2026 Rising Star in Community Building Awardee, Legacy Jackson!
Congratulations to Ms. Legacy Jackson, Founder of Little Legacies Community Service Organization, and recipient of our 2026 Rising Star in Community Building Award!
The Rising Star in Community Building Award recognizes a person who:
Demonstrates strong dedication to and passion for community building work.
Exhibits leadership, vision, and a commitment to action and results.
Shows promising potential to catalyze outstanding impact in community building policy, investment, and/or community change.
Works to challenge the status quo in the St. Louis region.
“We should start a group of kids that has fun and gives back to others”
At just six years old, Legacy Jackson noticed something missing in the volunteer work she did with her mother: “Where are the kids?” Determined to create a group of kids that has fun giving back to the community, Legacy created Little Legacies, a service organization that combines “kids, service, and fun.” Legacy described the logo of Little Legacies as kids with capes because superheroes wear capes and she wanted to change the world like superheroes do. Every month, Little Legacies takes on a new community service project, engaging other kids to get involved, and putting in the work to improve the lives of her community members.
“We wanted to be change makers and change agents”
Some of the powerful projects Little Legacies has completed are sending thousands of shoes to countries in Africa, coordinating an international day of dance, and creating a play space at the Gateway 180 shelter here in St. Louis. All of these projects include the input of herself, her family, and other community members that wanted to help. Legacy emphasized the importance of low barriers to get involved; involvement is meant to be fun. Typically, Legacy will notice a need or hear from her community that they need support and then respond as quickly as she can. In the aftermath of the May 2025 tornado, she and her mother handed out stuffed animals to the children of families that had lost everything. This small gesture conveyed to residents that there are people looking out and caring for them. Legacy has a strong vision for her community to grow and take care of one another and she puts that into practice.
Despite doing incredible work to develop her community, she still faces challenges. “There’s a lot of ageism,” says Legacy. She has dealt with doubt regarding the abilities of youth to make an impact in the community. She responds to the lack of faith by showing up strong with other youth continuing to make a difference. Her organization doesn’t just complete community service projects, but creates avenues for people to convene and connect. To her, community service is about organizing people to donate time and resources to others. It’s about the “human element” of connection and service. Further, community development is about providing a time and place so that others can become the change they want to see in the world. Initiative can be a barrier, especially for younger people that might also be experiencing ageism. Legacy and her organization are helping to develop “agents of change that are young” so that more people can grow up to be invested in their community and have service as a normal, fun part of their lives.
“If everyone does something to help someone, we’re gonna change the world”
Looking ahead, Legacy hopes the mission of her foundation can be incorporated into schools to better support other children looking for ways to give back. Community service is rooted in the connection with other people – there isn’t a “giver and receiver” but a deep and powerful commitment to others and self.
