Since 2019, members of the Seattle Chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated have volunteered with Vision House on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“We are grateful for the faithfulness of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated,” said Debbie Gannon. “They’re showing up, they’re coming to help tangibly, and they also offer a visible act of kindness to Vision House families and staff.”

Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated has 271 chapters nationwide, including the Seattle Chapter which covers Vision House’s service area. The organization is led by mothers of African American children, who design and administer programming for their children while also advocating and providing support for the benefit of all children and the broader community around "cultural awareness, educational development, health (education and advocacy), civic (legislative advocacy and service) and social/recreational areas.” 

The moms, with children and fathers alongside them, have visited Vision House each Martin Luther King Jr. Day for the past seven years. This MLK Jr. Day – Monday, January 20^th, 2025 – more than one hundred individuals brought empathy, joy, muscles, and energy to Vision House!

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a federal holiday first recognized in 1986, 18 years after the assassination of Dr. King in 1968. Dr. King was one of the most visible leaders of the civil rights movement and the day named in his honor has become known as a Day of Service, or a “day on, not a day off.”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”  ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Community service is an integral part of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated’s national programming, providing opportunities for member children to engage in meaningful service, develop leadership skills, and make a positive impact from age two through high school graduation. Ninevah Rudolph Lowery, a Vision House Board Member and member of the Seattle Chapter, highlighted that even toddlers and preschoolers as young as two actively participate in age-appropriate community service programming.

“From a young age, we want to instill a love of service and community,” she said.

This year, the families sanitized toys in Children’s Village Child Care, organized and sorted household supplies for Vision House residents, cleaned and raked the playground, prepared a mailing to be sent to donors, created a beautiful “Super Mom” blanket for a Vision House resident, and the littlest Jack and Jill members made Valentine’s Day cards for residents and staff. 

The Seattle Chapter’s involvement in Vision House reaches even further than the MLK Service Days. In 2017, after assessing community needs, Janine Thorn, Seattle Chapter’s Foundation Chair at the time, recommended Vision House to the members as an organization to support, leading to a lasting partnership that continues to make an impact today.Over the years, youth in the organization have sold Double Good Popcorn, built wreaths, crafted blankets, and hosted a formal dance, all of which raised funds or benefited our work to break the cycle of family homelessness.

Over the course of this nearly-10-year collaboration, Debbie Gannon has observed that “Community is such an important part of Vision House. Our community makes it happen. They’re our donors, they’re our volunteers. Jack and Jill volunteers infuse our staff with excitement as well. I love that we have these moms with such intentionality in who they are and what they’re doing.”

“Our partnership with Vision House shows the need we have in our local community,“ Ninevah Rudolph Lowery said. “A lot of our children are living very privileged lives. This allows us the opportunity to pause and show our kids something else.”

“It’s become a tradition in our families and in our chapter,” she said. “We are living in a time when tradition is waning. But every year, we go to Vision House. That’s become our tradition.”

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.