Rutgers–Camden Student Answers Obama's Call to Service

CAMDEN - President Obama has asked the nation to enter with him into “a new era of responsibility.” A Rutgers University–Camden student already is answering that call to service.

Jeffrey Jones, an Honors College student at Rutgers–Camden, where he majors in political science and German, has founded a nonprofit to give back to the city where he spent the first decade of his life: Camden.

As the name suggests, Miracles Global plans to eventually encompass a much larger territory. For now, Jones and a 10-person crew aim to help Camden’s youth through social outreach and bridging the digital divide.

“People take Google searches for granted. Lives are navigated through computers today and Camden residents deserve that same opportunity,” says Jones, a self-declared “geek” who created his nonprofit’s web site. “There are brilliant students living in Camden who just don’t have the same tools as everyone else.”

Jones knows firsthand about life in Camden. While he understands why the city has a tough reputation, he also has fond memories of playing football late into the night and walking through the city making more friends than enemies.

“My parents made me realize at an early age that I should be grateful for what I did have. They taught me that not everyone lives the way I do and to always be humble – that stuck with me,” notes the Rutgers–Camden junior. This sensitivity for others is what has compelled him to not turn his back on the city he left with his family in 1998. The Jones’ left for Pennsauken following a break-in where just Jeffrey’s room was affected. His Nintendo 64 and some games were stolen – items that only his friends would have known to find.

This past April, when Jones turned 20 and was becoming more inspired by the presidential election, he decided to follow Obama’s lead and begin to live a life of service.

Miracles Global, which first began as a Rutgers–Camden student group, organized outings to Cooper Hospital’s Pediatric Ward. There, Jones found himself bonding with a sick kid over the same game system that was stolen from him years ago. While the Rutgers–Camden student doesn’t deny the power of bonding over games, he’s quick to point out his group’s mission to encourage computer use for educational purposes.

“Kids do a good job with video games on their own,” says the 2006 Pennsauken High School graduate. “We’re looking to promote education.”

This semester, Miracles Global will work to become a 501(c)(3)  to encourage investors to contribute to its ultimate mission to purchase, or rehabilitate, computers. The group will also volunteer time at after-school programs in Camden.

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