ARJ Founder and Executive Director, Rosetta Jackson
Arthur R Johnson Community Outreach (ARJ) was named after a leader whose mission was to serve and provide stability to families in South St. Louis City. His daughter and Executive Director of the organization, Rosetta Jackson, spoke to the fact that ARJ and the work she does is keeping her father’s legacy alive. ARJ became a 501 3(c) in 2018; their work began a few years prior with their first “Back-to-School Bash” where they distributed school supplies to families in need. In addition to this annual event, the organization hosts a Thanksgiving Food Drive and Christmas Charitable Campaign in which they provide food, toys, clothes, shoes, and coats to help families comfortably celebrate the holidays. ARJ is also committed to reducing infant mortality through safe sleep classes and baby showers to ensure new moms have diapers, baby clothes, and other necessities.
Rosetta emphasized the importance of teaching the ABCs of sleep (babies should sleep Alone, on their Back, in their Crib) to not only moms, but grandparents, uncles, aunties, and caregivers. Their safe sleep classes and baby showers helped them to provide services to over 50 moms last year. She shared that at times there are things that prevent a mother from practicing safe sleep: “In a heavy crime area, you’ll have a mom in that protective bear mode and have her children in the bed with her for safety reasons. But on the same lines, you’re not supposed to sleep with your baby. But they’re trying to protect them because it’s like ‘if anything happens, it’s going to happen to me first, then my baby.’” Through safe sleep classes supported by FLOURISH, mothers are taught best practices for taking care of their babies.
Safe sleep education provided at a community baby shower hosted by ARJ Community
ARJ has made an impact on hundreds of families in need; Rosetta recalled a few instances where the organization helped people when they had nowhere else to turn. One man was driving around with his family looking for food and saw the signs for an ARJ food drive, bringing him to tears. One mom had the same emotional response when she received help from ARJ. Needing to be induced early due to complications with the baby, she was not prepared with supplies. Through an ARJ baby shower, she was able to get the things she needed to be ready for the arrival of her child. Stories like these are what keeps Rosetta and the organization going in the face of adversity.
ARJ community baby shower
ARJ is dedicated to helping families who cannot afford the everyday cost of living. They treat everyone with dignity and respect, recognizing that everyone needs help at some point in their life. Rosetta, staff, and volunteers keep a smile on their faces, never knowing what a person might be going through. Despite the challenges we might face, everyone is worthy of living a healthy, full life.
To connect with their work or contribute, visit https://www.arjcommunity.org/
Read more about ARJ Community Outreach’s FLOURISH grant-funded project, Healthy Families, Mothers, and Babies.