Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 3-2-18

Feature
Teenager Among Finalists For Prestigious Award
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
Recently, a Tampa teenager was notified that he is a finalist for a presti- gious national award.
The winner of the 2018 U. S. Army Pro Football Hall of Fame Award for Ex- cellence will be announced during the 2018 U. S. Army Pro Football Hall of Fame Award Enshrinement Week in Canton, Ohio, August 2nd through August 5th, 2018.
N’Jhari Jackson is one of 110 teenagers from around the nation meeting the criteria for the presti- gious recognition.
Those competing for the honor must submit an essay defining the habits of excel- lence they have experienced in less than 500 words.
They must be an active member in athletics at their respective high school, must have a 3.5 grade point aver- age, and must be involved in their local communities. Additionally, they need 3 letters of recommendation.
N’Jhari is a junior at Carrollwood Day School, where he is a member of both the football team and
lacrosse team. An Eagle Scout, N’Jhari has ob- tained all 23 Eagle Scout Palm Awards and 138 out of 138 BSA Merit badges.
N’Jhari is the only child of Ms. LaShina Lewis, who fully supports his ven- tures.
He has also written two children’s books as a follow up to his first book entitled, “Revelations@13.”
N’Jhari began his com- munity service at the age of 6. He created his “Pajama Buddies” Program to pro- vide stuffed animals to sick children. The stuffed ani- mals provide comfort to them during their hospital stays.
It began while he was at Shriners Hospital For Chil- dren undergoing a surgical procedure. A nurse gave him a stuffed animal to comfort him. And, when he encountered another child experiencing the same anx- iety that he had, he gave the stuffed animal to that child.
When he returned home, he raised funds and ac- cepted donations to expand the program. He has given away thousands of stuffed animals.
N’JHARI JACKSON
... Chosen as Awards Finalist
N’Jhari has continued to demonstrate his concerns in various other programs. Last year, he was presented the 2017 National Caring Award. The award was pre- sented by the Caring Insti- tute at their 30th Annual Caring Award Ceremony.
Several years ago, he cre- ated “NJ’s-Love-To-The Rescue” project to reduce
Sudden Cardiac Arrest in student athletes and youth in the community.
It was created as his major project to become an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 142.
N’Jhari decided to ob- tain AED (Automated Ex- ternal Defibrillators) for Paideia School of Tampa Bay, where he was attend- ing at the time. But, after raising the money for the life-saving equipment, N’Jhari learned that no one was trained to use the equipment, although it was required on campus.
Instead of abandoning the project, he raised funds to provide the training. Since the inception of the
program, N’Jhari has helped to certify more than 50 adults in CPR, First-Aid, and AED use. He continues to provide AEDs to youth sports organizations.
As part of his “Kool Sox,” Program, N’Jhari has given 1,200 pairs of “Kool Sox” to underprivileged children.
The 2018 U. S. Army Pro Football Hall of Fame Award for Excellence Pro- gram was created in Janu- ary 2012 to highlight the nation’s top high school ath- letes who exemplify similar strengths to that of U. S. Army Soldiers and who not only excel athletically, but who excel academically and who are active in their com- munities.
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