HE’S BUILDING A BRIDGE TO A BRIGHTER FUTURE

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Jackson Drumgoole. Read his story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Jackson Drumgoole knows how difficult it is to age out of the foster care system. That’s why he’s working to build a brighter future for that vulnerable young population.

Growing up, Jackson saw several members of his family struggle with the effects of being in foster care as they grew into adulthood. Now a retired military veteran, he is working to make the transition from the foster care system to adulthood smoother. Jackson is the founder of Bridge Builder Communities, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of young adults aging out of Georgia’s foster care system by providing housing, education and other vital resources. A devout believer in applying leadership beyond the workplace, Jackson’s mission is to address the systemic challenges that face his community’s most vulnerable youth. By working to defeat these obstacles, Jackson is bridging the gap between the vulnerable teen years and creating a solid path to adulthood.

In his role with Bridge Builder Communities, for which he devotes 30 to 40 hours each month, Jackson has raised millions of dollars to develop a tiny home community that offers stable housing and support to those aging out of foster care. In addition to providing them with a reliable place to live, the community will offer an integrative program that provides everything from basic life skills, like managing a checking account, to trauma-informed mental health counseling. He calls his system a community of care that creates a soft place for vulnerable people to land.

When they leave the tiny home community, which just celebrated its groundbreaking, they’re equipped with what Jackson refers to as the four E’s: education, employment, enlistment and entrepreneurship.

Establishing a system of support for young people is no simple task, and Jackson’s journey is one of steadfast determination. As a result, he’s directly impacted the lives of over 11,000 children in foster care. His unwavering commitment to bettering the lives of children and families in Georgia shows just how impactful volunteer work can be.

What inspired you to get started with this initiative?

Several of my family members were in foster care here in the city of Augusta. I saw the impact of the displacement and adverse childhood experiences that they all went through, including mental, emotional, spiritual, physical and sexual abuse. 40 years later, not one of them has ever recovered. Because they didn’t recover, I didn’t forget. I knew this was the problem I wanted to solve, but I didn’t know how. Years later, I recognized that this was something that I really could get behind. I can help solve this problem by creating a community where young adults can flourish, transition and be protected.

Tell us about your volunteer role with Bridge Builder Communities.

I founded the organization, put it together, and built teams throughout the city of Augusta from top to bottom. In August of 2022, I held a community stakeholder session with the city of Augusta and shared how I wanted anybody impacted by the success or the failure of young people to be at the meeting. I put together whiteboard sessions, created the strategy and articulated the vision to politicians, pastors, business owners and schools. I shared how this is the proposed solution, and now we need to put everybody together. Along with a Youth Advisory Board of young people who aged out of foster care, I pulled the city together towards this one particular problem. Over time, we worked with builders who will build 26 tiny homes and a 5000-square-foot community building for free. This is where we will provide all of the life skills, training, mental health counseling and workforce Initiatives for these young adults to ensure that they transition successfully into adulthood within a community that cares about them.

What are your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

We consider this to have three phases: the projects, the program and the people. The project is a tiny home community that supports the program. The program is program directors, therapists and counselors who work here. We have a parent cottage, which is kind of like a college RA, and we have multiple individuals in the community who are crisis-informed to live on the site. Young adults come into the program, receive an individual success plan and an assessment. Once they have completed the assessment, we plug them into our local colleges, employers and tech schools. The program is having that leadership, counseling and mentorship, and helping them to transition successfully to adulthood. That’s along with basic life skills training, like how to manage a household.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

Seeing a young adult say that if they had not met this organization, they don’t know where they would be. We have been working with young adults for the past three or four years. One young lady was living in a tent behind a grocery store. She wanted to get her Commercial Driving License, and she’s now a truck driver on the road. Our program director took her six times to get that test, which she couldn’t pass because she was living in a tent trying to study. She finally passed the test, and she’s on the road now every morning at four o’clock. My wife and I get a text message from her every morning, wherever she is across the United States. The most rewarding part about it is just knowing that we can help the young adults navigate and find themselves.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I served 30 years in the military, and I was out in Washington volunteering at a church and the pastor and I became good friends. He said something to me that I will never forget. He said that in the military, people follow you because of your rank. In volunteer work, people follow you because of the mission. I’ve learned that the vision and the mission have to resonate. It has to be real, and it has to be credible. I believe the mission and the vision have to be paramount. They have to resonate, and it has to be bigger than you. The vision, of course, has to outlive the mission to resonate.

Why is it important for others to get involved with causes they care about?

I served in the military and taught college for several years, but that wasn’t my purpose. That was just my preparation. Many folks have been prepared, and they have skills, talents, gifts, and natural proclivities outside of their day-to-day work. Volunteering allows you to pour yourself into other people. That’s the greatest way to grow in capacity: to pour yourself out to other people. If you’ve been trained or educated in a specific area, it is almost imperative for your personal growth and personal edification to volunteer and give your time, because we are truly one person away from changing the trajectory of someone’s life.

Any advice for people who want to start volunteering?

Find something that resonates with you. I call it finding your G.A.P. G is the intersection between God’s will, intent and plan. A is your natural abilities. Then your pain and your passion point. Where that place intersects is where you can find your place in the community to pour your time, energy, talents and treasures. Find something that resonates with you and just knock on the door and say that while you don’t have much to offer, this is what you can do.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

That you don’t have to be a king to be a servant. I model everything I’m doing off the book of Nehemiah. Nehemiah was a cupbearer, and he was moved with compassion. He went back to his hometown and built a wall in 52 days. I want to encourage people to find that place of pain or passion and serve where they are. Build a team around you, because you’re going to need help. It’s okay to ask for help. I ask for help every day. Ask for help and see the vision through.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Jackson? Find local volunteer opportunities.