GOING FOR THE GOLD.
Local Leaders Discuss a Shared Vision at Conversations.
On August 25, the leaders of three institutions came together at the Danforth Center’s Conversations event to discuss a new enterprise that will change the lives of young people in our region.
The three leaders were Dr. Jim Carrington, president and CEO of the Danforth Center, Robert J. Jones, PhD, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic legend and founder of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation.
More than 260 people attended the program with an additional audience watching via livestream. The evening’s discussion, moderated by Sarah Fenske, executive editor of Euclid Media Group, revolved around the partnership between the panelists’ respective institutions and their push to empower students across St. Louis through a new, groundbreaking education initiative.
“Being partners with Danforth—they took a chance investing in us, coming across that river and investing in our young people, and trying to make a difference..”
– Olympic Gold Medalist and Founder & CEO of the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, Jackie Joyner-Kersee.
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS.
JJK FAN was founded on the idea that the key to transforming the community is by empowering the individual. That’s why the unique programs at JJK FAN won’t just educate, they will also inspire. Through hands-on research experiences developed the Danforth Center, JJK FAN will equip young people with the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to succeed in life – creating pathways for underprivileged students that lead to higher education, meaningful careers, and a stronger St. Louis region.
“We’re here to deliver on a vision that Bill Danforth set forth for us, and that’s to make an impact on the St. Louis region.”
– Jim Carrington, Phd, President And CEO, Danforth Center.
SKY-HIGH AMBITION
One chance meeting. One shared vision. Unlimited lives changed.
Little did Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee and longtime agricultural technology entrepreneur Mark Scholl know as they stowed their carry-ons on a Washington, D.C.-to-St. Louis flight that something amazing was about to begin.
Chatting in their assigned-by-chance seats, the duo vowed to shift their vision into meaningful action. East St. Louis youngsters and teens would use seeds, soil and determination to change their circumstances, ultimately to grow thriving futures built on science and sustainability. Beyond learning how to grow healthy fruits and vegetables, they would change the structure of feeding their community.
Food access? Yes. More than that? Absolutely.
As an extension of Joyner-Kersee’s community center, youth would improve and use urban-impacted soil to grow bountiful produce. They would prepare their minds to pursue in-demand agriculture and science careers. They would embrace a foundation of nutrition and physical activity while discovering their roles for achieving an economically stronger East St. Louis.
Did they think they could do it alone? No way.
Over time, like-minded doers entered the picture, adding experience and foresight to develop what would become Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, Nutrition Innovation Center — JJK FAN for short.
In 2016 Scholl and Joyner-Kersee were teaching kids how to plant, grow and harvest vegetables. That resonated with Dr. Kim Kidwell, who at the time was dean of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
An hour-long Scholl and Kidwell meeting, both ACES alumni and advocates, morphed into four enthusiastic hours of doing what they do best — strategizing to give ideas momentum, to give them wings.
Kidwell championed bringing University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign assets, including Illinois Extension, to JJK FAN. She played a key role in developing state and federal funding proposals for the infrastructure and programming needed to create systemic change in one of the most under-resourced cities in the Midwest.
Soon, JJK center super-supporter Mark Mestemacher added his expertise to help the endeavor succeed. He added to the JJK FAN workforce development mission through his non-profit Lansdowne UP, which focuses on transforming its namesake neighborhood. Mestemacher also enabled staff to be hired to support JJK FAN and played an essential role in the $23 million JJK FAN buildout.
Mestemacher partnered closely with Kidwell and Amy Funk, now the JJK FAN director, and the rest of the team to obtain a $10 million capital build grant from the State of Illinois, a game changer in the initiative’s push forward.
The Danforth Center entered the growing mix by partnering with JJK Foundation education staff to conduct a STEAM activity for center youth. When Donald Danforth Plant Science Center Executive Director of Education Dr. Kristine Callis-Duehl learned about the partnership with the University of Illinois, she added expertise and resources from the Danforth Center to serve as a bridge in the bi-state divide and advocated for ensuring East St. Louis Illinois is seen as part of the greater St. Louis metropolitan area.
Did uniting powerhouse personalities make a difference? Without a doubt.
The team accomplished what none of the players could do alone.
“Everyone went to bat for JJK FAN,” said Funk, a longtime East St. Louis advocate. “With all of us bringing different strengths to the table, JJK FAN has grown at warp speed to bring a collective vision to life.”
The potential to create a highly functional urban food system that leads to life-changing careers keeps the team moving forward, working together to ensure lives without limits.
Partners in Collaboration
JJK FOUNDATION
Founded in 1988 by Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, the JJK Foundation is an iconic organization with a mission to carry out Jackie’s dream of providing youth in East St. Louis the opportunity to win in life. The JJK Foundation believes youth can overcome obstacles and become successful through access to a healthy lifestyle, quality educational opportunities, sports and recreation, and character and leadership development. JJK FAN is rooted in Jackie’s commitment to expanding opportunities for youth to thrive and succeed.
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the state’s flagship land-grant university that conducts innovative research, delivers transformational academic programs, and translates discoveries and programming to people in communities. In relation to JJK FAN, campus efforts focus on college readiness and expanding access, whereas Extension plays a key role in program development and delivery.
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
Founded in 1998, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is the world’s largest independent not-for-profit plant-science research institute, with a mission to improve the human condition through plant science. Its cutting-edge research, STEAM+Ag© education programs, and outreach efforts aim to improve health, food security and environmental sustainability while positioning the St. Louis region as a world center for plant science. The Danforth Center plays a pivotal role in the development and implementation of JJK FAN’s STEAM curriculum and internship program.
Lansdowne UP
Lansdowne UP is a non-profit organization whose mission is to transform Lansdowne, East St. Louis, into a thriving neighborhood — one person, one property at a time. Lansdowne is a low-income urban neighborhood surrounding the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center. Lansdowne UP’s Lift UP initiative helps people thrive through workforce, personal, and spiritual development and the Grow UP initiative combats food insecurity by growing healthy food and providing the infrastructure necessary to support urban agricultural education.
