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Your Gift: Multiplied for Coaches and Their Families
Every Alpha Dog gift of $1,000 or more unlocks an additional $1,000 from the Joe & Debbie Showker Family Fund — doubling your impact during our most important fundraising window of the year.
A $1,000 gift → $2,000 impact
A $5,000 → $6,000 impact
Our Story:
BMF was founded in 2020 by former JMU football teammates Casey Kroll (‘15), Bryan Schor (‘17), and Aaron Stinnie (‘17) in memory of their JMU coach, Coach Jamal Powell, after walking with him through a terrible battle with cancer. He passed away four days before his 40th birthday, leaving behind his wife and three young kids.
We built BMF to make sure today’s coaches aren’t left without a safety net when life hits hardest.
Your leadership gift helps BMF:
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Support coaches facing crisis
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Strengthen critical health and wellness programs
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Push the profession toward a healthier culture
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Carry forward a legacy that started at JMU
This is Dukes supporting Dukes — and changing the coaching industry in the process.
A Message from Joe Showker:
Alpha Dog | Philanthropist | Proud BMF Supporter
Joe has invested in The Big Man Foundation because he believes the JMU family takes care of its own — and because this mission was born in Bridgeforth Stadium.
why this moment matters to us
Our goal this Giving Season is $100,000 — and the Alpha Dog Match is a key catalyst behind that goal
We started as a scrappy, volunteer-driven effort — no staff, no seed money, and a mission that’s outpaced our resources since day one. And yet we just hit year five, a milestone only 10% of new nonprofits ever reach.
Along the way, we earned a Platinum rating by being lean, efficient, and serious about the work.
Now we’ve matured into an organization ready for the next step but growth requires capital.
Demand is rising, and the opportunity ahead is bigger than what a startup model can sustain.
We need partners to fuel the next phase — and your leadership gift helps build the capacity to scale.
Why our Mission Belongs to
JMU Nation
BMF was built by Dukes ...and it’s still driven by them.
What started with three former JMU teammates has grown into a mission carried forward by people who were shaped by this place.
Our board and leadership include former JMU Football players, student assistants, faculty, and alumni who still live out JMU’s values of service, toughness, humility, and friendship.
Even without a formal affiliation, JMU’s fingerprints are all over this work — from the way we show up for coaches to the way we lead across college football and the NFL.
This mission started in Bridgeforth Stadium.
It’s fueled by Dukes.
And it reflects the best of JMU on a national stage.
Our Mission:
Built at JMU | Growing Nationwide
We serve the people at the heart of every team: coaches.
What began with a small group of former JMU players has become a national effort to bring care, stability, and dignity to a profession that rarely gets it.
What we do:
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Jamal Powell Legacy Grants: emergency assistance and long-term support
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Health & Wellness Programs: AED placements, Health Check Day, April Wellness Month
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Advocacy & Research: elevating issues facing coaches in partnership with JMU’s MPA program
As we grow, we carry forward the best parts of JMU Football — toughness, service, integrity — and we’re proud to reflect that on a national stage.
What started at JMU is now changing the coaching world.
A note from our founder & ceo
If you’re an Alpha Dog, you understand what leadership looks like.
This match is a real chance to shape where BMF goes next ...and I’d be honored to talk with you directly if you’re considering stepping up.
Your gift here isn’t just support.
It’s partnership. It’s fuel. It moves the mission.
And I’m personally committed to earning it.
Please reach out to me directly if you have any questions, reservations, or want to learn more.
Casey Kroll
CEO
📧 casey@bigmanfoundation.org
📞 (540) 604-6173
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The Big Man Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting coaches and their families through hardship, health & wellness, and advocacy. EIN: 85-3352292