The Need

When Jennifer began dating U.S. Navy sailor Mike Jacobson in 1991, the couple’s entire courtship was through overseas mail and calls. In his first letter to her, Mike wrote, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” Jennifer remembers, adding: “He did exactly that.”

Mike and Jennifer had been married nearly 30 years, and Mike was a pastor at Martins Lutheran Church near Casselton, N.D., when he was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. Mike announced the diagnosis to his congregation, telling them he planned to fight as hard as he could to beat the disease.

“He was positive throughout the 14-month journey,” Jennifer recalls.

Mike was surrounded by his family when he lost his battle with cancer in September 2022.

It was a terrible blow, and those who knew Mike and Jennifer – her friends, family and the community – rallied to her support. So did her family at Bell Bank, where Jennifer works in payroll.

“I wouldn’t have been able to make it through that first year, for sure, without the co-workers that I have,” she says.

Another source of comfort became an organization called Soaring Spirits International – which helps widowed people connect with each other, discover that other people “make it through,” and begin to imagine new paths for themselves.

Eventually, Jennifer was ready to give back to Soaring Spirits by paying it forward to the nonprofit that had helped her.

The Impact

Jennifer attended Camp Widow, the signature program of Soaring Spirits International.

“It’s kind of like a retreat and a conference and a reunion all baked into one,” says Soaring Spirits founder and CEO Michele Neff-Hernandez.

Almost immediately, Jennifer knew she wanted to use her Pay It Forward funds to help the nonprofit.

“I was just really moved by her generosity and her intention,” Michele says.

Jennifer’s Pay It Forward funds, augmented by those of her Bell colleagues, went directly to Camp Widow Houston, and also helped 20 children attend a Camp Widow kids’ program at no cost.

Spurred by her memories of Mike, Jennifer took her gift even further.

“Mike was one to push people outside their comfort zones,” she explains. “So I was asking if they had a regional group here in North Dakota, and they said, ‘No. Would you be interested in starting one?’ They sent me all the paperwork to start and do the training. It was a leap of faith.”

Pastor Mike’s spirit continues to inspire his widow – and through her so many others who see the resilience she embodies.

“Mike’s passing away makes me realize that good things do come out of bad things,” Jennifer says. “It has been a blessing for others, because I’ve been able to help.”

Through the Pay It Forward program, Bell gives employees money each year to donate to people in need and causes they care about.