helping students finish their
post-secondary education
since 2015

The Judith Dianne Jackson (JDJ) Scholarship Fund was announced on October 17, 2015.  The fund was created to honor the legacy of Judith Jackson by her husband Emerson DeVon Jackson and former President of Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO), Sheila Clay.  Through Sheila’s efforts and the commitment by NSO, the fund was established.  

The JDJ Board made the decision that the scholarship would not just help students start, but also finish their post-secondary education.  Thus, the scholarship was set up to provide each winner with $1,000 for four years. Under the leadership of Roberta Sanders, the JDJ Scholarship board awarded a $1,000 scholarship to five scholars in May 2016.  The 1st Annual Banquet was held at Judy’s church - Plymouth United Church of Christ.  

The Board established a goal to award a minimum of five new scholarships each year, in line with the inspiration being “What Would Judy Do?”  In 2017 and 2018, the fund awarded six scholarships and a total of eight in 2019. One of the JDJ Scholarship Fund’s biggest supporters, sponsored two additional scholarships in 2019 and three additional scholarships in 2020 to students from foster homes and a specific area of Detroit.  In 2020, despite the Coronavirus pandemic, the fund awarded eight more scholarships.  Unfortunately, the virus kept the fund from having a banquet to honor these new scholarship recipients and the 1st graduating class.  In 2021 and 2022, six new scholars were awarded. To date, 50 high school graduates have been awarded $176,000 in scholarships!

In Fall 2019, the Judith Dianne Jackson Scholarship Fund became an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.  Emerson DeVon Jackson became the Board Chair and he works tirelessly to keep the fund strong to continue in its mission.  Although the fund is now operating independently, it continues to maintain the support of many individual donors, companies and the staunch support of NSO.