Jacqueline Campbell
May 13, 2015
Jacqueline Campbell
Award: HONORING WOMEN IN NEW YORK
Year: 2015
Jacqueline Campbell’s passion for community work was ignited at a young age on the Island of Jamaica, when she started attending political rallies with her grandmother. By the age of 12, she became a youth leader in the local YWCA, and at age 14, she organized a track and field competition in her neighborhood, aimed at uniting the youth in her community. Ms. Campbell eventually immigrated to the United States and attended Baruch College in New York, where she was elected Senior Business Senator in the Student Government.
For a number of years, Ms. Campbell was the chaperone for young women of the Miss Jamaica USA Beauty Pageant, although she was barely older than many of the contestants. The pageant was sponsored and organized by the Jamaica Progressive League, a long-standing Jamaican-American political organization. In 1983, Ms. Campbell founded and was named president of the Suburbia Sports Club in Queens, and in 1991, she was honored for her contributions to the organization. Ms. Campbell was also Vice-President of the PTA at PS-195, in Rosedale, Queens.
A resident of Rosedale since 1991, Ms. Campbell has always recognized the need for a grassroots organization in her community, and contemplated starting a block association for many years. In 2013, with encouragement from other community leaders, she founded the 147th Road Block & Community Association and is its president.
Ms. Campbell is a member of the Idlewild Watershed Communities Planning Committee-New York Risings Community Reconstruction Program, a state initiative announced by Governor Cuomo in April 2013 to provide rebuilding and resiliency assistance to communities damaged by Hurricane Irene, Tropical Storm Lee and Hurricane Sandy.
Ms. Campbell volunteers with the American Cancer Society Program ACS CAN Advocacy Group, Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and the AARP Advocacy Program. She is also involved with the alumni associations of her alma maters.
Ms. Campbell is a woman of many talents, passions and accomplishments. Her unwavering commitment to bettering community is an admirable inspiration – and something to be revered.