MINNEAPOLIMEDIA PRESENTS | BUILDERS OF MINNESOTA: Josh Liljenquist and the Legacy of Giving

From his grandfather's quiet generosity in Fairmont to a life of public philanthropy, the Minnesota storyteller known as Joshlilj reflects on family, faith, second chances, and the responsibility that comes with helping others.

MINNESOTA (November 3, 2026).

At his grandfather's funeral, Josh Liljenquist learned something about the man he had known all his life that would remain with him long after the service ended. Thomas Westcott, a Vietnam veteran who operated Fairmont Plumbing and Heating in southern Minnesota, had spent years helping people who could not afford the repairs their homes needed. Some had called because their heating systems had stopped working. Others needed plumbing repairs but had little money to pay for them. Westcott completed the work, often without charging, and went about his business without telling his family what he had done.

The stories emerged as mourners approached the family to explain what Westcott had meant to them. His wife had kept the books for the business, his son and son-in-law had worked alongside him, and other relatives had helped with its daily operations. Yet, according to Josh, even those closest to his grandfather had not fully understood how much unpaid work he had performed for people experiencing financial hardship. The family had known him as a hardworking tradesman, husband, father, and grandfather. The people who came to his funeral introduced them to another part of his life.

"My grandpa, nobody knew this about him," Josh recalled during an October 8 interview with MinneapoliMedia. "He was just doing it."

For Josh, who was raised in Fairmont and is now widely known on social media as Joshlilj, the discovery became an enduring example of the kind of life he hoped to lead. His grandfather had not needed public recognition to help someone. The gratitude of those he assisted had survived him, and their stories gave his family a fuller understanding of the legacy he left behind.

Today, at 28, Liljenquist works in a considerably more public environment. His videos feature encounters with people experiencing homelessness, financial hardship, and other difficult circumstances. Some begin with ordinary conversations and develop into fundraising campaigns supported by viewers around the world. Others involve smaller acts of assistance, personal relationships, and follow-up efforts that rarely fit neatly into the brief videos through which audiences first encounter his work.

His growing audience has brought commercial opportunities, employees, partnerships, and the ability to organize substantial assistance for people in need. It has also brought criticism, questions about the ethics of recording vulnerable individuals, and responsibilities that extend well beyond the original act of generosity. What began as a college student's interest in storytelling has become a business whose decisions can affect the financial security, privacy, and personal lives of others.

During his conversation with MinneapoliMedia for Builders of Minnesota, Josh spoke extensively about the people who shaped his understanding of generosity, the circumstances that brought him into social media, and the experiences that changed how he approaches his work. He discussed the employees he calls teammates, the people whose lives have become part of his own, and the difficulties of learning to lead while remaining accountable for the consequences of his decisions.

The Family Behind the Story

Josh's understanding of generosity began long before he owned a camera or attracted an online audience. Growing up in Fairmont, he watched his parents make sacrifices he did not fully appreciate until adulthood. His father, Trent, worked in the Minneapolis area because employment opportunities closer to home were limited, while his mother remained in Fairmont with Josh and his younger brother, Jacob. The arrangement meant that his father spent considerable time away from the family during the workweek, often making a long drive home for occasions other parents might have considered too minor to justify the journey.

Josh remembered that his father rarely missed his sporting events. Whether he was playing basketball, participating in track, or attending a scrimmage, Trent made the trip whenever possible. Sometimes the games ended late, leaving him with another long drive before returning to work the following morning. Josh, like many children accustomed to a parent's reliability, regarded his father's presence as normal. It was only years later that he began to understand the demands of maintaining that commitment while supporting a family.

"I feel like I kind of took that for granted," he said.

Trent had served during Operation Desert Storm and later worked at St. Jude Medical, in addition to performing heating and cooling work. Josh spoke about his father's military experience and the difficulties that followed, but his strongest childhood memories centered on the sacrifices he made for his sons. Those experiences became more meaningful as Josh grew older and learned about financial pressures his parents had shielded him from during childhood.

His father's willingness to help others also reflected the example set by Westcott, his father-in-law. Josh remembered a neighbor whose sink needed repair. The neighbor purchased the necessary part, and Trent installed it without charging for his labor. When she asked what she owed him, he declined payment and encouraged her to help someone else when the opportunity arose.

His mother demonstrated generosity in another way. The family welcomed exchange students from Norway and Sweden, and several other young people lived in their home for extended periods. Some needed stability, supervision, or simply a place where they could continue their education. Josh recalled that his mother sometimes gave those children clothes that he or his brother might otherwise have worn. As a young boy, he did not always understand why someone else's needs appeared to take priority over his own.

The arrangement also came with expectations. His mother insisted that the young people living in the house complete their homework, attend school, and follow the family's rules. Josh remembered one young person who had fallen significantly behind academically but eventually graduated on time after receiving support and structure. He was careful not to claim that his mother's involvement alone determined the outcome, although he believed her commitment had made a meaningful difference.

The family attended church regularly, and Christian faith became an important influence in Josh's upbringing. Still, he resisted presenting his childhood as a carefully arranged preparation for his eventual career. He had not grown up planning to become a philanthropist or social media personality. Many of the connections between his upbringing and his present work became apparent only when he began reflecting on them as an adult.

His grandfather's example remained particularly important because it gave him a personal measure of what a meaningful life could look like. Josh remembered the pride he felt hearing strangers describe how Westcott had helped them, and he wondered whether his own children or grandchildren might one day feel something similar.

"I do want to build something similar to my legacy my grandpa had," he said. "And that's big shoes to fill, but I'm gonna try."

An Unexpected Career in Storytelling

Josh's original professional ambition was to become an elementary school teacher. He had admired educators who made learning enjoyable and helped students feel comfortable in the classroom. One teacher, whom he remembered as Mr. Seagar, had left a lasting impression. Josh wanted to become the kind of teacher whose influence students would remember long after leaving school.

He began studying elementary education at Minnesota State University, Mankato, but his experience with student teaching challenged his expectations. He discovered that managing a classroom was considerably more complicated than he had imagined. He began reconsidering his career plans and eventually moved into finance, although that decision proved equally short-lived. Josh recalled taking an accounting course twice without passing and concluded that he needed another direction.

Communications offered a better fit. He enjoyed listening to professors who could make unfamiliar subjects interesting through storytelling, and he began experimenting with videos about historical events and experiences that captured his attention. Rather than trying to establish a recognizable online identity, he focused on subjects he thought other people might find meaningful.

One early video concerned George Stinney Jr., a Black teenager executed in South Carolina in 1944 at age 14. Stinney's conviction was vacated decades later, in 2014. Josh recalled being disturbed by the case and wanting others to learn about it. He said the video attracted attention beyond his immediate audience, including a repost he remembered seeing from musician Billie Eilish. The experience showed him how quickly a story could travel and how people far removed from its original setting could become interested in the subject.

He continued making videos, sometimes addressing serious issues and sometimes recording playful interactions with his father. Then he encountered a video showing someone performing a random act of kindness. The idea appealed to him, and he decided to try something similar. What followed was not a calculated business decision. He enjoyed approaching people, hearing their stories, and discovering that an ordinary conversation could become an opportunity to help.

"I just fell in love with it," he recalled.

As his videos developed, Josh became particularly interested in people whose circumstances often caused others to overlook them. He began speaking with individuals experiencing homelessness, asking about their lives, their immediate needs, and what they wished other people understood. He found that the conversations sometimes challenged his own assumptions about what assistance should look like.

One encounter near an off-ramp in Bloomington remained with him. Josh approached a man and asked what he could do to make his day better. He expected the answer might involve food, money, or another immediate necessity. Instead, according to Josh, the man told him that he had already helped simply by stopping to acknowledge him.

"You noticed me."

The response stayed with Josh because it revealed something he had not anticipated. The man wanted to be treated as someone worth speaking to. Josh began paying closer attention to the isolation experienced by people who spent much of their time in public places but were rarely approached as individuals.

He believed social media could help bring those stories to a wider audience, although the decision to record and publish such encounters would eventually become one of the more complicated aspects of his work.

From Working Alone to Building a Team

For much of his early career, Josh operated without employees or a formal plan for expanding his business. He created videos because he enjoyed the work and continued as his audience grew. The possibility of becoming responsible for other people's livelihoods had not occupied much of his thinking.

That changed after he met Ben Steine at a Halloween party. Ben had experience with cameras and video editing, and the two began discussing their shared interest in storytelling. They decided to work together on a video, and the experience went well enough that Ben returned the following day to ask whether he could join Josh professionally.

Josh had not been planning to hire anyone, but he recognized that Ben could contribute skills he did not possess at the same level. Their partnership soon became central to the development of his work. Ben's technical abilities improved the production of the videos, while his own experiences helped him recognize stories Josh might otherwise have missed.

During an outing in Minneapolis, Ben recognized a woman he had encountered months earlier. She was outside with a young child, and Ben remained concerned about her circumstances. He asked Josh whether they could stop and speak with her. The encounter eventually developed into a fundraising effort that Josh said generated substantial support, helping the woman obtain housing and other assistance.

The experience reinforced Josh's growing understanding that the success of a project could not be attributed to him alone. Ben had remembered the woman, helped initiate the encounter, and contributed to the video that introduced her circumstances to a wider audience. Viewers then provided the financial support. Josh's public profile helped bring attention to the situation, but the result depended on contributions from several directions.

As the operation grew, Josh began thinking more seriously about the people working alongside him. He preferred calling them teammates rather than employees, explaining that he wanted them to feel invested in the mission and comfortable challenging his decisions. He also wanted them to develop professional skills and accomplishments that would remain valuable if his own social media career changed unexpectedly.

The responsibilities of leadership became especially apparent when he considered what failure might mean for others. A disappointing video or unsuccessful project no longer affected only his income. It could affect the people who depended on the business for employment and the individuals who expected the team to follow through on promised assistance.

Asked about the most difficult adjustment to becoming an employer, Josh answered, "Knowing that there's more at stake if I fail."

The observation reflected a broader change in his understanding of success. The young man who once made videos without knowing where the work might lead was now making decisions with consequences for employees, donors, and recipients. He could no longer judge every project solely by whether it attracted attention or provided immediate help.

James Cowan Jr. and the Opportunity to Begin Again

James Cowan Jr. became part of Josh's life through an encounter at a grocery store. James was involved in community outreach, helping provide food to people experiencing hardship. Josh approached him, began a conversation, and eventually offered him $500. According to Josh, James wanted to use the money to support the people he served rather than address his own financial difficulties.

The response impressed Josh, who encouraged James to consider his immediate needs. Their conversation continued, and James gradually became involved in projects with Josh and Ben. As they spent more time together, Josh learned about the obstacles James had faced while trying to rebuild his life, including difficulties connected to his earlier experiences with addiction and the criminal justice system.

Josh described James as someone who remained committed to helping others despite experiencing significant hardship himself. When James later faced a housing crisis, he contacted Josh. The team organized a fundraising campaign that helped James and his wife pursue homeownership. A public follow-up documented a home closing in May 2026, and Josh subsequently offered James a full-time position.

The job gave James an opportunity to earn a more reliable income while contributing to work he already understood. Josh also believed James's experience made him particularly valuable when evaluating requests for assistance. He began reviewing nominations from people who believed someone in their community needed help, bringing a perspective shaped by his own encounters with financial insecurity and social barriers.

For Josh, the relationship became an example of why he was reluctant to define people exclusively by their past. He had watched James continue serving others while facing obstacles that could discourage someone trying to establish stability. He wanted to create an opportunity for James to demonstrate what he could contribute in the present.

The decision also brought Josh into a different kind of relationship with someone he had initially helped. James was no longer simply a person featured in a video or assisted through fundraising. He had become a colleague whose work influenced the direction of the business and whose financial security was connected to its continued operation.

The Obligations That Follow Generosity

As fundraising became a more prominent part of Josh's work, the practical and ethical questions became more demanding. His social media business generates commercial income through its content and partnerships, while individual campaigns may collect donations intended for particular beneficiaries. The distinction matters because viewers need to understand where their contributions go and how money raised in someone's name is managed.

During the interview, MinneapoliMedia asked Josh about those arrangements. He described using GoFundMe campaigns with designated beneficiaries and said the structure allows recipients to receive proceeds through the fundraising platform rather than depending on him to distribute donations personally. He also described contacting the platform when recipients needed quicker access to funds.

Some of his explanations required clarification. Josh characterized GoFundMe as a nonprofit and suggested that money raised through it would not be taxable because of that status. GoFundMe's personal fundraising platform is not itself a charitable nonprofit, and the tax treatment of donations and proceeds depends on the circumstances of each campaign. Contributions to personal fundraisers are generally not charitable tax deductions simply because they are made through the platform.

His description established how he said his fundraising campaigns were organized, but it did not independently verify the financial administration of every campaign associated with his work. Those details remain important for donors and recipients, particularly when fundraising efforts involve substantial sums.

The conversation also addressed the rights and privacy of people appearing in his videos. Someone experiencing homelessness or immediate financial hardship may be willing to accept assistance while feeling uncomfortable having personal circumstances recorded for a large audience. MinneapoliMedia asked whether people could decline to be filmed without losing the opportunity to receive help.

Josh said they could. He described situations in which the team provided assistance without filming and another encounter in which a person became uncomfortable with recording after initially agreeing to participate. According to Josh, the team adjusted its plans and respected the person's hesitation. He also described allowing someone to review a video before publication.

These accounts reflected the procedures Josh said he followed, while leaving broader questions about informed consent and the long-term effects of publicity. People may not anticipate how widely a video will circulate or how long sensitive information will remain accessible. A decision made during a moment of distress can have consequences after the immediate crisis has passed.

Josh acknowledged that his understanding of such issues had changed as he gained experience. He credited Ben and James with identifying concerns he might overlook and said he had asked them to challenge him when they believed a decision was inappropriate. He wanted their disagreements to improve the work rather than threaten their relationships.

"With accountability comes growth," he said.

That principle became especially relevant when his work attracted public controversy.

In April 2026, St. Paul Parks and Recreation imposed a 180-day restriction on Josh's access to city parks following allegations involving his conduct while creating content at Pig's Eye Park. The concerns included the recording and treatment of vulnerable individuals. Josh disputed the allegations and appealed the restriction, which the city rescinded on April 22.

The rescission reversed the restriction but did not, by itself, establish that every underlying concern had been disproved. Questions about how people experiencing homelessness are approached, recorded, and represented remain legitimate subjects of public discussion, regardless of the outcome of that administrative decision.

Josh described the episode as deeply upsetting. He believed his intentions had been misunderstood and said he struggled with allegations he considered insufficiently specific. At the same time, he acknowledged that good intentions could produce consequences he had not anticipated, particularly when his decisions affected people whose experiences differed from his own.

He spoke about learning to accept correction, something he admitted had been difficult when he was younger. He recalled occasions when he resisted acknowledging mistakes even when he privately knew he was wrong. Over time, he began seeing accountability as an essential part of becoming a better leader.

James had introduced him to an expression he particularly enjoyed: a person might not become sinless, but could work to sin less. Josh laughed while explaining that he could not claim credit for the phrase because James had taught it to him.

Throughout the interview, he repeatedly returned to the influence of his teammates, describing them as people whose judgment he trusted and whose willingness to disagree with him helped protect the work from becoming dependent on one person's perspective.

The responsibilities extended beyond public criticism. Josh had also encountered problems when recipients received large amounts of money and subsequently faced pressure from people seeking access to it. He described situations in which relatives or acquaintances attempted to take advantage of someone who had recently received substantial financial assistance.

Those experiences changed his approach. He began arranging financial guidance in some cases, recognizing that a successful fundraiser did not automatically provide the knowledge or support someone needed to manage the proceeds. He also learned that people experiencing homelessness could face significant administrative obstacles even after money became available.

One case involved an 88-year-old veteran whom Ben encountered while the team was traveling. Josh said the man had been sleeping outdoors and lacked some of the documentation needed to access ordinary banking and housing services. The team organized assistance, and Josh recalled that the fundraiser raised more than $300,000.

Obtaining housing required more than collecting donations. The people involved needed identification, banking access, and a reliable address, each of which could depend on having the others already in place. Josh described working through those obstacles with people who could help until the veteran and a woman assisting him were able to obtain a condominium.

The encounter had particular meaning for Josh because the veteran reminded him of his grandfather. Both men had served in the military, and he found it difficult to reconcile the veteran's service with the circumstances in which he was living. The relationship became affectionate, with the older man calling Josh his grandson.

It was another reminder that the people featured in his videos did not always disappear from his life after a fundraiser ended.

The Detroit Family and a Relationship Beyond Fundraising

One of the most revealing moments of the interview occurred when MinneapoliMedia asked Josh to identify someone whose life had changed meaningfully through his involvement and explain how he knew the improvement had lasted. Rather than answer with a prepared account, he asked whether he could telephone someone.

He contacted a family in Detroit whose circumstances had led to a fundraising campaign. The household was caring for a child with significant accessibility needs, and Josh had remained closely involved with the family after the initial assistance. He had spoken with them frequently, visited them, and developed relationships that extended to members of his own family.

When the call connected, Josh asked to speak with the mother. He explained that he was participating in an interview and wanted her to answer a question about the lasting effects of his involvement. She began speaking about what had changed in her family's life, describing both the financial assistance and the emotional support she believed Josh had provided during a difficult period.

"Josh has changed my life," she said.

She explained that she had been facing considerable uncertainty before their connection and that his involvement had helped her believe her family's circumstances could improve. She spoke about him with deep affection, describing a relationship that had continued well beyond the original fundraising campaign.

Josh became emotional as she spoke. Before making the call, he had told MinneapoliMedia that the woman had changed his life as much as he had changed hers. Hearing her speak about him brought that feeling into the conversation in a way no prepared explanation could have achieved.

The discussion moved naturally from gratitude to family matters. They talked about relatives, future visits, and improvements being made to the home. The family had obtained housing better suited to its needs, and renovations were underway to make everyday care more manageable. During the call, the mother showed Josh progress on a bathroom project, explaining why the improvements mattered to the household.

He responded with excitement and asked about the anticipated completion of the work. He also expressed interest in documenting the finished improvements so donors could see what their contributions had helped make possible.

Other family members joined the conversation. Josh greeted them with familiarity, asked about their well-being, and exchanged affectionate remarks. He referred to the mother as his second mom, and she spoke about him as someone who had become part of the family.

The exchange was informal and occasionally interrupted by ordinary household activity. That spontaneity made it particularly revealing. Josh was not simply checking whether a fundraiser had achieved its financial target. He knew the family members, remembered details of their lives, and expected to remain in contact with them.

After the call, he explained that his mother had visited the family and that the two households had maintained a close relationship. He also spoke about their different religious backgrounds. The Detroit family is Muslim, while Josh is Christian. He recalled that the mother had once questioned why someone from a different faith would go to such lengths to help her.

Josh said the question saddened him because his faith taught him to care for people regardless of their religious identity. He described their relationship as an expression of that belief, and the warmth of the telephone conversation suggested that the connection had become meaningful to both families.

The call did not establish the outcomes of every fundraising campaign or resolve the broader questions surrounding his work. It did, however, provide direct testimony from someone who had received assistance and remained in contact with him. Her account offered a perspective that could not have been supplied by Josh alone.

When the conversation finally ended, Josh apologized for how long it had taken. The exchange had lasted longer than either he or the interviewer initially expected, but it had provided a valuable opportunity to observe a relationship that continued after the public attention surrounding the fundraiser.

Faith, Leadership, and the Future

Josh's growing public profile has made him the most recognizable person associated with his charitable videos, but he remains uncomfortable accepting all the credit for their outcomes. He frequently pointed to the contributions of donors, employees, and people who helped identify those needing assistance. In some cases, thousands of viewers had contributed money, while Ben and James had performed work that was less visible to the audience.

Josh believed it would be misleading to present those achievements as his alone. He could introduce a person's story to a large audience, but the funds came from people who chose to give. His teammates helped develop the stories and manage the relationships. Other individuals contributed professional guidance, practical assistance, and local knowledge.

That collective approach influenced how he described leadership. He wanted the people working with him to feel comfortable expressing disagreement and believed the business would become stronger if decisions were tested by more than one perspective. He also recognized that financial sustainability mattered because the operation now supported employees and created expectations among the people it assisted.

The question of public generosity remained central to the interview. Josh understood that some people believed charitable acts should be performed privately, without cameras or public recognition. His grandfather had lived according to a model of generosity that largely avoided attention, while Josh's work relied on sharing encounters with an audience.

He believed the videos could encourage viewers to help others, and he discussed that conviction in relation to his Christian faith. He also acknowledged that the videos had become part of a business. The coexistence of charitable assistance and commercial activity made transparency, consent, and accountability especially important.

For Josh, the challenge was to maintain the purpose that had attracted him to the work while developing the systems necessary to protect the people involved. He spoke about wanting recipients to achieve financial stability rather than experience only temporary relief. He wanted his teammates to build lasting careers and hoped that people who received assistance might eventually find opportunities to help someone else.

His ambitions extended beyond individual fundraising campaigns. During the interview, he discussed his interest in addressing hunger, serious illness, and other humanitarian challenges on a larger scale. He also spoke about educational opportunities connected to Nigeria and expressed enthusiasm about visiting the country to learn more about the people and communities involved.

Those interests were exploratory rather than announcements of completed programs. Josh recognized that larger initiatives would require planning, partnerships, and sustained financial support. The work he hoped to pursue would be different from producing individual videos, and he was still considering how best to approach it.

Near the end of the conversation, he participated in a Builders of Minnesota tradition by recommending another person whose contributions deserved attention. He nominated Yoom Nguyen, associated with the Minneapolis restaurant Lotus, describing Nguyen and his family as people who had supported their community and helped others in difficult circumstances. Josh also spoke about the personal kindness he had received from Nguyen and offered to facilitate an introduction.

The recommendation reflected a theme that had run through the interview. Josh repeatedly acknowledged people whose generosity, experience, or willingness to help had influenced his own work. His grandfather, parents, teammates, donors, and the families he had met all occupied a place in his understanding of what it meant to serve others.

What His Grandfather Left Behind

Years after Thomas Westcott's funeral, Josh continues to remember the people who approached his family to describe what his grandfather had done for them. The stories were not about public recognition, professional success, or the size of the business he operated. They concerned repairs completed when someone could not afford to pay and the relief those acts brought to households facing difficult circumstances.

Josh has wondered whether his grandfather deliberately kept those arrangements private. He does not know. What remains clear to him is that the people Westcott helped remembered his generosity and considered it important enough to tell his family after his death.

Josh's own life has followed an unexpected course. He intended to become a teacher, changed academic direction more than once, and began making videos without imagining that storytelling would become his profession. He now leads a growing operation whose work has brought him into contact with people across the country and beyond Minnesota.

The opportunities have also required him to confront difficult questions. Fundraising creates financial obligations, filming vulnerable people demands care, and public recognition brings scrutiny. The people he employs depend on his decisions, while some of those he has assisted continue to look to him for guidance and support.

During the interview, he spoke openly about mistakes, uncertainty, and the importance of surrounding himself with people willing to challenge him. He also returned repeatedly to the relationships that had developed through his work, particularly those that continued after a video was published or a fundraiser concluded.

The Detroit conversation offered one example. James Cowan Jr.'s transition from someone receiving assistance to a member of the team offered another. Ben Steine's role in identifying people who needed help demonstrated how much the operation had come to depend on the judgment and initiative of others.

Josh still hopes his children and grandchildren will one day look back on his life with the same pride he felt when he learned more about his grandfather. He knows that the circumstances are different. Westcott's generosity was largely unknown outside the community he served, while Josh's work unfolds before an audience that can praise, question, or criticize his decisions.

He described success less in terms of money or public recognition than in the opportunity to wake up each day and pursue work he considers meaningful. He recalled deciding early in his career that helping people would be worthwhile even if he never developed a sustainable business. Now that the business has grown, sustaining it has become part of the responsibility.

"The only way you can convince somebody to go out there and do something good is by doing it," he said.

His grandfather had demonstrated that belief through years of ordinary work in Fairmont. Josh has carried the example into a very different profession, one that allows millions of people to witness encounters that might otherwise remain private.

The measure of that work will not rest solely on the videos or the money raised. It will also depend on the lives people are able to build afterward, the choices they retain over their own stories, and whether the assistance continues to serve them when the attention has moved elsewhere.

For Josh Liljenquist, those questions are now inseparable from the legacy he hopes to leave.

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