Toby Doeden started the 4J Foundation for one very simple reason: To assist those in need. Our founder, Toby Doeden, made a promise to himself at a very young age. The promise he made to himself was if he was ever fortunate enough to be in a position to help others that he would. Toby believes that the 4J Foundation can do the most good by focusing their efforts in Aberdeen & surrounding areas. Toby believes in helping people directly. The 4J Foundation wasn't formed just to raise funds and distribute them, although that is part of what we do. Toby believes firmly that the Foundation can also be helpful with time, resources, knowledge, and hands on assistance to those in need.
So where did the 4J Foundation name derive from? Toby, and his wife Elizabeth, have four children. Their names are Jackson, Josephine, Jennie, and Jonathan. I think you probably see the trend here, all of their names begin with the letter "J". Toby and Liz had their four children at very young ages. When their youngest child, Jonathan, was born Toby was 27 years old and Liz was only 25 years old. Needless to say things were not easy and for many years Toby and Liz struggled to earn enough money to provide even the basic necessities for their children. It was during that time Toby made the promise to himself that when he had the ability to do so he would assist those in need. Toby says "If it were not for my four kids at home counting on me every single day I don't believe I would have ever had the edge I needed to be successful in my professional career." With that in mind he knew that the foundation had to be built around his children and the motivation they've provided him over the years.
The 4J Foundation will focus primarily on the following areas:
1. Children - Support the safety and well-being of children.
2. Animals - Support the safety and well-being of domestic pets.
Toby started the 4J Foundation in early 2020 with a personal donation of $25,000. This original donation will be used to help people directly in the Aberdeen & surrounding areas. Toby's goal is to build a solid reputation of doing good work for those in need so others will want to support the foundation and join in the cause. "We won't seek financial donations from anyone until we can prove to the community that our foundation is one that can be trusted and counted on to do great work in our community," Doeden says. He also has made a commitment that the foundation will have zero overhead. Any expense incurred will be paid personally by Toby. 100% of the funds donated to the 4J Foundation will go towards helping those in need.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story and we hope to make you proud!