Operation Gillybean – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: What is Operation Gillybean?

A: Operation Gillybean is my attempt to honor the memory of my daughter, Gillian, while paying it forward to families who are now where I have been myself.

Q: Why was Operation Gillybean created?

A: Operation Gillybean is an idea that has been running circles around in my brain for about the last 20 years. With the advent of AI to assist me in creating this website (and many other things), I can finally make it happen.

Q: Where are you located and who do you serve?

A: Operation Gillybean is headquartered in Lubbock, Texas, where I live with my wife and our beautiful children and work as an air traffic controller. Gillian was a patient at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa, Florida. If this program can prove successful, we plan to reach out to St. Joseph’s as our second stop on the way to taking Operation Gillybean as wide as we can reach it. We are here to serve the families of hospitalized children. The focus is on the child, and rightly so, but it is easy for the family to disappear into the background and get lost in the noise.

Q: What kind of help do you provide to families?

A: We are just starting out. We’re small, and we’re limited, but the heart of Operation Gillybean is to help families breathe again — even for a little while. We plan to begin by offering vouchers to movie theaters and local restaurants so a family member can step away from the hospital room that has become their world and get a short break for their own sanity. Their child will need that renewed strength when everything works out and they get to go home. Our vision reaches much further and wider, but one step at a time — the 1,000-mile journey is accomplished.

Q: How can someone get assistance from Operation Gillybean?

A: The last thing a family wants or needs when they’re faced with this situation is having to turn around and ask for help. Some folks are too proud. Others are too scared. What I want to do is work with the hospital, who will then reach out to us and direct our efforts. That way, families don’t have to worry about finding us or asking for assistance — the help will already be on the way when they need it most. For now, give out of the goodness of your heart — and only what you can afford to give. Every dollar will go directly toward helping families find relief, mobility, and moments of respite while their children are hospitalized.

Q: How can I get involved with Operation Gillybean?

A: The easiest and quickest way to help is to donate money — every little bit counts. And word of mouth matters too: telephone, tell a friend, in the house and on the street tell everyone you meet. In time, there will be ample opportunities to volunteer and be where the rubber meets the road. We aren’t there yet, but with your help and support, we will be sooner rather than later.

Q: When will Operation Gillybean begin accepting donations?

A: We have to file the appropriate paperwork for 501(c)(3) status — or as I like to call it, 501-C-3-P-O (yes, I might be a Star Wars fan) — along with an EIN from the federal government (once they reopen), and set up a bank account solely for Operation Gillybean. I’ll be investing my own funds in the meantime and will not be seeking reimbursement of any kind. The smile on a mom’s or dad’s face when they learn they’re not nearly as alone as they feel is more than enough.

Q: Are donations tax-deductible?

A: Not yet — but they will be once our 501(c)(3) status is officially approved. When that happens, we’ll update the website and notify everyone so donors can be confident their contributions qualify as tax-deductible. Until then, we’re focused on building the foundation and doing as much good as we can along the way.

Q: How will donations be used?

A: Donations will be used almost exclusively to purchase movie theater vouchers and meal vouchers at local area businesses. I’m running this out of my home, so I’m sure there is some sort of tax deduction I can claim when it’s time to file taxes. I plan to get a couple of polo shirts embroidered with our logo, and that will come out of my own pocket. If this grows to even a tenth of what I envision, some donations will eventually go toward office space, equipment, internet access, phone lines, and professional staff to run it all. Even then, I want to keep operational costs to 10% of donations — never more than 15%. As Founder, I’ll always be last in line. The families come first.

Q: Does Operation Gillybean partner with other organizations or businesses?

A: Not yet, but ideally we will. Our goal is to partner with local hospitals — ideally children’s hospitals, then Ronald McDonald House Charities, Uber, Lyft, local cab companies, car rental agencies, Tesla, Hyundai/Kia, GM, Ford, and airlines that serve local airports — in Lubbock that includes Southwest, American, and United. We also welcome any other corporate partner willing to pick up a bit of the slack. No effort is too small.

Q: Is Operation Gillybean a religious organization?

A: Was what Mother Teresa did a religious organization in the end? No. It was simply a woman reaching out to help those who no one else would dare to help. Operation Gillybean is not a religious organization. We welcome partners from all faiths — or no faith at all. All we ask is that you remember what we are doing and respect others’ beliefs.

Q: What inspired the name “Operation Gillybean”?

A: ‘Operation’ is a nod back to my Air Force days where the name for everything started with Operation. And ‘Gillybean’ was Gillian’s nickname from day zero — as soon as her mom and I settled on her name, Gillian Rose.

Q: What has inspired you to bring Operation Gillybean out of your head and into existence?

A: When I was a young father and an Airman in the U.S. Air Force, just starting out, I had the privilege of working for Senior Master Sergeant Jim Cody — who would later become the first Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force to come out of the Air Traffic Control career field. In October 2002, when my daughter Gillian went in for what was supposed to be her last surgery, I took the day off work. The next day I was scheduled to work, I put on my uniform and went in as usual. I didn’t get past SMSgt Cody’s office before he called me in and asked what I was doing there. I told him I was scheduled to work. He said something I’ll never forget: ‘No, your job is to be Gillian’s dad — and right now that job is up the road, in that hospital room. When this is over, you can come back to work here. Not before.’ I spent just over two months in that hospital room with my daughter. I wasn’t charged a single minute of leave and didn’t lose a penny of pay. I met other moms and dads who weren’t nearly so fortunate but were there every moment they could be. Operation Gillybean is about being there for those moms and dads and helping them in any way we can.