“I could have ended up dead or in jail, but Community Renewal changed my life”

When Jordan Sewell and his younger sisters were the new kids in the neighborhood, they found friends, hope, joy and the road to a better future at a Community Renewal Friendship House.

Jordan started his senior year at Southern University in Baton Rouge this fall, but that may have never happened if he hadn’t started at the Kids Club at the Allendale Friendship House when his family moved into a Fuller Center for Housing home in the neighborhood. He was in the fourth grade. His mother, Felicia Sewell, was working two jobs to provide for her children and greatly appreciated the benefits of the Friendship House.

“There were a lot of beautiful things there that I had never experienced before and I am very fortunate to have experienced it. That helped me grow into the person I am today,” he said.

Jordan had his eyes opened to the world beyond his neighborhood through Friendship House trips to the Kids Across America summer camp, to area universities and other places.

“That made me want better for myself. That made me see that there is more to the world than Allendale and Shreveport,” he said. “That made me want to go to college and meet more people. It made me want to do good and make Community Renewal proud.”

The main thing I want to do is give back. People came and inspired me and now I want to inspire others” – Jordan Sewell, senior, Southern University

Jordan says his neighborhood is a better place because of the Friendship House.

“When you don’t live in the best neighborhood, there is so much trouble you can get into. I was fortunate to have the Friendship House and I never got into any trouble,” he says.

Jordan’s mother, Felicia, planted seeds in his mind about attending college. It was support from the Friendship House and Community Renewal’s Operation Hope program that helped make those dreams come true.

“I wanted to go to college, but I didn’t know if I could. At the Friendship House they helped me get on the right path for that. They had ‘report card dinners’ and I made every one of those. I kept my GPA up and I am thankful for them,” he said.

“At the Friendship House I became a leader. A lot of kids were shy and I learned to help them.”

Jordan says he is very thankful to those who helped him not only make it to college, but succeed there.

“I knew I wanted better for myself. And my sisters are right behind me in age and I wanted to do it for them, too,” he said. The oldest, Victoria, is also a college student now – at Southern University, Shreveport campus.

Jordan’s goal now is to work for the Department of Defense, ideally in cybersecurity. He is graduating with a degree in computer science.

“The main thing I want to do is give back. People came and inspired me and now I want to inspire others. I want to come back to the Friendship House and talk to the kids because they don’t have many role models. My hope for the neighborhood is that we produce more lawyers, doctors, teachers. I want the younger generation to stay on a good path,” he said.

“I am thankful for Community Renewal because without Community Renewal I probably would not be having this interview today. I probably would not be a college student today. I could have ended up dead or in jail, but Community Renewal changed my life.”