North Port Nonprofit Serves As A Community Connector

NORTH PORT, FL — In recent years, Justin Willis has earned the reputation as the go-to guy in the North Port community if a business, organization or individual needs help with just about anything.

Born and raised in the city — and with family roots that go back 50 years there — he knows many local leaders, educators, business owners and residents. As a result, he understands how to rally his neighbors behind a cause and connect those in need with the right resources.

This reputation as a community champion only ramped up during the COVID-19 pandemic, as he and his wife, Christine, were approached by numerous nonprofits, small businesses and residents in need.

“There’s so much you could do for your community if you look for it and we don’t have to look for it, it finds us,” Willis said. “People come to us because they think we have a solution, but it’s not what we can do, it’s who we connect them with. That’s all I do.”

In January, they realized the scope of their work was growing and many donations were passing through their hands, so it made sense to form their own nonprofit organization, When All Else Fails, based on their efforts.

Community projects organized by When All Else Fails

Last March, Abby’s Donuts, which opened in North Port about 40 years ago, was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and nearly closed because of it. Willis and his wife quickly helped the owners organize a drive-thru fundraiser to pull together about $6,500. This money was used to pay bills for several months “and got them back on their feet,” he said.

After learning about what they did to save the donut shop, the commander of American Legion Post 254 in North Port reached out to him. The organization had canceled one of its biggest annual events, a St. Patrick’s Day party and fundraiser, because of the pandemic, and needed to raise funds to pay their overhead costs — about $3,000 monthly — “just to keep the building standing,” Willis said.

They organized a boxed lunch drive, selling pulled pork sandwiches and hot dogs, around Memorial Day to bring in the money the American Legion needed. About 1,500 meals were sold in one day, raising nearly $12,000 and “getting them through the majority of the summer,” he said.

Then, when in-person graduation ceremonies were canceled by Sarasota County Schools, Willis and his team of volunteers were called on to organize an alternative graduation for North Port’s graduating seniors and they had only about two weeks to pull it together.

More than 300 students were celebrated during four outdoor ceremonies in July.

“We saved graduation. It truly was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Our community came together in a way I’ve never imagined,” Willis said. “One of my proudest moments is when I got to say, ‘You may now flip your tassel. Congratulations, you’re now a graduate.’”

When the city of North Port canceled its popular Halloween events in the fall — a trick-or-trunk event — Willis and his team stepped up again. This time, they hosted their own drive-thru trunk-or-treat.

The city event usually draws around 4,000 people. Unsure what to expect, he planned for 100 decorated cars handing out goodies and about 1,500 people driving through.

By the time the event rolled around, nearly 400 cars decorated by businesses, organizations, clubs and local residents showed up. And about 8,000 children and parents drove through the event, he said. “Our line, at one point, reached five-and-a-half miles long, and the cops shut us down,” Willis said. “They said, ‘Enough is enough.’ We backed up I-75 and they shut down the event. Luckily, we had handed out every piece of candy and every bag of chip (donated by Utz) was gone by the time we were done.”

They also worked with the Kiwanis Club of North Port, which he’s a member of, to organize a walk-through haunted trail that saw 5,000 visitors.

And at Christmas, when the annual city parade was canceled, the actor who portrays Santa reached out to him. So, they put Santa in the back of a pick-up truck and about 30 community leaders and businesses decorated their cars so they could drive through the city for an informal parade.

Then, there are the individuals the group has assisted. They raised $10,000 for the family of a 13-year-old Englewood student battling cancer and helped purchase a car for a single father whose fiancé had tragically died in a car accident.

And there’s also Zyggy, an 87-year-old Polish pianist with dementia. In January, Willis and others raised about $28,000 to move him into a new trailer after he was forced to move from his previous mobile home park that was slated for redevelopment.

When All Else Fails launches

Not long after helping Zyggy, Willis was furloughed from his job as a business development manager for a home health care company that helps place seniors in assisted living facilities. And since the position was eliminated, that furlough became permanent.

Rather than get upset by the loss of his job, he saw an opportunity to formalize When All Else Fails and focus on his community efforts full time.

“I said, ‘God, I see you. You’ve given me the intent and now you’ve given me the opportunity,’” Willis said. “Now, I can do this work full time in a way that truly makes a difference.”

When All Else Fails serves as “a catch-all for all other organizations when they cannot figure out a solution,” he added. “We don’t know what ‘no’ is, in a good way, not in a bad way. There never is a problem that doesn’t have a solution. We may not have the solution, but we know someone who does. And that’s exactly what we do every single day.”

What’s next for When All Else Fails

The organization’s current public community project is organizing an alternate prom for North Port’s seniors May 22 at the Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice.

While Sarasota County Schools will allow its high schools to host proms this year, there are a number of strict protocols in place, including no dancing and seating charts. Not only that, but the events are going to be catered by the school cafeterias, Willis said.

“You can’t dance. You have assigned seats. You can’t interact at a level that allows you to say goodbye with your friends one last time and now they’re going to serve you cafeteria food,” he said.

The students’ safety is important during this ongoing pandemic, but he recognized there was a way to host a traditional prom in a way that keeps attendees safe and healthy.

The pandemic has been difficult for students, he added. “They’re detached from every sense of normal within their life. How about we safeguard the sense of normal that some of us expect? I’m not saying pretend COVID doesn’t exist, but let’s come up with a safe alternative that allows us to create some form of normal.”

Masks are required and temperature checks upon entry. There will be about a dozen air scrubbers set up in the building and dancing is allowed with minimal contact.

“We’re asking the DJ to minimize slow dances, so there’s less make-out time,” Willis said. “And if you can, get vaccinated. It’s available to everyone 16 and older. Every single one of (the students) can be deemed safe by the CDC. These are steps the district could have taken, but didn’t.”

North Port High School seniors and juniors, and their age-appropriate guests, can purchase tickets for $30 each online here.

When All Else Fails has also partnered with the Kyle Kurtis Salon & Spa in North Port to present the Kyle Kurtis Glam Closet — a space with donated items, including bags, shoes, dresses, dress shirts and jewelry, for students attending the prom. The salon will even help the teens who can’t afford to get their nails done for the day.

Beyond prom, one of the organization’s big initiatives moving forward is housing and education. They’re raising funds to help educate families on how they can become homeowners and to assist them with the necessary down payments.

“Families may not understand they qualify to purchase and own a home,” he said.

Other organizations often help families get on their feet by placing them in apartment rentals and providing the first and last month’s rent and security deposit needed to make the move.

“But it’s often out of their price range and they get evicted,” Willis said. “If we provide long-term stability through self-sustainability, we can do that through ownership. Instead of renting a home for $2,000 a month, why not rent a home for $1,100 a month?”

He added, “Our goal is to truly help people get on their feet and stay on their feet.”

Follow When All Else Fails on Facebook and learn more about the organization here.