>>MELANIE LAWSON: ALL RIGHT. WELCOME BACK, EVERYONE TO THIS MONTH’S POSITIVELY JAX WINNERS
ARE PROOF THAT AGE IS NOTHING
BUT A NUMBER TEENAGERS WHO ARE
SHAPING AND HELPING DEVELOP
THEIR PEERS. JACK’S THRIVE IS
A TUTORING AND MENTORING
PROGRAM FOR REFUGEE STUDENTS.
IT’S STUDENT LED HAS CONNECTED
HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS.
>> YOUNG PEOPLE CAN BE
POWERFUL CONNECTORS, TEACHERS
AND FRIENDS. THAT’S WHAT LEXI
AND HOPE ARE PROVING CARRYING
ON THE LEGACY OF JAX THRIVE. A
JACKSONVILLE NONPROFIT THAT’S
GIVING LOCAL YOUNG REFUGEES
POWER THROUGH PEER LEAD,
TUTORING AND MENTORSHIP. WE
ALL HAVE SIMILARITIES EVEN
THOUGH WE’RE COMING FROM
DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS. HAVE
COMMONALITIES. SO JUST BEING
ABLE TO FIND THE FOUNDATIONS
UPON THAT AND BUILD AND KEEP
BUILDING THE RELATIONSHIP CAN
DO IN THEIR CHAIR AND ITS
REACHES WELL BEYOND
JACKSONVILLE.
>> THERE ARE NOW 8 CLUBS
ACROSS THE WORLD. ONE IN THE
UNITED EMIRATES. THEY’VE
WORKED WITH MORE THAN 200
REFUGEES SINCE 2017 AND IT HAD
MORE THAN 300 VOLUNTEERS. AND
WHILE THE STUDENTS EVENTUALLY
MOVE OUT OF THE PROGRAM, WHEN
THEY GRADUATE, THE WORK
CONTINUES.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: FRIENDS
HOPING LEXI ARE THE
CO-PRESIDENTS NOW, BUT HOPE
SISTER AND LEXI’S BROTHER
STARTED THE GROUP WHEN THESE 2
WERE JUST IN THE 7TH GRADE
DOLLARS. IT STARTS ALWAYS
MIGRATES FROM SHE’S 4 YEARS
OLDER THAN ME. SO I ALWAYS
KIND OF. SAW HER AND ALWAYS
LOOKED UP TO HER AND THAT
YOUNGER BUT I WHAT SHE’S DONE
FOR HER COMMUNITY FOR HER
FAMILY AND HER FRIENDS, THEY
TUDOR IN PERSON EVERY OTHER
SATURDAY FROM A LOCAL CHURCH.
THE STUDENTS ARE ALL DIFFERENT
AGES AND THEY LEARN FROM EACH
OTHER LEXI’S. GREATEST ROLE
MODEL IS DARSE ALONG A STUDENT
SHE WORKED WITH WHO IS NOW
HEADED TO COLLEGE WHEN SHE
FIRST GOT HERE.
>> HER AGE WAS A MESSED UP IN
THE SYSTEM. AND SO SHE WAS
ABLE TO GO TO SCHOOL. AND SO
FOR THE FIRST YEAR SHE WAS
HERE, HE WOULD JUST GIVE HER
STACKS OF BOOKS AND TO COME
BACK AND READ THEM. AND EVEN
THOUGH SHE WASN’T REALLY IN
THE BEST SITUATION TO US, SO
EXCITED JUST FOR ANY
OPPORTUNITY SHE WAS GIVEN LEXI
AND HOPE ARE GRADUATING THIS
YEAR AND THEY ARE READY TO
PASS THE TORCH. AND I BET THE
LIGHT WILL CONTINUE TO SHINE.
>> MAKING JAX THRIVE
POSITIVELY JAX.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: ALL RIGHT.
SO JOINING ME IN STUDIO WE
HAVE FRANCIS WITH CLOSETS BY
DESIGN ONE OF OUR PROJECT
SPONSORS AND HEY THERE, LEXI
AND HOPE HOW YOU DO WHEN
FORGET, HOW ARE YOU? GOOD.
IT’S SO GOOD TO SEE YOU THERE.
JOINING US VIA ZOOM, FRANCIS
TO TELL YOU THESE 2 ARE SO
BUSY. I TRIED TO GET TO THE
SCHOOL TO MEET WITH THEM FOR
MULTIPLE TIMES AND THEY’RE
ALWAYS LIKE WE HAVE TEST.
WE’RE PREPARED THIS. I MEAN,
THEY ARE SO FOCUSED ON THEIR
GRADES AND WHAT THEY’RE DOING
AND THEN ALSO HELPING THE
COMMUNITY JUST AN OPPRESSIVE
PAIR.
>> SURE THEY ARE. YOU GUYS ARE
AMAZING AND THANK YOU FOR WHAT
YOU’RE DOING FOR THESE PEOPLE
BECAUSE THEY’RE COMING HERE
AND THEY MAY NOT KNOW OUR
CULTURE, BUT YOU’RE GETTING
EXPOSED TO THEIR CULTURE,
WHICH IS AN INCREDIBLE THING.
BUT YOU ARE SHOWING THEM THAT
THEY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN
OUR WORLD AS WELL. SO THANK
YOU. AND CONGRATULATIONS ON
GOING TO COLLEGE NEXT YEAR AND
EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS ARE I
KNOW THAT YOU ARE INSTILLING
AND THE FOLKS THAT ARE COMING
UP BEHIND YOU. SO WE REALLY DO
APPRECIATE THAT, TOO. THANK
YOU. ALL RIGHT. SO LET’S SEE
TELL US WHAT YOU’RE DOING NEXT
YEAR. I’M SO IMPRESSED WITH
COLLEGE PLANS AND WHAT IS NEXT
FOR JUST YOU. YOU ALL
PERSONALLY.
>> SO I’LL BE ATTENDING THE
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ON A
CHOPPER HAS A ROBERTSON I’LL
BE ATTENDING PRINCETON
UNIVERSITY.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: ALL RIGHT.
SO I HOPE GOING TO PRINCETON
AND LEXI NORTH CAROLINA. TELL
US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT JACQUES
THRIVE AS WELL. BECAUSE WHAT I
THOUGHT WAS NEED ABOUT THIS
STORY. YOU KNOW, THEY WERE SO
YOUNG AND THEIR SIBLINGS WERE
ACTUALLY RUNNING THIS
ORGANIZATION. AND THEY SAID,
YOU KNOW, WE’VE GOT TO CARRY
THIS TORCH. WE GOT TO KEEP IT
GOING. YOU HAVE ANY THOUGHTS
ON HOW THIS COMMUNITY CAN TAP
AND TO HELP MAKE IT EVEN
STRONGER.
>> JACKSON MISSED COMPLETELY
RUN OFF OF COMMUNITY SUPPORT.
AND WE REALLY COULDN’T DO THIS
WITHOUT FAMILY FRIENDS. AND
REALLY EVERYBODY WHO’S GIVEN
TIME AND ANY SORT OF DONATION
TO HELP JACKSON ARRIVED. AND I
THINK THAT’S WHAT MAKES IT SO
UNIQUE. THE FACT THAT IT’S
COMPLETELY COMMUNITY RUN SO I
THINK THAT GETTING INVOLVED,
THERE’S MORE INFORMATION ON
OUR WWW DOT JAX, TRY AND JUST
GETTING SUPPORT IN ANY WAY. IF
ANYONE WANTS TO VOLUNTEER, WE
DO HAVE TAX TIME NEXT SATURDAY
SO ALL RIGHT. THERE YOU GO.
THANK YOU BOTH. AGAIN. I KNOW,
FRANCIS, YOU EXPRESS IT
BEAUTIFULLY.
>>MELANIE LAWSON: JUST KEEP
DOING THE WORK YOU’RE DOING.
I’M SURE. IN COLLEGE YOU’LL
FIND A WAY TO TAP INTO THE
COMMUNITY AS WELL. SO
CONGRATULATIONS ARE APRIL
PROJECTS WINNER AND REMEMBER
KEEP THOSE NOMINATIONS COMING
IN ON NEWSFOURJAX DOT COM. WE
LOVE LOVE TO CELEBRATE PEOPLE
THAT ARE DOING THE GOOD WORK
RIGHT HERE LOCALLY. AND GOOD
LUCK TO YOU. IT WAS WONDERFUL
MEETING. YOU.