Anthony Barr 2021 Vikings Community Man of the…

“I’ve always been a person that has been of service to others. That was something that I made a pledge when I was really young is that no matter what I was doing, how much money I made, I was always going to be of service to others,” Jackson said. “Right now, specifically in Hennepin County, in Minneapolis, we have a huge homeless population, so in any way I can give back to my community, then I’m going to do that.

“Health care should be a basic right for everyone; housing should be a basic right for everyone, but it’s not at this point, so if I can help focus the energy I do have into that, then we’re just going to keep pushing forward,” said Jackson, who first began her college work in 2013 and resumed it in 2018.

Jackson said the nomination for Barr is validating for the work that continues. She also enjoyed seeing “the reveal and kind of seeing him a little bit uncomfortable” from receiving the recognition.

“That makes me want to go twice as hard because he doesn’t really want the credit,” Jackson said. “He’s never going to be the person to stand up to say, ‘I’ve been doing X, Y and Z.’ Or, ‘My foundation has been doing X, Y and Z.’ We just do the work. The work has to get done. I appreciate that side of him.”

A space to grow and thrive

This fall, Raise the Barr and Country Financial celebrated the opening of a new computer lab at the University of Minnesota’s Student Parent HELP Center that is reserved solely for single-parent students. The dedicated space features state-of-the-art computers, ergonomic furniture and a high-efficiency printer available free of cost.

The private room enables single-parent students to bring their children with them if necessary while they work on a report or print a paper.

Student Parent HELP Center Director Susan Warfield has been at the University of Minnesota for 22 years and a social worker for 35 years. Warfield said Raise the Barr is “really changing the student-parent service field in this country.”

“No one believes there are college students who are parenting children and pregnant during their degrees,” Warfield said. “Having someone with a national presence and an NFL football player shine a light on this whole field has been a — you can’t overestimate the impact.”

Beyond the computer lab, Warfield credited Raise the Barr for listening attentively to learn how the organization could best help advancements in academics.

Raise the Barr provided $65,000 for an in-depth research program evaluation, enabling years of data to be strategically studied.

Raise the Barr’s support has led to a relationship with The Aspen Institute, which is committed to gathering “diverse, nonpartisan thought leaders … to address some of the world’s most complex problems,” and elevated the Student Parent HELP Center.

“They funded that research, and now we can send that to any university in the country,” Warfield said. “We get contacted all of the time for info on what programming a college should provide their student-parents, and I can just send them this full report that says exactly which of our services have had the most impact. It also will drive the evolution of our program.”

Warfield was on-hand for the reveal and could only smile when the little tykes approached Anthony with an observable comfort.

“He’s got what I like to call ‘kid karma.’ He’s like a kid magnet, and even though he’s this big, huge football player, the kids aren’t afraid of him,” Warfield said. “He came out of the building, and one just went right up and hugged his leg. I think that says a lot about people, and it says that his heart is really in his philanthropic work.”