In a story about Coppell and the death of high school football player Jacob Logan in this month’s print edition, Jacob’s 17-year-old sister, Jordan, spoke of how the family has found comfort by helping others. This past summer, she and her parents, Howard and Mona, went to Africa and mentored orphans in Zambia.
Jordan convinced her parents to go on the trip, organized by Irving-based Family Legacy Missions. “Ever since Jacob’s death, there has been a huge hole in my heart,” she says. “In Zambia, for the first time, it began to get filled.”
The Logans are now on a quest to raise scholarship funds for the 30 orphans they mentored, and have a continuing role at the orphanage. Losing Jacob has put their lives on a different path, and working with the children in Zambia is a perfect way to honor him, Jordan says. “He was a voice for the voiceless.”
So far, donors have stepped up to provide scholarships for seven of the 30 children. The Logans have until Oct. 1 to secure sponsorships for the other 23. It involves a one-time fee of $95 to cover school enrollment and supplies and a monthly gift of $44 to cover the child’s ongoing educational expenses.
Several readers have asked how they can help. To sponsor the girls Jordan mentored, click here. To support the boys Howard and Mona mentored, click here or here.
Family Legacy Missions is led by Greer Kendall. He lives in Coppell but was born in Zambia, the son of missionaries who were serving there. After graduating with a degree in finance from Baylor University, Kendall ran his own financial services firm—until a trip to his birthplace in 2000 changed things. Hard hit by HIV/AIDS, Zambia had become home to more than 1 million orphans. Kendall felt compelled to help. In September of 2000, he formed Family Legacy. He and his wife and three children have been actively involved ever since.
In Africa, Howard asked the boys in his group about their biggest wish. “Each one of them said they’d like to go back to school. They just want to learn,” Howard says. “Some haven’t been to school for a year or two. They have been living on the streets.”
Mona says she never imagined she and her family would ever go to Africa, much less get involved. “When you suffer a tragedy, it opens your eyes,” she says. “If it wasn’t for Jacob, we would not have considered this. It’s a beautiful way for his legacy to live on.”
