Jackie Joyner Kersee Foundation -JJK

Jackie Joyner-Kersee, winner of six Olympic Medals, is one of the "50 Great Athletes of all time" according to ESPN. She is the first woman to win back-to-back gold medals in the heptathlon, the first African American woman to win an Olympic Medal in the long jump and the first woman to score 7,000 points in the heptathlon. Born and raised in East St. Louis, Jackie is committed to ensuring that all children have access to high quality after-school programs, safe recreational places within their communities, and caring adults to help them achieve their dreams. Jackie launched the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation in Los Angeles and moved it to East St. Louis in 1995. Inspired by the closing of her neighborhood community center, Jackie grew the Foundation by raising over $12 million to expand programming and built a comprehensive youth and sports facility and campus that opened in 2000.