Young Philanthropist Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary
Young Philanthropist Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary
By Tia Carol Jones
Jahkil Jackson founded Project I Am as a way to provide necessary items to people in need. He started the organization when he was eight years old after feeling compelled to do something while he was visiting the homeless when he was five. He began packing and distributing blessing bags, filled with hygiene and care items, to people experiencing homelessness.
Since Project I Am began 10 years ago, it has raised around $1 million and impacted more than 300,000 people around the world. To celebrate Project, I Am’s 10th anniversary, there will be a reception, which will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, March 20th, at the Connect Gallery located at 1451 E. 53rd St. On Saturday, March 21st from 3:30p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at The Rink, located at 1122 E. 87th St., there will be a skate and blessing bag packing party.
Jackson said it is important for him to continue to do the work that he does with Project I Am because he hasn’t completed the mission yet. He said there are still so many other people he wants to help. In addition to distributing the blessing bags to people through Project I Am, Jackson also works with young people, helping to develop future leaders.
He said it is something that he is so passionate about that he teaches social entrepreneurship to other young people. It is his hope that he can inspire and motivate other young people to participate in community service activities. He recently taught a social entrepreneurship class on Wednesday, March 4th, to a group of young people.
Jackson said the March 20th event will be a time to celebrate Project I Am’s volunteers and supporters, as well as a time to highlight key moments from the last 10 years and share what’s next for Project I Am. At the event on March 21st, people will help make 1,000 blessing bags and there will be performances and entertainment.
Jackson said that his middle name Naeem means to give without receiving back, so it was instilled in him to give back to others. He said his parents and his grandmother inspired him to be a business owner and entrepreneur. He said he is also motivated to help others because he doesn’t like seeing people go without and he puts himself in other people’s shoes.
Jackson said there are branches of Project I Am all across the world, in places like France, Canada and the United Kingdom. He said there are plans to add more branches in two countries. He added that he is also passionate about creating and developing tiny homes and it is something he hopes to do in the future. He said the response from the people who receive the blessing bags is very positive. He said growing up, he said hearing the compliments and having an up close and personal experience with people kept him motivated. He said it has been really cool to have the opportunity to engage with people and have them share their experiences with him. He said there needs to be more people who are willing to engage with people who are experiencing homelessness and listen to their stories.
For more information about Jahkil Jackson and Project I Am, visit www.weareprojectiam.com. To register for the 10-Year Anniversary events, visit
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