Keep My Hood Good celebrates 12 years of helping youth
JACKSON, Tenn. — A local organization is celebrating and helping the Hub City’s youth.
The organization Keep My Hood Good celebrated their ongoing success of more than a decade with a banquet, showing the community how they help youth in the city.
“Keep My Hood Good was started about 12 years ago by our Executive Director [Juanita Jones]. She saw that there was a need in the Jackson community for an organization to help uplift inner city youth. Those kids that had it hard starting off,” said Kortney Simmons, a Keep My Hood Good board member.
One of their main goals is to help improve the lives of children and young adults in Jackson.
“We are trying to help empower our community so that they can be the best them that they can be,” Simmons said.
The organization has been able to teach local students numerous life lessons.
“Keep My Hood Good has shaped me into the person I am. It has kept me out of trouble because before I went to Keep My Hood Good, I was a very bad kid,” said La’Kevonte Price, a college student.
“This helped me with dance, art, my social life, all of this, and it helps me get off my electronics a lot more,” said Marijah Rodgers, a ninth grade student.
“I’m a little bit more out of my shell. At first you could not get me to talk in front of no camera, so I guess it helped me get out of my shell,” said Sonya Bond, a high school junior.
Some students are learning more than just life lessons.
“Keep My Hood Good is like a big family. We meet new people every month, probably every year, and we adjust to them. We always bring them in as a family,” said Kimore Fogle, a high school junior.
This year’s keynote speaker says this organization is unique.
“Just the motto of Keeping My Hood Good, it’s very special and very needed,” said AJ Merriweather, the keynote speaker.
If you would like learn more about the organization, just visit their website.
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