Just call me "Jackie", like "Jackie Robinson"

Restore Jackie's Smile

A small collection of friends in Grove City, Ohio are involved in a grass roots effort to help out a young man with a life-changing 2020 Christmas gift. The person we want to help is Jacquez Worthy. He is 22 years old and lives in Columbus, Ohio. He's very animated and hardworking. He asks us to call him “Jackie, like Jackie Robinson.”  Jackie’s smile also shows he has a combination of 2 missing and 2 damaged front teeth. This loss was one of the outcomes of him being jumped outside a local drinking establishment almost one year ago, in December, 2019. Jacquez got into this altercation trying to defend his girlfriend who was being harassed by 2 young men in the bar. He basically was mugged that night trying to keep peace, defending her against a few bullies. 

After getting to know Jackie, we struck up a conversation and asked him if he was interested in getting a dental assessment and allowing us to try and raise monies for whatever it might cost to get his smile looking like it once did. Jackie has no dental insurance. Our family friend, Dr. Ray Sheridan, DDS in Grove City, Ohio told us he welcomes these kinds of chances and is willing to do the work well below normal rates. In October, Jackie went in to Sheridan Dental for photos, x-rays and cat-scans. Based on those results, Dr. Sheridan explained that due to the trauma, some unique characteristics of Jackie’s upper lip line, and the time elapsed since the injury, there is some complex work to be done. It will require two phases to last about a year. The total costs, discounted are estimated to be about $9,000. 

We are going on faith and Jackie is scheduled to begin Phase 1 on November 30th, 2020. We hope to finish up our fund raising by Christmas, 2020. We have a goal of raising the $9,000 for this dental work and we hope to raise more to manage some acute personal needs and help him progress in his human development. (For example, Jackie has had a broken down car since we started this Gofundme, largely a 2016 car with transmission and brake issues. He has been catching rides or using expensive Uber/Lifts to go to/from work and just daily life.  Since we started this campaign he also is getting some interest from local employers and he does not have professional interviewing attire.) He does not have the financial wherewithal or family support for any of these needs. If you could pitch in, we can make his smile right again; we can help him with stable transportation and some professional attire to interview in. We are hoping that you could unite with us in this endeavor to restore his dignity and smile in one kind act. Please use GoFundme if you are interested in helping and/or message me if you have questions or wish to contribute off line via cash, check, Paypal, Venmo, etc. No amount donated is too small or too large. We look forward to sharing with you the progression and changes which will occur in Jackie’s life as a result of those of us joining together. Please check out the accompanying video and share this story if it moves you.  Thank you.

Here is the link to an on-line article in the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch.

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/columns/2020/11/24/grove-city-strangers-rally-around-young-man-who-changed-their-lives/3769660001/

 
Thank you,  

Mark Sigrist
Jackie's Team Captain

PS: After this video was made, Jackie started a new job at a warehouse in  Columbus, Ohio. He is still the cheerful Jackie and has the same challenge  written above.