Those who have had the pleasure of meeting Jack can immediately recognize he embodies the idea of “service above self”. He is a young man who believes that a community can only thrive if the people are thriving and with deep gratitude for the kindness he’s been shown, does for others with no expectation of recognition or celebration. When he was 11 years old, Jack established an annual tradition called the "25 Days of Kindness" in which he identifies individuals and selects organizations making an impact in his community and contributes by volunteering his time and making both direct and in-kind donations. Each year Jack’s following and engagement grew and now others have started to join and start their own traditions.
These “acts” have varied from providing breakfast for essential workers, making gifts for and visiting with the elderly, handing out hats and gloves for those in need, donating hygiene products to schools for young students, shoveling snow for differently abled neighbors, collecting books to promote literacy, feeding the hungry, selling bracelets for mental health awareness and encouraging others to donate blood, all chronicled on his Instagram @itsyaboijack, and all using funds he raises by selling personal possessions and saving allowances throughout the year.
Even at his very young age, Jack’s impact has been immense. He’s inspired others to be mindful of how they conduct themselves and encouraged people to care about their communities. If Jack feels that there is an injustice in the world, he gets to work. You can often find him at a rally advocating for civil rights, equal pay for women or for climate change action. If Jack hears that someone is in need, his immediate response is “how can I help?” Throughout the year, you can also find him knocking on doors with canvassing teams asking people to register to vote and writing letters to the editor detailing his perspective on issues that he cares about at the municipal level.
Jack is the kind of person we should all aspire to be!