Emily Jackson
Emily Jackson's favorite quote comes from Ghandi, You must be the change you want to see in the world. That's inspirational but not unusual. Emily is the World Champion Freestyle Kayaker, and she's a philanthropist&that is unusual. In her own words, I am doing my best daily to try and be the change I see. Five years ago I had just won two major kayaking events and because I was only 15, I had no real need for the money. Many things crossed my mind, like how many shoes you can buy with $5,000! But then I sat down with a great family friend, Jessie Stone, and she told me what an impact my money could make in a place like Uganda. It was time to go to Africa. I divided the money between Soft Power Health and Soft Power Education. $2,500 went into paying a doctor to work at the Health Clinic and the other $2,500 went into refurbishing a school. When I got to Uganda and saw how much change I was able to make simply by doing what I love, I was sold.