CHICAGO – A local teen has stepped up for Giving Tuesday in a big way.
It’s not hard to find stories about 14-year-old Jahkil Jackson. That’s because since he was 8-years-old, he’s had a nonprofit all about helping the homeless.
“Giving Tuesday isn’t only about giving items, it could also be about giving your time to somebody,” Jackson said. “It can be you saying hi to a random person on the street.”
For Giving Tuesday, the 14-year-old high school freshmen took over the old Target on 85th and Cottage Grove in the Chatham neighborhood. His organization “Project I Am” planned to fill up 5,000 blessing bags that were stuffed with toiletry items for the homeless that will be distributed all across Chicagoland.
Jackson, however, was not doing it alone. He took his mission across the world, with several hundred kids joining him on Zoom to give back.
“It’s my fourth time participating in Giving Tuesday. Today we are going to be having 228 youth from across 55 cities. And even a few kids in London and India are joining, so it’s all over,” Jackson said.
The event started at 6 p.m. Tuesday night and was sponsored by Nike, Discover, State Farm and many other brands.
