Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation offers after-school program in East St. Louis

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. (First Alert 4) - Olympic champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee is providing an after-school program for children and teens in East St. Louis through the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation.

The foundation has focused on young people for the last 26 years. The after-school program serves children ages 4 to 18.

The program includes fitness and recreation, arts and crafts, agriculture, foreign language and STEM programs. It also provides a nutritious dinner and transportation home at the end of the day.

“They might be a little tiny tot now, being 5 and 6 years old, but we’re planting those seeds quite early, and through our after-school program we’re continuing to nurture it,” Joyner-Kersee said.

Joyner-Kersee said the program remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist students with homework and young students who had never used a computer. She said the goal is to do “whatever we can do to assist and be a supplement.”

Asked about feedback from parents, Joyner-Kersee said parents are engaged.

“They don’t like something, they’re going to let you know. When they love something, they’re going to let you know as well,” she said.

Joyner-Kersee said parents are proud to have the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center in East St. Louis because it “takes, really, a burden off of them sometimes,” knowing their children are in a safe environment. She said parents also know staff members are “pouring into them and lifting their spirits.”

Joyner-Kersee said the foundation has been able to go “from cradles to careers, exposing them each step along the way.”

“It’s my hope that our young people ... are not just takers but they become givers,” she said.

The Jackie Joyner-Kersee after-school program runs through May, from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.