Spring and summer mean vacations for some lucky people.
But for others barely making ends meet, getting out of town is typically an unattainable dream.
Thanks to the hard work of Jack and Jill of America’s Pensacola chapter, a break from school also meant a trip throughout Florida to visit college campuses for high school students who may never leave the area otherwise.
Recently, 26 area students, 17 of them fully sponsored, toured Florida State University, Florida A&M University and the University of Florida, spending the night in a hotel in Tallahassee during their spring break.
“This was the first time for some they’ve been outside of Pensacola,” said Jack and Jill member Donya Charles. “It gives them a good chance to see the different things and opportunities that are out there.”
They listened to a charge from Pensacola native and FAMU student body president Lauren May. They sat in on an African American studies class at the University of Florida. They soaked up guided campus tours, possibly envisioning college life for the first time. And they took home t-shirts and backpacks to commemorate the trip.
Prior to the trip, students submit essays on why the tour is important to them. Jack and Jill offers workshops teaching writing, public speaking, college and ACT/SAT prep to students applying for the tour as well as others interested in sharpening their skills.
Charles took a college tour trip herself in the early ‘90s as a student at Pensacola High and wanted to offer a similar vision to today’s students.
ALMOST 70 YEARS STRONG
The program is one of many organized by Jack and Jill, a family-centric organization launched in Pensacola almost 70 years ago by Martiel McCray Watson, a teacher at Booker T. Washington, then a junior and senior high school.
“During these times of segregation, there was a strong communication network within the Black community and a strong sense of pride in the achievements and accomplishments of parents and children. Friendships, neighborhoods, churches and communities linked us together,” explained president Christina Hawkins.
Eager to strengthen her community, Watson invited about 15 like-minded mothers to her home to share her vision, and the 76th Jack and Jill was created. It’s one of 262 chapters in the nation.
Almost 70 years later, the local chapter is thriving. Composed of 21 mothers with children ages 2 to 19, the whole family gets involved in nurturing and strengthening the youth in their fold. Once a member’s child graduates or turns 19, the member becomes an associate, supporting the younger families. They recently chaired a successful mental health summit.
The women and their families inject a lot of good into the community with involvement in too many charitable causes to list. A few include Communities Caring at Christmas, March of Dimes, Food Raising Friends, Ronald McDonald House and Gulf Coast Kid’s House. They’ve donated coats to Boys and Girls Club, hosted a blood drive and sickle cell testing and made gift bags for families of babies at Sacred Heart’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
GROWING A NEW GENERATION OF LEADERS
They do all of that while hosting workshops, social and educational events to grow their own children as well as others in the community. Monthly activities for Jack and Jill children are broken into four age groups, with the teen group operating its own executive board.
Hawkins describes the goal of the organization as growing future African American pillars of the community by strengthening children through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving and civic duty.
Hawkins’ son, Justin, is a shining example of a Jack and Jill teen. The 17-year-old Pace High rising senior is the teen president of Jack and Jill’s local chapter and feels equipped for success given the leadership, oratorical and community service opportunities the organization afforded.
“Jack and Jill has helped me learn more about myself and given me invaluable cultural and educational opportunities. And I believe it has strengthened my foundation to truly succeed and excel,” he explained.
