founder of just ask foundation org at Just Ask! Foundation - Houston, TX, United States
Just Ask started as a simple concept. Reggie Bibbs, our founder, spent the first 40 years of his life in hiding. He was concerned about how his particular disfigurement affected people that didn't know him. He was less concerned about how they made him feel as he was concerned about how he made them feel. He struggled to find a way to spread awareness and let people know that he, at heart, was no different than anyone else.That's when Reggie teamed up with Lou Congelio, founder and Chief Creative Officer of ACME Fish Advertising in Houston, TX.Reggie approached Lou with a simple, yet ingenious idea. To design a t-shirt and business card campaign featuring the slogan "Just Ask." The shirts and business cards were designed to make others feel comfortable approaching Reggie, giving him the opportunity and confidence to not only interact with total strangers, but to tell them about NF.He wanted people to "Just Ask" about his condition – and ask they did!The more Reggie put himself out there, the more positive responses he received from others. Now, rather than sitting in his house wondering what life was like, he started living it.Reggie can now be seen at major Houston events all over town. The International Festival. The Art Car Parade. The Houston Roller Derby. There's nowhere Reggie wouldn't go. And everywhere he went; he made new friends and spread the word about NF.With the success of his "Just Ask" movement, word spread. Others with NF wanted to follow Reggie's example. So, with help from a handful of friends, Reggie has turned his simple idea and grassroots movement into the Just Ask Foundation – an organization dedicated to spreading awareness about NF through the people most affected by it.