Client Spotlight: JN Outreach Foundation
In 2018, Jacqueline M. Norris, M.A.Ed, alongside her sister Leesha Langlois and 13-year-old daughter Rikki Norris, founded the JN Outreach Foundation (JNO) when they noticed something was lacking in their community. JNO is a minority woman owned organization that was created to empower community members and help them improve their lives and conditions through a variety of services and resources, from tangible needs such as food and clothing to help for new business owners and providing space for local businesses to meet.
“We created a place where people can get help, love, and a confidential ear with no strings or fear,” Norris said.
The organization has many resources and services available, including CPR training, workshops for teens that help set them up for success, life coaching, adult literacy, and senior programming, as well as a variety of aid for struggling community members, such as grief and addiction counseling.
However, senior services are especially dear to Norris, who was raised by her grandparents. This upbringing conditioned her to care for elders and those in need. When she became a business owner, she vowed to set the individual needs of the community and her clients as a priority, striving to offer a peaceful environment and sense of security at each interaction.
“We have an opportunity to be the change that we want to see,” Norris said. “When we interact with the community we are often met with gratitude, smiles, relief, and a reason to return. For some, this may seem simple, but to my husband Richard Norris Jr. and I, it is a testament of what real love looks like. As a family-centered organization, we pride ourselves on providing good service, but also offering moments of peace in our chaotic society for each person seeking or utilizing our services.”
As stated on the JN Outreach Foundation website, the organization aims to “create and build a stronger foundation based on self-preservation, self-improvement, accountability, and positive contact with other diverse members of the community.”
JNO provides both one-on-one and group sessions on many topics for their community, understanding that confidentiality can be vital to helping those in need. In just five years, the JN Outreach Foundation has become a cornerstone of the local area.
This is why, for Norris, advertising her non-profit is of the utmost importance. Getting the word out about JNO began with person-to-person contact and fliers within the community, but as the JN Outreach Foundation continued growing, Norris believed it was time for a big impact. “This billboard is our way of encouraging the youth within the Bayview as well as all those who see, to realize the power within and to keep striving regardless of what life or situations currently look like,” she said.
Norris believes that we have the power to change and improve our community in addition to strengthening the lives of others by simply exchanging encouraging words, lending an ear, or giving of our time.
She is also the author of Impacting lives and Making a Difference; My Prayers Have the Power to Make a Difference; Rejuvenation of Mind, Body and Soul for Teens; On Sunday Morning; and Making time for Self, all of which can be found on her website.
More information about the JN Outreach Foundation can be found at their website and Norris’s notary and professional services can be found here.
