“Know that wherever you come from, if you're breathing, you can make a difference,” Leifel Jackson said.
Jackson has been connecting with troubled youth in Little Rock for 17 years. That’s a long time, but Jackson knows about time. He served 10 years of it in federal prison.
Before he was a mentor Jackson was the leader of another group: The Crips. A violent gang that was infamous around the country, especially in the 1990s. Jackson was a featured player in the HBO documentary "Bangin in Little Rock."
But fast-forward to today, and things look quite different for Jackson, and for the people his story has touched.
“He let me volunteer at his program and took me under his wing, and now I’m a social worker in little rock, and he's had a huge impact on my social work career,” Anna Grace Chandler said.
Jackson started the non-profit ROCAN after his release from prison. ROCAN stands for “Reaching out Children and Neighborhoods.” He’s retiring, but his impact will continue to be felt.
“I've seen him have impacts on lots of people especially the kids…and some of them are here today and they're all grown up and its awesome to see how well they're doing,” Chandler said.
To celebrate Jackson’s retirement, North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith proclaimed October 4, 2018 as “Leifel Jackson Day.”