2025 Just One Dash Hall of Fame Inductees
To celebrate the 5-year anniversary of Just One Dash, we are pleased to honor and recognize our inaugural 2025 JOD Hall of Fame inductees. These people exemplify what it means to live your best “Dash.”
Lauren and Sean Brynjelsen - To borrow a phrase from Father Britto Berchmans, my son and I eating at the same Deer Park Noodles in the summer of 2019 was a “Godincidence.” Lauren (Anderson) and I graduated from Saint James in Arlington Heights in 1986 (Go Bulldogs!). Despite the many years that had passed by since we last saw each other, we chatted while we waited for our orders. Shortly thereafter, we met at her “One Life Kitchen” in Barrington and I shared with her the vision I had for JOD to see what she thought. From that day forward, there has been no bigger JOD supporters than Lauren and Sean. Simply put, JOD would not have survived to this point without their generosity, encouragement, and support. Thank goodness for my son Lukas’ love of buttered noodles!
Luz Essex - Better known as “Hotel Grandma.” Originally from Peru, Luz lives in Tampa and, on the surface, seems like an unlikely candidate for a Chicago area-based Hall of Fame. Despite limited means, she has consistently been a donor to JOD. She is also a faithful reader of my newsletters! JOD could use 100 more people like Luz. Sometimes small things make a big difference.
Manisha Mishra - Manisha is a JOD original Board Member. All you need to know about Manisha can be summed up in her Instagram handle - The Life of Kindness. She is an example of the idiom “she doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.” If there is a way to help, you can count on Manisha raising her hand. When her friends threw her a “25th” birthday party she insisted that, instead of gifts, attendees donate to “Just One Dash”. She truly lives a life of kindness.
William and Karen Geary - I call them mom and dad. My dad passed a few months before JOD received our charter, but his presence lives on, and I would not be where I am or the type of person I am without my dad. Even from heaven, my dad helped kickstart JOD when my family asked, in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to JOD. Thus, we were able to help our first families.
My mom loves being a mother (and now grandmother and great-grandmother). If you need help, call my mom. If you want an incredible home cooked meal, call my mom. Our JOD families have all been the beneficiary of her homemade chocolate chip cookies! She is selfless. She is supportive. There would be no JOD without my parents.
It pains me to omit other deserving candidates. If you have helped JOD in any way, shape, or form, I am truly thankful and grateful. Thank you for blessing our families with your kindness and generosity.
There is much work to be done and some amazing moms and their children who hopefully will continue to benefit and prosper with your support. We would be grateful if you could make sure we can help them live their best dash life.
Below is a link to our fundraiser page: