Nick Shoff is a young man with a dream to change the world for one billion kids. As the young visionary behind JamQuest, he has been helping kids everywhere to learn what it means to make an extraordinary impact by serving other kids in need. Nick teaches kids how to use what they have and what they love to change the world.
For Nick, it all started in 2008, when he was in the eighth grade and was doing what most thirteen-year-olds do, sitting on the couch, watching TV. He had been watching one of those “American Idol Gives Back” programs and was incredibly impacted by the poverty he saw many kids going through. He ran up to his room and grabbed all fourteen dollars’ worth of his savings to give to the kids that he saw in those videos. Nick wanted to do anything he could to help. He viewed a commercial about a twelve-year-old African boy that had younger siblings but their parents and grandparents had died from HIV, now making the boy the head of his household. The young boy had to protect his siblings, provide food for them and care for them. Nick, being thirteen at the time, couldn’t imagine taking care of his little sister that way. He couldn’t imagine life without his parents, without his bed or without a promise of food. He desperately wanted to do something to bring hope to kids like that. Taking a survey of his own life, Nick felt so grateful yet so undeserving. Why had he been so privileged? What could he do to help?
While he was still in eighth grade, Nick (and his classmates) were given one big project for the year for their social studies class; researching a world problem and then providing a service project raising awareness about it. Fueled by how he had been so impacted by what he had seen on TV, Nick decided to research orphans in Africa. He wanted to make an impact and change the lives of the kids that he was learning about but, how could he really make a difference at such a young age? He had no money, he wasn’t famous, he didn’t have big influence and his voice had barely even changed! How could he really make a difference? Leveraging what he did have, an awesome family and a love for basketball, he decided to start a 3-on-3 basketball tournament to help orphans in Africa, calling it “JamQuest”. Partnering with HOPE worldwide, they were able to raise about $2,700 for orphans and vulnerable children in Kenya and about fifty people came out to their tournament in 2008!
Nick kept dreaming and over the next few years, JamQuest grew in ways he never thought possible. They continued to raise thousands of dollars annually for the education of Kenyan kids. Hundreds of people were involved. Nick was able to go on TV and talk about their story and, along with Dr. Mark Ottenweller, they were the main speakers for middle school and high school assemblies.
Later, NBA and NFL players got involved as well as other kids around the nation that started their own JamQuest events in their cities. Nick has spoken at large conferences, taught classes and inspired many people. JamQuest won awards and gained incredible support.
In 2015, Nick finally was able to go to Kenya to see some of the kids they had helped and seeing them for the first time overwhelmed him. The kids talked about JamQuest changing their lives and receiving hope for the first time. Nick realized that changing the world isn’t about giving those in poverty a more “Americanized” lifestyle but it was about inspiring people with faith, hope and love and motivating them to do the same for others.
Right now there are 2.2 billion kids on the planet with one billion of them live in a cycle of poverty. Nick speaks on the dream of how one billion kids could be inspired to help the other one billion kids who live in virtual poverty. He motivates with his plan of “one kid helping one kid” around the globe and raising up a new generation of young leaders that will have a huge impact by living a life in fearless service.
Below are just a few of his accomplishments.
