Posted at: 04/07/2008 4:17 PM | WHEC.com
Updated at: 04/15/2009 6:15 PM
By: Ray Levato

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2008 ESL Jefferson Award Winner: Jacqueline Brinkley

There are many people trying to make a difference in the lives of Rochester’s children. One of them is Jacqueline Brinkley who is tireless in her work for kids.

Jacqueline said, “The kids needed activities to make them more involved where they lived at.”

Jacqueline Brinkley is a behind the scenes kind of person who took part in a lot of youth activities growing up at the Baden Street Center. And friends say that has helped mold her into the person she is today.

She said, “I started doing summer camps. I saw that the children over there they felt that bad behavior was good behavior. And I started doing educational programs to try to reach them because I believe if we're going to make a difference, we have to come back to where we lived.”

Brinkley is helping to break the cycle by volunteering her time and organizing others to get involved. “And then the generations were doing the same thing that their fathers did.”

The problem she says is that a lot of kids see violence outside their homes. “We say we want the community to change, we have to not be afraid of the community, and go and offer the kids activities that may not come into their neighborhoods.”

Jacqueline owns a business that provides personalized items from T-shirts, to programs and announcements. A Mom already, she's in the process of adopting two sisters from New Jersey. “And seeing the smiles on the children's faces does me wonders. To take a child out of their environment, with sadness and try to show them there's still hope.

“And if no one ever noticed me, I would still be satisfied knowing it was about the children,” she added.