Jackie Joyner-Kersee Brings Agricultural Technology to Illinois Youth

For many neighborhoods in East St. Louis, IL, people are forced to travel to other communities for access to food. A necessity and universal human right. That’s why former Olympic track-and-field champion and East St. Louis native, Jackie Joyner-Kersee is creating food access through The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation.

Established in 1988, Kersee’s foundation focuses on youth success through a healthy lifestyle, educational opportunities, sports, and leadership development. The foundation is partnered with the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and Lansdowne UP. In June 2026, they opened a 24,000-square-foot center that specializes in STEAM education: urban agriculture, food innovation, nutrition, physical activity, and entrepreneurship. 

In 2016, Kersee and agricultural entrepreneur Mark Scholl met on a flight from Washington, D.C. to St. Louis, where they found they shared a passion for introducing agricultural opportunities and careers to youth. Since then, the two have provided trips for children to grow food such as radishes, corn, and soybeans in north St. Louis, MO. Their shared interest would develop into the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture, Nutrition Innovation Center- also known as JJK FAN for short.

The center teaches kids how to plant, grow, and harvest vegetables through the Seed To Table summer program. JJK FAN also runs an incubation and embryology program that introduces youth to chicken breeds and chicken development. Students are paired with researchers from the University of Illinois Cancer Center who guide them through science-based careers.

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“We’re helping our young people see that when they plant a seed and take care of it, it grows, ” Kersee stated to the University of Illinois Alumni Association. “That’s what we want them to do for themselves. They are the seed. We’re going to surround them with people to help nurture them. If they’re open to that support, they’re going to thrive and blossom.”

Through the partnership with Lansdowne UP, JJK FAN constructed a 11,000-square-foot passive solar greenhouse that produces 30,000 pounds of food a year with minimal electricity costs. Built by plant scientist Antonio Brazelton, the building is the first of its kind in the U.S. at the Danforth Center, with 19 varieties of heirloom collards, and is part of a research study to understand how collard varieties respond to urban conditions.

According to College of ACES sophomore, Jordan Gully, “JJK FAN has been at the core,” he stated to the University of Illinois Alumni Association. “Our community is a food desert. Learning that we can impact change within our community by growing food and learning the science behind it in order to help others eat healthily has really enlightened me. It’s the reason why I’m in the College of ACES. I want to learn agricultural policy, so I can make an impact and change the status quo.”

JJK FAN has transformed post-industrial land into a space focused on sustainable practices, increased access to food, and benefits of green spaces. The center is now a pillar in the community with its access to after school programs, sports, and much more.

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