Med for the Web : jamii fund

CEO Robert Bodwell.
 Photo by Georgia State University

      Robert Bodwell is 20 years old. He's in college, he's a business major, he likes corgis, oh, and did I mention that he's CEO of his own non-profit? As well as working as a full-time student at Georgia State University, Bodwell also launched his own non-profit in January of this year. After seeing a beloved high school teacher fight cancer, Bodwell felt inspired to do what he could to help those going through the fight, by working to lessen their financial burdens. Bodwell is currently CEO and President of his non-profit "jamii fund." "Jamii" is a Swahili word that translates to "community." In the future, Bodwell hopes to use his business background to build his online community.

      Read on to learn about his non-profit, and how Bodwell hopes to positively impact the lives of those with hefty medical finances. Comment below and be part of the conversation!

LS:  Give us a little background about yourself. School, hobbies, interests, what you're doing now, plans for the future.

RB: I was born, and raised, in West Palm Beach, Florida. I graduated from high school in 2011, and moved on to college at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia, where I am a business major. I’ve always been very passionate about sports, and most of my spare time is spent either watching or playing some sport. In the past year I’ve discovered a passion for helping others which has led me to my latest project. I started a nonprofit organization called jamii fund that works with patients to assist them in avoiding medical debt, and helping pay off the debts that they already have. I’ve never done work like this before, but it is, by far, the most rewarding work that I have ever done. I plan on building this organization into a lifelong venture for myself, and the others that support it.

jamii fund logo created by Bodwell

LS: Tell us about jamii fund. What is it, and where did the idea come from?

RB: jamii fund is a nonprofit organization focused on putting an end to medical debt in the U.S. We’re going to do this by encouraging people to give back to others in their community. I came up with the idea after one of my favorite teachers from high school was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was the first time that I was this close to such a serious diagnosis, and it was hard for me to handle. For the first time, I considered making a substantial donation to an organization that supports breast cancer research, and I did some research of my own to see what organization to donate to. What I found was that their efforts were involved with raising awareness for the disease instead of helping the people that it impacted, and you never really knew how your money was going to be spent. I felt that people would be more willing to give if they knew exactly where their money was going, and I would have given thousands of dollars had I known that it was going directly to helping my teacher. Further research showed that there was no nonprofit currently doing this kind of service, so I started one that could, and jamii fund was born.

The website features jamii fund recipients, like Holly,
where they can develop their own campaign
to raise money for their fund.

LS: How does jamii fund work?

RB: We are completely web-based. When people visit jamiifund.org they will be able to view personal profiles containing stories of individuals that are struggling with medical debt. These profiles will also have a button that visitors can click on to donate to that specific person. The money will be collected by jamii fund inc. and held in an account until there is enough to cover one of their expenses. At that point, we will write a check directly to the care provider to cover the costs. People can request a profile on the site by sending us a message on the “contact” section of jamiifund.org. Once we verify that they have a legitimate need, we build a profile and launch it on our website. You can think of it as crowdfunding medical debt, just like one would crowdfund an invention on Kickstarter.com. There are other companies that help people raise money in this way, but jamii fund is the only nonprofit. So when you give to someone on jamiifund.org you can rest assured that 100% of it is going towards helping put an end to medical debt. We do not take any percentage of these donations unless the beneficiary decides to give us a percentage on their own. I didn’t start this organization to make money, I started it to help people, and that’s what I’m going to do. 

LS: What have you achieved so far? What are you currently working on?

RB:A lot of paperwork. There is a ton of paperwork involved with setting up a legal nonprofit, and all of it needs to be done before you can do the fun stuff like fundraising. But I have been able to build a starter website to get our name out there, tailored our social media accounts, and recruited some artists that are creating content for marketing campaigns. I’m currently still working on paperwork to obtain our 501(c)(3) certification, so that we can be super official and whatnot, and, of course, keep working on getting our name out there.

jamii fund's Facebook page

LS: What do you hope for the future of jamii fund?

RB: Big things. I would love to work with this organization for the rest of my life. Right now we are focused on helping people pay off their medical debt, but, long-term, I want to be able to build an entirely new industry. I want us to create a system where, instead of just paying off debt, we can prevent the debt from piling up in the first place. We can do this by finding quality care at lower prices, and by communicating with care providers to avoid overcharges. Working with patients from the point of diagnosis will allow us to avoid unnecessary charges and use donations more effectively.

LS: Quote to live by?

RB: “It’s not that serious.” This is more of a mantra for me because I say this to myself all of the time to keep things in proper perspective. I used to have a bad habit of blowing things out of proportion, and stressing out about things that weren’t that big of a deal, so I starting reminding myself that it’s really not that big of a deal. In most cases you can make up for a mistake after the fact, and there’s no reason to freak out about it, or obsess over ways to avoid making a mistake. You just have to remind yourself that what you’re doing, or trying to do, is really not that serious.

Be sure to check out the links below to find our more information about jamii fund and ways you can help support the cause:

The website: http://jamiifund.org/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamiifund
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jamiifund?ref=ts&fref=ts

Rabinowitz : Getting into The Swing of Things

NYU sophomore Tyler Rabinowitz is getting into the Swing of Things....literally. 

Well into his second year at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, he's already found his passion and is running...or should I say, dancing with it. On top of all of the features and facets that come with being a college-kid, Rabinowitz is an aspiring film director, and already has numerous successes under his belt; including being named as a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. While balancing a heavy course load, volunteering with kids, keeping up with friends, exercising, and tearing up the concrete jungle of New York, Rabinowitz is also working towards a career in children's programming.

Following an internship at Warner Bros. last summer, Rabinowitz gained inspiration for his latest cinematic success: The Swing of Things, a charming short film based on the 1940s-inspired by Grandpa Al.  

So swing your way into Rabinowitz's world of the 1940s and watch the film through the link below, and join in our conversation about this film, his goals, and his newest film in production!

The Swing of Things

LS: Tell us a bit about yourself. School/interests/hobbies/etc.

TR: I go to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in Film and Television and looking to do a double minor in the Business of Entertainment, Media, & Technology and Children and Adolescent Mental Health Sciences. I’m really interested in producing, directing, and writing feature films but have recently found that I also care a lot about children’s programming and am working on writing a potential pilot for an animated series. I am starting to tutor elementary school children, who need help with writing, but when I’m not in class or working on upcoming projects, I really value the time I spend with my friends. In my biased opinion, the people I’ve met in New York City are some of the most brilliant young artists and with some of the biggest hearts in the world. I feel flattered to call some of them my friends.

Additionally, I have found myself getting really involved with an exercise routine. I absolutely love going to the gym – it releases endorphins and I honestly feel like it puts me in the right mindset to work towards the ridiculous goals I set for myself. I’m also really into meditation. I give myself about ten minutes each day when I’m in the shower getting ready to just clear my mind through meditation. It helps so much. I also love to doodle, which I’d argue in many ways is a form of meditation. I find it to be one of the most relaxing things in the world.

 

LS: Where did you get the idea or origin of the Swing of Things. How did you get started?

 TR: In the summer of 2012, I received an unbelievable opportunity to get to work at Warner Bros. in Burbank, CA as an intern in their Worldwide Television Marketing department. I absolutely loved working there, but living in Los Angeles completely independently was actually one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I was using the money I was making through my job to pay for my living expenses, and therefore couldn't afford a car. I felt so isolated because all my life I had been surrounded by commotion. I grew up in south Florida in a family of six with three dogs, and then I left for Manhattan - where I now attend NYU Tisch. So I've always been around people. I never realized how much I needed to be in the company of others. I was completely alone. But while I was alone, I found myself flipping through channels on the TV and came across a black and white scene of people in the 1940's at a swing dance party. It looked like so much fun - and keeping in mind what was happening historically at that time I found it amazing that in a world filled with tension and fear these people were able to escape to these swing dance halls. It felt magical. I became infatuated with swing dance. Every night when I felt really anxious living on my own, I'd watch clips of swing dance/lindy hop on YouTube repeatedly. This one was one of my favorites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rf55gHK48VQ

So, when I came home for about a week before returning to school for my sophomore year, I told my parents that one day I'd love to recreate a swing dance hall for one of my movies. My dad and I had a conversation about how my grandpa Al loved to swing dance, and how he loved the music - especially "In the Mood" by Glenn Miller. Unfortunately, the memories I have of my grandpa Al aren't the brightest since as I was growing up he suffered from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). He ultimately lost control of all of his muscles. 
He couldn't even talk or really smile, yet alone dance.

Imagining my grandpa Al swing dancing was a thought that really stuck with me. I imagined him that he would be the life of the party - that if he were to step onto that dance floor all the joy bottled up inside of him when he was sick would come bursting out like a flash of light, and spread like wildfire to everyone else in the room. Some time after my dad and I had this conversation, I came across a photo of grandpa Al swing dancing. It was one of those moments where you are just overwhelmed with chills. I didn't know how I was going to do it, but I knew that I was going to find a way to capture the feeling I felt when I found that photo and share the joy of swing dance with the world. 

In memory of Rabinowitz's Grandpa Al

The class I was about to take at Tisch in the fall was called Sight and Sound: Filmmaking - a class all sophomores take where we shoot five black and white films in one semester. Somehow, some way, my final film for this class was going to bring the world of a 1940's swing dance party to life. I was so passionate about the idea that I needed to make it happen right away. I couldn’t let it rattle around in my head any longer.

Rabinowitz on the set

LS: The filming/production process. How did it go? Things you learned on set about filming/producing/yourself?

TR: The production process was an incredibly difficult yet rewarding journey. We didn’t know if we had official approval to actually make the film from NYU Production Supervision until three days before the shoot because of how many logistics were involved. But I was determined to work through every problem that came up. I didn’t have a budget for the film when I first decided I needed to make it, so along the way I worked two jobs to totally fund the project because I didn’t feel I was at a level yet where I had the right to ask others to donate money so that I could make a movie. It made me more connected to the project. Also, my grandpa Al was known for being hilariously stubborn, so in a way I felt like I was carrying on that part of him as I insisted on working to raise this money on my own. I didn’t want even my parents to pay a penny. This is just one example, but honestly in all facets of my life I was totally one hundred percent immersed in this project. It was a little bit scary because I legitimately felt like I was living in the world of the film for four months, but it was a really special experience for me. There were so many times that I could’ve given up—whether it was when Hurricane Sandy hit in the middle of our crucial rehearsal period and I didn’t even know if my cast was safe or if our shooting location had been flooded out, or when I was lugging a 100 lb. bag of 1940’s costumes five blocks down 3rd Ave. in the middle of a Nor’easter because the cab driver didn’t feel safe to continue driving. But I just laughed when things like that happened. No matter what, I was not going to let anything get in the way of me making this film. If a problem came up, I wouldn’t dwell on it. I’d immediately search for solutions. The image of my grandpa Al swing dancing was constantly in my mind, and I really do think that in a very spiritual way he helped me find the answers to the problems I faced.

“The Swing of Things” was definitely a crash course in filmmaking for me. I’m not at the level yet where I have access to a full crew, so I not only wrote, directed and produced the film but I also was the director of photography, art director, production designer, and even measured the cast for their costumes. I found that I really love so many parts of the process—I could be happy producing for the rest of my life, or possibly even art directing. But I think that what I loved most about the entire process was that I had the chance to work with some of the most incredibly kind, wonderfully gifted people. Before I knew it, we had so many people supporting the project and volunteering their time to act, to dance, to choreograph, to play music, to do hair and makeup. It was unbelievable. I felt a little like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life. I had no idea so many people were out there who believed in me to the extent that they would sacrifice so much time and give so much effort to help make this film happen.

Opening title of Rabinowitz's "The Swing of Things"

LS: After it was all said and done, how do you feel about this project, and how did you share it? What kind of reactions have you received?

TR: For me, the success of the film was simply in making it. Going through such a grueling journey to actually reach our production date made the moment we wrapped our shoot feel like we had just won a marathon. I went home a couple days later for Thanksgiving and I don’t think I had ever stopped smiling since the shoot. But at the same time, I wanted to make sure that I was able to edit together a film that would reflect the journey we went through and the joy I felt on the shoot day. I screened it for my class at the end of the semester, and I don’t think I’ve ever felt more humbled in my entire life. I hoped they would like the film, but when one of my classmates told me it was “magical” that really stuck with me. That’s a reaction I’ve continued to hear. I screened it at Tisch School of the Arts on February 1st for the cast and crew (there were 35 people involved), their friends, and anyone else who wanted to attend, and again I kept hearing that it felt “magical.” That’s why I love making movies. They make people believe in magic again. 

LS:  What are your plans for the future? What do you hope to eventually achieve?

TR: While I’m continuing with my studies at Tisch, I would love to get started in creating children’s programming. I think that that’s an outlet through which we as filmmakers can make an immediate impact on our world, because I feel this is a tremendous opportunity for us to facilitate the social and emotional development of children by teaching them about problems that they might face and how they might deal with them. I hope to create a show that can aid child development, while still being a show that is extremely entertaining and features characters that children will love as much as I loved characters like Doug and Tommy Pickles when I was younger. Beyond that, through my coursework I’m working on screenwriting, producing, and directing and I hope to be creating work for film and television for a very long time. But more than anything, I think that at the root of all of my work really what I want to do is show people the importance of imagination and the way that art can captivate us, inspire us, and educate us. Again, if you’ve seen It’s a Wonderful Life, when George Bailey hits rock bottom Clarence the Angel comes down and shows him how important he is and shows him the good that exists in his world. I hope that no matter what it is I end up doing with my life, I can be the Clarence to the George Bailey’s of the world.

LS: Do you have any films in planning or production right now? Can you give us a sneak preview?

TR: Right now I’m collaborating with Blake Krapels, a dancer at The Juilliard School, on a dance film featuring his entire sophomore class of 26 dancers. Blake and I were roommates in Washington, D.C. when we were named 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholars. President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan honored us with National Medallions, and Blake had the chance to dance on the Kennedy Center stage, while my work was screened at the Kennedy Center and placed in an exhibition at the Smithsonian for a month. It was an unforgettable experience and we’ve remained great friends ever since. So this has been a wonderful opportunity to work together and I hope that the film will raise awareness of some of the world’s brightest emerging dancers while also inspiring other dancers and filmmakers to explore this fascinating genre of dance film. Look out for the finished product this fall!

LS: Quote to live by?

TR: There are a lot of quotes that I really love, but this video of Mister Rogers giving his acceptance speech for his Lifetime Achievement Award at the Emmys in 1997 is really something to live by. The world needs more people like Mister Rogers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Upm9LnuCBUM

{Photos courtesy of Tyler Rabinowitz}