Rick Jackson is an Alabama Bright Light in the River Region
Rick Jackson is executive director of Boys and Girls Club of the River Region and an Alabama Bright Light. (contributed)
The children at the Boys & Girls Club of the River Region (BGCRR) participate in activities with a smile on their faces.
That is what puts a smile on the face of Rick Jackson, executive director of BGCRR.
“We provide services for kids ages 6 to 18 during the school year,” Jackson said. “We provide after-school and academic programs, such as tutoring and leadership building.”
BGCRR serves disadvantaged youths and presents them with a place to grow and learn, as well the hope they need for a bright future. The programs are varied and include many that are crucial in the life of a young person.
“We have a lot of different mentoring programs; one of them is called Passport to Manhood,” Jackson said. “Our programs provide a safe, caring and positive environment for the youth in our area.”
Rick Jackson of the Boys & Girls Club of River Region is an Alabama Bright Light from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
BGCRR works in three communities in the Montgomery area: Chisolm, Mt. Meigs and West End. It is a United Way agency that serves children from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. during the school year and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the summer. The employees encourage children to belong and succeed in their community and to share their voice with a world that needs them. Some of the programs suffered from the pandemic, but Jackson and his staff are determined to continue their mission.
“The COVID-19 health pandemic affected us in the very beginning. When it first hit, it was devastating because we had to shut down. We couldn’t see our kids. We were closed for three months; then when we reopened, we could only serve 30 kids,” Jackson said. “But we have adapted and continued being there for our youths.”
Jackson has turned to organizations like the Alabama Power Foundation to support the programs and services BGCCR provides.
“Our relationship with the Alabama Power Foundation is awesome. They help fund almost all of our programs in some form. We could not do what we do without the Alabama Power Foundation and their commitment to helping the residents of Alabama,” Jackson said.
Jackson and his staff are dedicated to helping children in the Montgomery area.
“I do what I do because I fell in love with the Boys & Girls Club of the River Region,” he said. “Our journey has been such a blessing to our clients and me. To serve all of these young people and provide them with our programs and the hope they need for a bright future: It’s awesome to see the smile on their face when they come to see us.”
For more information, visit www.bgcriverregion.org.
