Originally posted on Facebook on Sunday, April 18, 2021.

In Week 16 of 52 Weeks of Gratefulness, I give thanks for Ms. Margaret Brown.

Of all of the wonderful things the staff and volunteers of the Friends of J L King – The J. L. King Center does for the community, the greatest is love. And, no one gives more of that than Margaret Brown.

Margaret Brown is not just the Youth Development Director at the J.L. King Center, she is the mother of the center. I was visiting a class on campus where college students were giving a presentation on a community organization where they chose to volunteer. A young lady reported on the J.L. King Center. She said, "The Center feels a lot like a family. There's this short lady who reminds me of my mom. You better be doing what you're supposed to or she'll fuss at you!" I have seen this first hand. In everything she does, it is clear that she cares deeply for the young people that we serve and treats them as her own.

My mentor and dear friend, Dr. Gregory Jones would often say, "To truly teach, you must first love. Because no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care."

Ms. Margaret Brown makes much of what the J.L. King Center does possible because it's built on the care expressed through her love. I'm grateful. #52WoG