Jay Bride’s SOLVER Story

A guiding force in my life has been the spirit of my late grandfather, James “Pop” McHenry. I was fortunate to know him as a child before his untimely death, but over the years I have heard time and again what a beloved man he was. By all accounts, Pop carried himself with humility, grace and humor and treated everyone with equal respect. Yet Pop also had a deeper sense of purpose, to the extent that he put his own welfare in jeopardy to protect the greater welfare of humanity.

At the age of forty, Pop voluntarily joined the Marine Corps to fight in World War Two. Pop made this decision even as his stepson William was fighting in the South Pacific and it meant leaving his wife and two young daughters (my mother and aunt) suddenly alone. As a Yale graduate, a successful businessman, and a member of Baltimore society, he was offered an immediate officer’s commission and the likelihood of a desk job. But he declined that offer, going through boot camp at Parris Island like every other Marine “grunt.” Pop ended up fighting in the South Pacific; he survived but William was ultimately killed on Iwo Jima. Like most of his peers, Pop did not talk about his wartime experiences. He undoubtedly carried some level of trauma with him for the rest of his life, yet did not let it impact those around him.

“What drives me to serve the nonprofit community is knowing that for the good of humanity to flourish, courageous sacrifices sometimes need to be made.”

I see the same quiet courage and sacrifice in those who work in the global nonprofit community. Their “macro” challenges are clear; eliminating poverty and disease, building communities, protecting human rights. But it is the daily individual challenges, particularly in overseas work, that so many professional and volunteer workers face while fulfilling their organization’s mission. I am in awe of the courage, dedication and resolve our clients need to have just to make it through a workday sometimes.

What drives me to serve the nonprofit community is knowing that for the good of humanity to flourish, courageous sacrifices sometimes need to be made. Pop taught me this lesson by personally demonstrating it. Allegiant’s global nonprofits carry this lesson out every day and I am honored to support them.