By William H. Kelly III
(JACKSON, Miss.) – Jackson State University’s (JSU) Office of Community Engagement partnered with the Pecan Tree Park Neighborhood Association to provide 150 Jackson residents with free Ring doorbells. The project was made possible through a $50,000 Home Depot Retool Your School Community Project Grant providing residents increased surveillance, accessibility and more.
“We’re extremely grateful to have secured the resources from Home Depot to cater to the needs of our community. We hope that by having access to the Ring cameras, that our neighborhoods surrounding JSU will feel more joy about keeping their properties pristine,” said Heather Denne’, Ph.D., director of Community Engagement at JSU. “We’re thankful for Home Depot, Pecan Tree Park and each citizen who allowed us into their homes.”
To address concerns raised by community members, 150 doorbells were distributed to residents age 65 and older living within a 10-mile radius of the university. Participating neighborhood associations and partners included Gowdy Washington Addition, Jayne Avenue, Matthews Estates, Westland Plaza, Poindexter Park and The Center for Social Entrepreneurship.
Ring doorbells feature high-definition video with low-light capability, two-way audio for easy communication, motion detection and real-time alerts. These tools are designed to enhance the safety and well-being of homeowners, particularly those with mobility or sensory limitations.
According to May Francis Bridges, Ph.D., president of the Pecan Tree Park Neighborhood Association, many homes in surrounding neighborhoods no longer had working doorbells. Now, recipients say the newly installed technology has brought both relief and renewed hope.
“It’s a great help to those who probably can’t afford it. Anything that can help us see what’s going on around us is a real blessing,” said West Jackson resident Emmitt Powe, 81. “It makes me proud, and I appreciate those that decided to make this gift to the senior citizens.”
“It’s an exhilarating experience and a good feeling to know that it makes them happy. They sound happy, they sound relieved, they sound hopeful. They are a part of something that’s going to benefit them, our community, and our city,” said Bridges, a JSU alum. “We are very pleased to have been a part of this project. Community Engagement has been a great asset to our community. We value it, and we’re closely connected.”
Additionally, five JSU students–Brandon Newton, Canhao Wang, Khaylah Rose, Travis Robinson and Kwadwo Amponsah Ampofo–each received a $2,000 stipend to train residents on how to use the new doorbells. They also created a one-page guide with clear instructions and information about the Ring cameras to support the community members.
Reflecting on his experience, Ampofo, a computer science graduate student from Ghana, said it reminded him of the power of community.
“I’m not exactly a social butterfly, and this project meant visiting people in their homes and helping them one-on-one. That felt intimidating at first, but then I thought about my own grandmother back in Ghana. If someone were doing something like this for her, how grateful would I be? That was all the motivation I needed,” Ampofo wrote. “It reminded me how beautiful community can be, and how powerful small acts of service are. Someday, I hope to do something like this for my own community back home.”
In 2024, Jackson State University became the first HBCU to receive all three Retool Your School grants—the Campus Improvement Grant, Innovation Lounge Grant and Community Project Grant.
The funding supported several projects, including the recent Ring camera initiative, the remodeling and furnishing of JSU’s Innovation Lounge in the Student Center and the beautification and installation of the Pocket Park at the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO) Civil Rights Education Center, part of the Margaret Walker Center.
“I take my hat off to Jackson State for the program they had for the students to come out and set the cameras up and show us how they work. I think that’s a mighty good thing. Keep the good work up,” said Powe.
Media Contact: William H. Kelly III, william.h.kelly@jsums.edu