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Steven Jackson’s Story
Good evening to everyone and to your respective positions in the State of Georgia, City of Duluth, and Rainbow Village. Again my name is Steven Alexander Jackson Jr. I am accompanied tonight by my grandfather, James Jackson. Like many children raised in the United States I encountered many struggles as a child, not able to really develop in stages to adulthood but rather, at times, forced to step up to a level I may have not been fully matured for. From the age of 8 my parents moved my brother, two sisters, and I from house to house, shelter to shelter, motel to motel, and transitional to transitional. I can stand here today and say you don’t have to be a product of your environment, but it’s a must to go back and reach your hand out to the child that is where you were. As a teenager I had certain passions and learned more about myself than I did as a younger child. I learned its okay to have fun and be a child, even though for me I felt that maybe my childhood stages were over. Maybe running around playing games, hide and seek, kickball was out of the question. After all I was 16 years old but stuck because I wanted to play and be that kid I wasn’t able to be. I can’t say I envied the other kids but I will say I felt I missed out.
In the Holy Bible there is a small book named Ecclesiastes and chapter 3 says, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven”. Verse 4 says, “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance”. Well my time was coming and approaching sooner than I thought. When some parents feel they can’t continue raising their kids, they might give them away. My parents didn’t believe in “giving us away”, they always kept us together as a family, no matter the situation. However, they understood I couldn’t keep moving around while in High School, so my mom and I made an agreement that I would live with my grandparents until they had a stable home. I was very excited because at grandma’s house, even with many there, I felt comfort. But one day I talked to my mom on the phone and she said, “We moved in a 2 bedroom house, fully furnished, upstairs and downstairs, and we have a phone.” I remembered her happiness and mine because it had been a very long time since our last home. And yes, there were less cell phones and more pay phones at that time, so no more need for quarters and collect calls also known as, 1-800-collect. Even though I was happy, deep inside I fought the urge to move again, so when my mom said they were in a transitional program called Rainbow Village, my reaction was rainbow what?
My mom insisted I come and check the place out for myself and to my surprise after one visit I fell in love and I was moving again. I not only enjoyed the material aspects like actually having bed or mattress to sleep on, because at one point, we were taking sheets and blankets making it comfortable just to sleep okay on a relative’s floor. But I was grateful to peacefully enjoy smiling again with my family. To me that satisfied my soul, however there was much more to Rainbow Village than just a home. Every day after school there was an after school program where we met other kids just like us and a former NBA professional Nate King, our after school Director. At the afterschool program not only was I able to still relax and have fun with everyone else no matter the ages, but Mr. Nate King, Ms. Pat, Ms. Mildred, and other leaders allowed me, and showed me how, to also help out and lead. I was the oldest at the time out of everyone else, and there it was great that I not only wasn’t left out, but there was a place for me to mature and develop. Some may argue that a child that is 16 or 17 can’t be taught much, so they may lean more toward helping younger children. I will say to that statement or argument, there is always room for growth and at those ages you crave development the most. During my stay at Rainbow Village they brought in tutors certain days of the week, and it was during that time I met my soon to be mentors, Mr. Cliff Kinsey and Ms. Heather, who both took me under their wings, and for that I will always be forever grateful.
Rainbow Village was where my siblings and I had friends that were like family. In fact we would create dance teams, basketball teams, track teams, and went to the YMCA during the summer, We all related to each other so well and had so much fun together that when it got late in the day, none of us ever wanted to go in with our families. We all have great and many memories at Rainbow Village. They have given families like mine a second chance. Rainbow Village sees past the parents and to the heart of the children. I do recall visitations from this one angel that would make her presence known and that was Ms. Nancy Yancey. All the children would flock to her like they did Mary Poppins. All the children loved Ms. Nancy. We received plenty of love and smiles from her and still do to this day. In fact Ms. Nancy has personally kept in contact with my family, each of us individually for over 10 years now. And even now as adults we still fight over whom Ms. Nancy loves the most, and who loves her the most. Looking back I can appreciate the Executive Director working very hard to keep things together but facing an even greater challenge to communicate with us. Ms. Nancy you have touched many lives and you are our present, “Mother Theresa”. They say, it takes a Village to raise a child. Well, this Village, also known as Rainbow Village, has raised more than just one child, and they will continue to bring much more hope to families, children and youth in the State of Georgia and the City of Duluth.
Thank you.
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