Jahkil Jackson was only eight when he started his non profit organization– The Project I Am– but the idea stuck him when he was five. Jahkil and his aunt passed out food to the homeless, and something about that experience caused Jahkil to pester his parents about doing something. When Jahkil was eight, his parents put together an event for friends and family to come together and make toiletry bags for the homeless. They made 88 bags, and even since then, Jahkil hasn’t looked back.

Project I Am is a non profit organization which gives out toiletry bags (often containing items such as hand sanitizer, socks, deodorant, granola bars, water, and toothbrushes) to the homeless. This organization is funded by 1000+ volunteers, who have raised over $275,000 in donations. These volunteers and donations have touched the lives of over 70,000 people. Most of the time, these toiletry bags are made in packing parties, but over the pandemic, hosting packing parties wasn’t a great option. During this time, Jahkil and his immediate family initially put together the bags by themselves, and grandma would drop them off at the shelter. However, after four months of this, Jahkil got bored. He then came up with the idea of virtual packaging parties, which allowed kids from all over the country to make these toiletry bags together while staying safe. The largest number of kids attending a virtual packaging party at one time ended up being almost 250 kids from 55 cities. With Project I Am’s great success, it continues to grow in the impact it makes.

Now at age 14, Jahkil has won over a dozen awards for his work, including as Children’s Museum Power of Children Award and BET’s 15 under 15. He has also published his own book called I Am, which empowers people of all ages to stand up to bullying. In the future, Jahkil would love for Project I Am to expand from Chicago and make an impact world wide. For the time being, he plans on achieving this by having volunteers from all over the globe order toiletry kits to be sent to their area.

What makes the idea of Project I Am so great is that it serves a group of people who are often overlooked, and has a positive social impact. Project I Am is also a sustainable non profit with a great business model. Jahkil’s story of becoming an entrepreneur at age eight is inspirational because it shows you that you are never to young or inexperienced to make an impact, and if you are persistent enough, you can make a huge difference right where you are.