I Fell Flat on My Face. But Look Where I Landed.

If this were a TikTok video, this would be one of those that would start: "Yeah, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up here."

Whelp! I have been sitting on something for MONTHS.

Like Moooooonths. And it's the hardest thing for my team and me to keep secret.

If you were at THEE HBCU Bingo Xperience, you might have heard it. But most have probably been out here living your lives, minding your business, not knowing what I have been carrying around, trying not to scream about.

But finally...

THE T.D. JAKES FOUNDATION CHOSE US. AND IT IS THE LARGEST GRANT IN MAFIA HISTORY!!!!

Cue the screams now...Ok my screams...not yours. But if you know our testimony, then you probably did at least a little squeal, right?

If you are new here... welcome to the Mafia Miracles Report. Every week I share what is happening inside Move-In Day Mafia, a nonprofit that supports HBCU students who have aged out of foster/kinship care, are unhoused, or are navigating the demands of college on their own. We deck out dorm rooms and deliver monthly care packages for four years. I'm TeeJ, the person responsible for steering this ship.


WHO IS T.D. JAKES?

If you are not already familiar, Bishop T.D. Jakes is the founder of The Potter's House, a 30,000-member church in Dallas. TIME magazine has called him "America's Best Preacher" and named him one of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America. He is an author, a filmmaker, a global voice. The man has a FOUNDATION named after him that distributes millions in grants to nonprofits.

I have followed Bishop Jakes for about 30 years.

Read his books. Attended his conferences. Listened to his sermons at every turn in my life when I needed to hear something that made sense.

Never in a million years did I think my little name would be in the same sentence as his.

And yet...


WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS...

Jack & Jill of America has become a big fan of the Mafia. Multiple chapters have raised money for us. So when they invited me to their Southern Regional Conference in Austin to be presented with a donation check for Mafia, I almost didn't go because of a scheduling conflict.

But the Holy Spirit was like, "Figure it out."

So there I am. They'd asked me to say a few words of motivation for the room before the presentation. I walked out on stage, missed a step, and went FLAILING in front of hundreds of people.

Full on. Flat. On my face.

But get this... I wasn't even embarrassed. The whole room went quiet with such concern that, in a split second, I had a completely different motivational speech. Just like that. Off the top.

Because the moment was right there, the reminder that vulnerability doesn't disqualify you. It connects you. Not to mention...everybody falls at something, but in the words of gospel great Donnie McClurkin..."We get up!"

Now, what I didn't know was that there was a woman named Bobby Bryant who was witnessing my unintentional acrobatic act.

Bobby had just started at the T.D. Jakes Foundation. And when her boss asked for suggestions of nonprofits to partner with for the upcoming Thriving Seven Summit in Atlanta, guess whose name came to mind?

Yup.

The woman who went flailing on stage.

And guess what else...OMG OMG OMG

Apparently falling on my face wasn’t the end of the story. This November, Move-In Day Mafia is the official philanthropic partner for the T7 Summit, presented by Wells Fargo!!!!!

Crazy thing is, they probably told me that news earlier but it still didn't hit me until HBCU Bingo Xperience last month and they brought flyers. OMG...Right there was Move-In Day Mafia's logo!

It took aaaaaaall of me not to embarrass my mama and act a fool when they showed the flyer to me on the red carpet.

Taking place November 12–14 in Atlanta, T7 brings together leaders, innovators, and mission-driven organizations across business, technology, media, wellness and social impact, connecting people and organizations to relationships, resources and opportunities that can help scale their impact.

Plus! I got a surprise for YOU...So keep reading.


THE MOMENT I STOPPED LISTENING

If you have never met me, then you don't know I'm a crybaby, especially when I get news that blows me away.

When the Foundation zoomed with my team to share the news that we got the grant, they mentioned the amount like it was just another item on the agenda.

Our benefactor kept talking. I stopped listening.

Completely. Gone. Just gone.

I could not even fake it anymore. I finally interrupted: "Sorry, Y'all, but I have to confess. I didn't hear you say anything after you mentioned how much the grant would be."

And then I lost all professionalism and cried.

Full tears. On a work call. With the TD Jakes Foundation. LawdHamMussyGeezus.🤦🏾‍♀️

But wait...There's more!

I got the hookup for YOU! If you want to come to the summit and connect with like-minded folks who want to make impact, I gotchu.

​Because you are connected to us, I have a special code you can use for 50% off any level of registration.

The catch?

You have to purchase by August 31, 2026! That's it.

So skip over to t7summit.com, use code MIDMPartner50, and I'll see you at the summit. Be sure to stop me and grab a hug.



WHAT IT ALL MEANS

The T.D. Jakes Foundation is the partner of the inaugural Move-In Day Mafia Scholar Circle.

That means they are not just writing a check and walking away. They are covering our 18 new scholars, every single one we moved in this 2026-27 season, fully.

The Scholar Circle funds move-in day (we are talking a completely decked-out dorm room, built from scratch), PLUS monthly care packages, PLUS full wrap-around support through the entire year.

Eighteen scholars. Eighteen rooms. Twelve months of care packages. Every. Single. One.

With these 18 new scholars added, it brings our total to 127 scholars moved in at 32 HBCUs.

One hundred and twenty-seven.

32 schools.

AND BY THE WAY...

I never finished the Jack & Jill story.

After I picked myself up off that stage...

They presented us with a check for $15,000!!!!

I freaked the whole room out when I took off RUNNING...Again!

Laaaaaawd. I'm sure they were thinking..."The woman just fell off the stage. And now she's running again?" The room did not know what to do with me.

What can I say? I cry or run whenever I'm happy watching God surprise me.

Thank you Jack & Jill and thank you T.D. Jakes Foundation!

​
ONE LAST THING. IT ENDS TODAY.

We are in the final hours of Adopt A Scholar Week.

New to Mafia?

Once a month (14-21st), our scholars share wishlists of the things they need for the next month. Things like cleaning supplies, kitchen essentials, laundry detergent. Items start at $3, and you, our Mafia Miracle Makers, pull together and purchase.

If you are like me and don't like shopping, you can donate, and we handle the rest.

Today is the last day, and here are a few items that are left.

​MoveInDayMafia.org/AdoptAScholar

We celebrate what the T.D. Jakes Foundation did for our incoming scholars. Aaaand we keep going for the returning scholars who need us.

Hug yourself for me. See you next week!