Praising the work that Jerry Ford does for youth in Troy
A few weeks ago, I was surprised and happy to run into Jerry Ford and his family at Crossgates Mall.
It was the first time that I have seen Jerry in a long time since my schedule doesn’t always allow me to get out in the community as much as I used to.
I always enjoyed being able to go out in the community when out reporting and liked socializing with various people such as Jerry.
Jerry is someone that I have gotten to know over my four years with The Record. I remember interviewing him over the phone about his newly established Block Center program for youth in the Collar City and from there I’ve been interviewing him for so much other community youth- oriented stories.
Once I was able to meet Jerry face to face, right away I knew that he was truly a good person and cared so much for his community and the youth in it. Another highlight of talking to Jerry is the fact that he always speaks from the heart, will always be honest with you and always tries to be positive.
He’s not afraid to share his past life struggles and is not afraid to make sure that youth in the community do not make similar bad decisions in their lives.
While talking to Jerry at Crossgates, he mentioned to me how he and other community partners will be hosting opengym style basketball games for the community on Thanksgiving weekend in memory of Jeremiah “JJ” Myers and his three other family members, who were all killed during a Collar City homicide that occurred in 2017.
Jerry said anyone can come to the Boys and Girls Club of the Capital Area - Troy Clubhouse this Friday and Saturday from noon until 5 p.m. and play basketball in memory of JJ. He also mentioned how they will be accepting donations that will go towards starting an annual scholarship that would be given to people in JJ’s memory.
People who go to the event this weekend will also be able to enjoy hot dogs and refreshments.
“JJ loved basketball; basketball was his life,” Jerry told me. “He loved to play basketball, and that’s when you really saw him shining. A lot of his teammates now play ball in his honor. These young people are still grieving.”
I’m glad that I recently ran into Jerry, and I’m glad that I have been able to get to know Jerry a lot more over the years and I’m sure community members appreciate his efforts just as much.
Nick on the Record appears in print every Wednesday. Nicholas Buonanno is the assistant senior editor for The Record and can be reached at nbuonanno@medianewsgroup.com