Jackie Joyner-Kersee Opens 24,000‑Sq‑Ft JJK FAN Center in East St. Louis to Teach Youth Urban Agriculture and Food Innovation

Jackie Joyner-Kersee — the Olympic track-and-field champion who grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois — has opened a new community hub to give local young people hands-on experience in agriculture, nutrition and STEAM subjects. The Joyner-Kersee Food, Agriculture and Nutrition Innovation Center (JJK FAN) is a 24,000-square-foot facility that officially opened in June 2026 through a partnership between The Jackie Joyner-Kersee Foundation, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and the East St. Louis nonprofit Lansdowne UP.

Programs That Connect Youth With Food, Science and Careers

JJK FAN focuses on urban agriculture, food innovation, nutrition, physical activity and entrepreneurship. Signature offerings include the Seed to Table summer program — where children plant, tend and harvest vegetables and then prepare healthy snacks in a teaching kitchen — and an embryology and incubation program that introduces students to embryo development and poultry breeds.

“We're helping our young people to see that when they plant a seed and take care of it, it grows. That's what we want them to do for themselves. They are the seed. We're going to surround them with people to help nurture them,”

— Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Research, Partnerships and Unique Facilities

The center connects students with university researchers and scientists, including faculty from the University of Illinois Cancer Center and plant scientists from the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center. JJK FAN houses an 11,000-square-foot passive solar greenhouse — the first of its kind built in the U.S., according to project partners — designed to produce more than 30,000 pounds of food annually and to serve as a living learning lab.

As part of hands-on research, Danforth scientist Antonio Brazelton planted 19 varieties of heirloom collard greens so youth can participate in multi-day harvests and learn plant-breeding principles. The research aims to help breeders develop collard varieties that perform better in lower-quality soils while giving community members access to fresh produce.

Real Impact: Students and the Community

Students have translated center experiences into academic and career momentum. Intern Jordon Gully worked on the heirloom collards project and completed a science-fair study on corn leaf architecture. Gully is now a full-scholarship sophomore at the University of Illinois’ College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), studying agricultural policy with the goal of improving food access in his community.

Joyner-Kersee and agricultural technology entrepreneur Mark Scholl — who met on a flight years ago — have collaborated since 2016 to bring East St. Louis youth across the Mississippi River to plant corn, radishes and soybeans in north St. Louis. Scholl now serves on the foundation board and emphasizes the importance of including urban communities in conversations about agriculture.

Looking ahead, JJK FAN plans to expand hands-on programming in food production, agricultural technology, nutrition and entrepreneurship to create sustained, life-changing opportunities for East St. Louis residents.