Legacy Building

When Legacy Jackson was 2, she and her family spent a cold Christmas morning in downtown St. Louis, Missouri. They were handing out hot soup and warm clothes to people in need. Legacy’s mom, Kynedra Ogunnaike, says volunteering is a family tradition. It’s “just part of who we are,” she told TIME for Kids.

By the time Legacy was 4, she had started to notice something about the community service events she took part in. “There would never be any kids,” Legacy, now 16, says. “And the projects weren’t really entertaining and fun for my age group.” She wanted to start her own volunteer group, just for kids. With her mom’s help, that’s exactly what she did.

Little Legacies was launched in 2016, when Legacy was 7. “We do a different community service project every month,” the high school junior says. The group’s mission: “Kids, service, and fun.” This year, it celebrates 10 years of doing good.

GOOD GROUP In 2016, members of Little Legacies show off cards they made for kids in the hospital. Legacy is second from the right.

Spreading Joy

Little Legacies has hosted more than 120 service projects, such as making cards for kids in the hospital, collecting books to fill Little Free Library boxes, and giving gifts and food during the holidays. “I really do my best to make sure [each event] is interactive,” Legacy says, “and that it also has kind of a theme.”

One of Legacy’s favorite events was for International Dance Day, in 2023. She helped lead a dance workshop for young people living at Gateway180, a shelter for families experiencing homelessness. About 15 girls attended. “We taught them different dances, and we had costumes for them, and makeup, and we provided lunch,” says Legacy, a dancer herself. At the end of the day, they put on a show.

LET’S DANCE Participants in Legacy’s 2023 International Dance Day workshop pose for a picture onstage.

“She just is very thoughtful,” says Kathy Connors, executive director of Gateway180. “She’s so focused on the kids.” Other events Legacy and her fellow volunteers have hosted at Gateway180 are more casual. “We’ve had some real rousing games of Uno,” Connors says. “It’s great, because everybody just comes to play, to have a good time together.”

For Legacy, spreading joy and kindness is the goal. “I like making other people happy,” she says. “That has to be one of the greatest rewards.”

GOAL! At a St. Louis City Soccer Club game in June 2025, Legacy (right) is honored for her service work.

Giving and Growing

Little Legacies is open to any kid who wants to help. “It started off as me and my cousins,” Legacy says. “That was the core group.” A decade later, “We’ve had probably about 500 volunteers, easily,” Legacy’s mom says.

Xzavier Williams, 17, has been volunteering with Little Legacies since fourth grade. “It’s like home,” he says. “Seeing the smiles on people’s faces and realizing that we can help the community is amazing to me.”

“It’s fun for me to be able to gather with a group of people that I know, or maybe that I don’t know, and just give back,” Legacy says. “I didn’t know exactly how long and how far this would go, back when I started. But I’m proud of how it’s grown.”

Little Legacies’ January event will be for Martin Luther King Day. The group turns 10 in September.

Inspired?

Let Legacy’s story inspire you to make a positive difference. Click below for ideas on how you can create space for kindness in your community.