The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/262939
WHERE ARE THEY NOW? only grew within him, but wound up touching other lives. "The idea for starting a non-profit for kids who grew up as I did, under- served youth, started my junior year in college," he recalled. "I was taking a psychology class where we went into Detroit and mentored kids in that neighborhood. "I knew at that time in all likelihood, I would end up going to the NFL. I said right then and there, I was going to start up a non-profit, to help kids who grew up like I did." That idea wouldn't fully flourish until years later, but it's reality now. Jackson's Fight For Life Foundation is all about giving underprivileged kids stability, hope and a better future. It allows for elementary school children to enter a "Building Dreams" phase, either in school or after school, fashioned around fundamentals such as reading and communications skills. Working in concert with Casel's Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Indiana Common Core English Language Arts standards, the program looks to put kids on the right road. Jackson designed the curriculum, getting input from his mother-in-law, Peggy Hill, a retired educator. " I ' v e g o t t e n f e e d b a c k f ro m professors who evaluate curricula," Jackson said. "They told me it's cutting edge, it's different. Doing pilot programs, I get feedback from elementary school teachers. I get feedback from the charter school where the curriculum has been implemented, here in Indianapolis. It's been very encouraging, about what has been put together and the potential it has." At Michigan, a program such as this largely remained in the dream stage. But even then, Jackson had the desire to intercept kids from non-productive paths. "The process in college was just being hands-on," he said. "It was realizing I could connect and maybe build some relationships and touch some of these kids. It was real to me, and they could see that. I'd been through scenarios and situations they were going through every day." Michigan, and Carr, absolutely played a role in smoothing that road, noted the two-time All-American. "Sports and the University of Michigan really opened up my eyes to a different way of living, understanding I don't have to be a product of my environment in a negative way," Jackson said. "A lot of times, coaches may not understand or know the kind of impact they're making. "As a young kid, I didn't know how to express myself to adults that coherently." Whether or not Carr knew it, Jackson assured, the message was getting through. "I remember him in the meeting room, always stressing the value of education and getting our degree while we're here. The No. 1 thing he always stressed was being part of something that is greater than yourself. "That's what the University of Michigan was. As I continued to go forward, in the NFL, I wanted to build something that was bigger than myself, something that could live on