MALDEN — A military veteran with a yen for public service has launched a non-profit organization in his home community designed to assist local youth.
Ted Louis-Jacques, who served two deployments in Afghanistan in the Army, formally announced the establishment of Malden Rising Leaders this week. He was also formerly part of Malden Mayor Gary Christenson’s management team when the mayor first took office in 2012. Now an administrator in the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Louis-Jacques is excited about both the goals he and his Malden Rising Leaders board have set and the initial reaction his new group has received around the community.
He kicked off Rising Leaders by meeting with more than 200 Malden High School parents, teachers, and staff members during a back to school night presentation.
“It was a great opportunity to interact with the parents and mentors of the people we want to help. We were able to get our message out to a lot of people that night,” Louis-Jacques said.
The Army veteran and 2007 Malden High School graduate gained notoriety during the 2017 Boston Marathon when he finished the race by helping carry a weary runner the final 100 feet across the finish line, with the feat documented on several televised news station.
It was par for the course for Louis-Jacques, who said his love of public service is what spurred him to form his new organization.
“My parents instilled a love of public service in me and I want to share it with my community,” he said.
On Tuesday night, Louis-Jacques presented his budding non-profit to the Malden City Council. “It is great to see our ambitious Malden residents dedicating their time and commitment to come up with ways to serve our community,” Ward 7 City Councilor Neal Anderson said in introducing Louis-Jacques, who addressed the Council from the podium and introduced members of his board, all Malden High School and, coincidentally, all UMass-Amherst graduates, Krissy Magrasè, Karl Denis and Amanda LaFauci.
In addition to providing an annual scholarship to a Malden resident who is a high school graduate and who intends to pursue a career in public service, Malden Rising Leaders also intends to assist all students who wish to take advantage of its resources to learn how write letters, assemble résumés, and also how to become better public speakers.
“We want to help young people know what it’s like when they leave the community and broaden their path and the steps they take to help them prepare for that,” Louis-Jacques said. “Any way we can help these young people, we want to be there for them.”
Louis-Jacques said he and his staff intend to work as Malden Rising Leaders motto states: “Be more than a bystander because every child deserves a chance to succeed.”
Malden Rising Leaders office is located at 40 Eastern Ave. (Route 60),Suite 222. The website is maldenrisingleaders.org. The email address is [email protected].
