Humbled that his children were healthy, Jim was a board member of the Make A Wish Foundation of Eastern North Carolina for 8+ years. He has continued to be an active fundraiser and Wish granter for this chapter, helping to secure many wishes in-kind, fearlessly asking vendors for donations of items or contributions.
Since 2011 Jim has done a project called “Profit with a Purpose” with his classes at UNC’s Business school. Working in teams of two-three students come up with a product or service to sell. The profits generated are then donated to charity. In 2019, his two classes generated $130,000 in profits in four weeks, and in 2021, despite the pandemic his students generated $110,000 in profits to be donated. All told, over $400,000 has been generated and donated, with Make A Wish being the largest recipient.
While Jim has helped to grant dozens of Wishes, below are just some of the proudest and most fulfilling:
Katherine | Brandon | Krista | Nathan | Michael