Tampa teen selected for Bank of America Students Leader program for his work with senior citizens

TAMPA, Fla. - Before the pandemic hit Jordan Jasper spend a lot of his time visiting seniors who felt socially isolated. 

"I was working with the Tampa Bay History Center to present artifacts to seniors living in assisted living facilities." 

He called his senior community outreach program "Memories for Life." 

"Seniors feel isolated they are unable to see their families and this felt like something that I wanted to do for them," Jasper explained. 

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jasper wasn't allowed to visit, so he started making care packages to give to seniors. 

"I put toys and games in there," Jasper said. "I also put in a historical sheet and really I just tried to entertain the seniors." 

For all of his hard work, Jasper was selected to participate in the Bank of America Student Leader program. 

Ann Shaler leads the program. "Jordan is a phenomenal example of the spirit of innovation, that spirit of giving back," Shaler said. 

The goal of the 16-year-old program is to help mold future leaders by giving them hands-on work experience in their community working for a nonprofit. The initiative is virtual this year. 

"The program has been phenomenal. I really loved it. It stills feels like a full program and it feels like I haven't missed out on anything," explained Jasper. 

They usually go to Washington D.C. for a week but used social media this year to accomplish their goals. "They worked together on a project for six weeks," said Shaler. "They've interacted with kids from three other markets across the country in an effort to continue to grow that peer group and to develop influencers for the future." 

Shaping young minds to spur positive change well into the future.