future. Through education, leadership development, financial literacy, advocacy, and community initiatives, we aim to empower persons with disabilities, youth, women, the elderly, and underserved communities.
This fundraiser is more than commemorating an achievement.
It is the beginning of a movement.
A movement rooted in dignity. Fueled by compassion. Committed to opportunity, inclusion, and lasting transformation.
Today, I am inviting you to please join us in our goal of raising $50,000 between now and the end of the year to support programs and initiatives that create meaningful opportunities and lasting impact for underserved communities.
Whether you contribute $5, $50, $500, or simply share this campaign, you are helping create opportunities for someone who may only need one chance to change the trajectory of their life. And for that, I am incredibly grateful.
I have learned to never underestimate the power of one act of kindness.
Donate. Share. Support.
Empower Every Ability. Transform Futures.
Thank you for being part of this movement through your support, your prayers, your generosity, and your willingness to share this campaign with others.
-Jugbeh