After traveling and living out of her car for a year, a girl drove to the only place she knew to go to.
She knocked on the door, put her back against it and slowly slid to the ground. When the door opened, surprised but loving eyes fell on her. No words were spoken–only hugs in affirmation.
She had no idea what to do or where else to go. Her dream had slipped through her hands.
The following 12 months of her life were a whirlwind of memories. After graduating with her Masters, getting married, acquiring her first job, and getting pregnant, she had to come right back home to be a stay-at-home mom.
This was not the life she expected.
Young, bound to a house, a city, and a family, she committed herself to doing what she thought was best for her new family; but she didn’t know when her own life could or would begin. There were only two dreams that she ever had or ever wanted. The first was supposed to fund the next—and that one had just fallen through the biggest invisible hole ever.
So what now?
On to the second dream? It seemed…impossible. Improbable. A one-stop shop for the family and, even more, the community. Mental health, spiritual health, physical health, emotional health. A community center, a daycare, a garden. Everything the community needed. But who was she? One woman. At home. No money. An education, but with no experience or a career.
“Build,” her husband said.
“With what?” she questioned.
“With me!”
So that’s what they did.
There was still much work to be done. She had no business plan. No money. No materials. So build from what? Every building starts as a dream. Their dream, as improbable as it sounded, was to create something practical, unique and applicable. So they began with what they knew.
She loved to teach (but just not in the classroom). Her husband spent his whole adult life working and training in the social arena, working with children, adults and families alike. So they started with simple packages: a summer program for kids, individual tutoring, relationship building, and dating intervention.
That was the beginning of TouchKC. And now, three years later, Travis and Jacquelyn have expanded. Contracting qualified workers to fill in the gaps and meet the needs of families in Greater Kansas City.
It has been their honor to impact families and work with other organizations in this beautiful city that they call home.