If I’m not giving, I’m not living | Opinion – nj.com

By Jaleel Jordan

Influence is truly important, and the way you exercise that influence is even more important.

It’s so easy to speak about things you’ve done, but it’s something else when people can see you in action doing the things you say.

My name is Jaleel “JaRich” Jordan and I’m a Newark resident, educator and entertainer. I live my life by following the message of a song lyric from the gospel artist, Vickie Winans, “If I’m not giving, I’m not living.”

The message is so simple and yet so profound. It has shaped everything that I’ve done that is good in life thus far.

Through my own personal efforts and that of my nonprofit, Victim to Victor Outreach, I’ve supported and organized community projects like bookbag and prayer drives, feeding the homeless and less fortunate, providing toys for children during the holiday season, raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and more.

I decided to be of service to people because of the conversations I would have with students, colleagues, my peers, or people I come across in my daily life.

My first act of service was at the Essex County Vocational-Technical Schools’ North 13th Street Campus in Newark. In high school you needed a certain amount of community service hours to graduate and students had many opportunities to be of service.

I served as the senior class president and president of the Future Business Leaders of America so I had to find ways to increase the awareness of the school, highlight students’ successes, and motivate my peers to increase their presence in their communities.

Many times I’d hear a story of a mishap or misfortune and I’d feel bad, but not bad enough to do anything about it. These problems were commonplace for me.

One incident changed that attitude. There was a family of three siblings that attended the school I previously worked at in Newark. These children came from a home where food and basic things like clean uniforms and proper grooming were not happening.

The children ranged in age from 5 to 9 years old at the time. I actually taught one of them and I saw how the lack of these basic needs played a huge part in the child’s behavior and his overall learning experience. Kids made fun of him and did things purposely to get him in trouble. He was angry and threw temper tantrums. He had a hard time fitting in and making friends because of his appearance and body odor.

As a teacher, witnessing this first-grader prompted me to intervene. I decided to look further into the story and change my methods of dealing with the student. Instead of my usual disciplinary measures, I decided to reach out and have a conversation with him about what was going on.

I assured him he was better than how he was behaving and that he was indeed special and worth it. I decided to use my personal funds to pay for these kids to get haircuts and for his sister to get her hair braided. I went to Wal-Mart and made sure they had clean socks and underwear. I made sure they had new uniform pants and tops and I bought them sneakers.

Blessing these kids with these basic necessities and these simple acts of kindness put the biggest smiles on their faces and gave them confidence. I learned that just having a conversation with someone and not judging them because of their lack unleashes blessings and results no one can fathom.

Giving back, especially from an individual with direct ties to the community, ignites a flame within other individuals to want to lend a helping hand when possible.

I use my personal experiences as examples to spark interest in the high school-aged boys at the Marion P. Thomas Charter High School in Newark. In the Boys to Men mentoring club led by myself and the school’s Dean, Robert James, we engage the young men with conversations about how they view the world and how they can use what they have now to make it just a little bit better.

Most of these young men face issues at home or in the streets. They need love and guidance, but as they become motivated and find balance within their own lives, the hope is that they’ll go out into the community and be a light to someone else.

Volunteering your time to support a cause you are passionate about or helping an individual facing hard times is something you will never regret. It will enrich your life, familiarize you with your community, and connect you to people and ideas that will positively impact your perspective for the rest of your life.

Jaleel Jordan is a special education teacher in Newark and the founder of Victim to Victor Outreach and Boys to Men mentoring program at the Marion P. Thomas Charter High School. He is also a popular vocal artist.

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