Hello, My name is Brendell Mckinnon; I'm fundraising for Sydney Jackson. It began on January 14, 2006; with green eyes and red lips, a beautiful baby girl Sydney Simone Jackson arrived. The name Simone may seem ordinary, but the great singer-songwriter Nina Simone influenced my decision. As Sydney became older, I realized she had many other talents, such as doing hair, playing basketball, and singing. After the unfortunate loss of her father at 18 months which drove her to have more challenges and feel different, Sydney was determined to make her father proud and break the status quo that kids without a father can be successful. You’d think Sydney would pursue a singing career with a fantastic voice, but God had a different plan. Sydney, along with Coaches and friends, realized that basketball wasn’t Sydney’s sport because she moved too fast. One day a coach recommended Sydney try out Track and Field at Campbell High School, and this is where her journey began. Sydney started her first practice at Campbell and had tryouts on her birthday, making the team and running the 100m in about 13.3 seconds and the 200m in 27 seconds; she gradually progressed from her freshman. Coming into her sophomore year, working hard to break the 13.3, she advanced at the end of sophomore year, running a 12.7. Sydney also went to state for the 4X1 and 4x2 but didn’t advance, unfortunately. After this, Sydney and the coaches decided that doing summer track and training would set Sydney up for the next season. Atlanta Lightspeed Track Club has enormously impacted Sydney’s running career, advancing her to Sacramento, California, placing 5th overall in the 100m with a time of 12.5. With just two years of running and progression, Sydney has made and grown with running in hurdles. She is dedicated to the process and plans to run track at the collegiate level. In college, Sydney hopes to receive academic and sports scholarships. Progressing to the Junior Olympics in Sacramento, California, and being a single parent, all the help I can get will be greatly appreciated.