Big impact through 'Start Small'

On my desk at home is a picture of a toddler, maybe 2 years old, sitting in a giant mud puddle. The girl has mud on her face, her arms, her legs. She is holding a cup, which I presume she used to dump more mud on herself. And she is smiling. She is enjoying herself. 

That was more than 30 years ago at my Uncle Frank’s farm in the Highwood Mountains above Belt, Mont. That girl was our youngest daughter, Jennie. We were at a family reunion, and I remember someone telling me, "You should go look at your daughter.” 

I did. 

I laughed, shook my head, grabbed my camera and marveled at her complete disregard for cleanliness, order and etiquette and instead, diving into what looked like a marvelous, messy adventure. She wasn't one then for sticking to the rules, the proper way of getting things done, and isn't today.

Unlike her father, she does not know fear. Never has. Not, at least, that I know of. And I continue to marvel at her willingness to test the waters. 

A graduate of Lake City High School and Boise State University, Jennie has always been one for challenges and seeing and experiencing new places. She has seen many countries, run many miles and met many people. But that’s not what I want to tell you about.  

Perhaps her greatest impact has been when she lived in Nakuru, Kenya. There, for about five years, she lived on her own, made little money and was the project coordinator for a nonprofit called “Start Small.” It’s fair to say she influenced hundreds, even thousands, of lives for the better. 

Start Small, in a nutshell, keeps kids in school through a sponsorship program. Remember, most of the people in Nakuru live in poverty and most schools are not free. Students must provide their own uniforms, textbooks, supplies, lunch and even pay for their own desk. Most families simply don’t have even an extra few dollars at the end of a month. 

Start Small goes beyond school. It monitors the students' health, progress in school, home environment and overall well-being. It has provided meals for families and Christmas gifts for children. When it started in 2012, it sponsored three kids. Today, it's nearly 100. It has helped many graduate from high school and even college, which was unthinkable without Start Small.

Jennie was dedicated, doing the work of three people. She recruited and kept sponsors, wrote updates on students, met with parents, led fundraising and was involved in community activities. Some days, she had to go to battle with school principals and bus drivers to be sure her kids were in the classrooms.

She put herself at risk. She ventured into what might be considered dangerous areas of Nakuru if a student or their family needed help. She lived on her own in a small house behind a walled compound with dogs Bear and Cuba as her protectors. I often worried about her safety, but she assured me it was fine.  

She faced heartbreaking situations.  

She was there when COVID swept through Kenya and jobs and food became even scarcer. 

A mother called one morning to say her baby passed away in the night because the hospital would not treat her, knowing she couldn’t pay the bill. 

They found a family one night sitting outside their home with nowhere to go, locked out for not paying the $30 rent. 

When Jennie was away, I Facetimed her often in the evening, and with the time difference I joined her on her morning walks and runs. Through her pictures, I saw the beauty of Kenya and its people. I could see why she loved both. 

Unlike her cynical father, Jennie has a compassionate heart to help those with little. It eats at her that so many she came to know in Kenya live in slums, hunger is constant, and there was only so much she could do. Yet, she saw they still found joy in the simplest, most basic of things, and that gave her hope. 

Earlier this year, Jennie moved back to United States. She decided it was time to be closer to family and even find a job that paid a livable wage. She settled in Boise, where she is a hero to her niece and nephew. 

I told her, based on my experience after leaving Hawaii and returning to Coeur d'Alene, she would come to miss it, regret her decision to leave and even ponder moving back. Perhaps she will. We hope not. 

She remains involved in Start Small, working from afar to help manage things. Organizers clearly trust her implicitly. 

Jennie once wrote a story about Start Small for The Press. She closed it with these words, and I'll do the same. 

“We are all doing our best. It is a scary and uncertain time, but the reality is, people all over the world live in scary and uncertain times every day. 

Start Small tries to offer hope to families who have often lost theirs. 

So if you can give, then give. 

If you can serve, serve. 

If you can smile, smile. 

Understand there is a whole world out there." 

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Bill Buley is assistant managing editor of The Press. He can be reached at bbuley@cdapress.com.