Brooke’s Journey

The Story Behind JAM

Sometimes purpose begins in the places we never expected to find ourselves.

Where it Began

I grew up in a close-knit family deeply rooted in the church. As a pastor’s daughter, faith was more than just church on Sunday, it was part of the rhythm of our lives.

Disability was part of my world, too. My younger brother, Jordan, had autism, and growing up alongside him gave me an early perspective on inclusion, understanding, and what it means to make room for people whose needs look different from our own.

At the time, I had no idea those experiences were preparing me for anything. They were simply part of my life.

Years later, when I became a mother to a child with multiple disabilities, I began seeing some of those same experiences through an entirely different lens. And eventually, the pieces started coming together.

When It Became Personal

Years later, I found myself on the other side of an experience I thought I understood.

When we began attending church with our children, I expected to find the same sense of belonging I had always associated with church. Instead, we experienced something I wasn’t prepared for. In multiple churches, our family was treated differently because our son was different.

For the first time, I understood what it felt like to walk into a church hoping to find a home and instead feel like an outsider.

I was hurt. I was shocked. And honestly, I was in disbelief.

But that experience also forced me to look at something bigger. I began to realize that many churches weren’t necessarily unwilling to welcome families like mine. They simply didn’t understand what inclusion required or know where to begin.

That realization changed the direction of everything.

From Experience To Purpose

I couldn’t change what our family had experienced, but I could decide what I did with it.

My 10 years in education and 20 years in leadership taught me how to listen, identify gaps, develop practical solutions, and help people navigate change. I began to realize those skills could serve a very different purpose.

I wanted to help churches understand how to be more inclusive. Teach them how to listen to the disability community, recognize barriers they may not see, and build practical solutions that work within their individual congregations.

That vision became JAM Agency.

And the name is deeply personal. JAM carries the initials of my late younger brother, Jordan. Growing up alongside him helped shape my earliest understanding of disability, and carrying his initials into this work is one small way his influence continues forward.

JAM was born from both personal experience and a belief I still carry today: the Church can do better when we give people the understanding, tools, and support to do better.

A Story Worth Sharing

What began as a deeply personal journey has grown into an opportunity to advocate, educate, and start conversations beyond my own community.

I was honored to have my story and the work behind JAM Agency recognized by Influential Women.

A Place To Call Home

Through everything I’ve experienced, as a sister, a mother, an educator, and a person who has spent much of her life within the Church, one belief has remained at the center of this work:

People with disabilities and their families deserve more than an invitation through the door. They deserve to belong.

True inclusion isn’t about creating a perfect church or having an answer for every need. It’s about being willing to listen, learn adapt and make room for people whose needs may look different from our own.

That is the work I believe the Church is capable of doing. And it’s why JAM exists. To walk alongside the church as they learn, grow, and create communities where more people can worship, participate, serve, and be known.

Every person deserves the opportunity to find a place to call home.