Page 39 - January 2018

17 awards show aired live from New York City. “To be on an ac- tual awards show of that magnitude, I was all nerves.”
She enjoyed the opportunity to meet the other nine finalists and was thrilled to find out Common was her surprise present- er.
“I thought that was cool because he’s a Chicagoan and he does a lot in Chicago. It was really good to talk with him and to hopefully do some work together in 2018,” Maddox said.
Putting Future Ties on a national stage, earning money for the cause and meeting like-minded individuals driven to make a difference were the prizes Maddox brought home with her from New York.
“We really didn’t care who won,” she admitted. “To see the support everyone was getting from people all across the world – that’s a win right there. We were all just so happy for one an- other. There were no losers that night.”
Back in Chicago, her cheering section was fired up.
“We watched the awards ceremony on the night of the event at Parkway Garden Church,” Third District CAPS Sergeant Maudessie Jointer said. “The community and police prepared refreshments for the event, and the kids were off the chain when they saw Jen on the big screen. It was a great night. The Department should be very proud of her – the community al- ready knows she’s a rock star of the modest kind.”
Jointer, who came came to 003 two years ago, said Maddox’s established ties to the community made the transition easier and helped Jointer build relationships more quickly.
“Jennifer’s contribution is exactly what community policing is all about, bridging the divide between community and po- lice,” Jointer added.
The work continues. Maddox is looking at the new year with
an eye on linking up with After School Matters and hopes to purchase property on King Drive to expand the teen program to a year-round endeavor.
She reflects on all she has experienced during the past sever- al months and acknowledges she never saw it coming, mainly because she never thought about things like national televi- sion appearances. Her focus was too honed in on the kids.
And Maddox is quick to point out she didn’t get her alone. She’s proud of her son, not just for nominating here to CNN, but for his own work with Future Ties. Maddox also thanked the Department for promoting her efforts.
“I was very appreciative because with it not being a CPD initiative or CPD-led, I wasn’t really sure how the Department would support it,” she noted. “But, I was really glad with them saying, ‘You’re police, you’re still blue, we have to support you whether you’re doing this on duty or off duty – we got you.’” d
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