Congratulations to Jerri Andrew
As one of five siblings, Jerri was born in Missouri and raised both there and in Illinois by her mom and an alcoholic stepdad. She doesn’t recall her stepdad ever being around to help much. Her mother was very sick during her youth and died of cancer when Jerri was only seven years old. Jerri’s birth father was not in the picture, so she and her younger sister were placed into foster care after their mother’s death. They were in and out of 11 different foster homes before they were adopted together three years later when Jerri was 10 years old.
“The foster placements and eventual adoption didn’t go well, and I could never figure out why when I was a child,” says Jerri. She comments that she kept the house neat and tidy, did her chores and got excellent grades, but her adopted parents didn’t seem to be happy with her no matter what she did. She remembers continuing to try harder and harder, seeking perfection every chance she could. Nothing seemed to work. She was a very strong willed and independent child, so she bumped heads with her parents constantly. She knew what it took to run a household because she had been doing it all by herself when her mother was sick, and it was expected in the foster homes she resided in. Being in charge was all she knew. “In retrospect, I realized that all my parents wanted was two little girls to raise and call their own. I was not so much of a little girl. I had learned to be self-reliant at a very young age,” she notes.
Bound and determined at the age of 17, Jerri decided to live on her own and work to support herself while she finished high school. That was a pivotal time in her life as she quickly evolved into a strong and independent woman.
Jerri had three children with her partner in the 80s, and their youngest was born bi-laterally hearing impaired. When the baby was just two months old, her partner left her abruptly. Suddenly, she was a single mom with a single income raising a deaf infant, a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old. She managed to scrape by on governmental assistance and worked hard to make ends meet with limited funds while maintaining 16 credits of college courses. In the year 2000, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in social work from Illinois State University. Before graduating, she was hired as an intern by the Chamber of Commerce to develop a work program to aid with getting low resource or welfare populations into the workforce and to stay employed in order to advance themselves, their families and businesses and become assets in the community in the early 2000s.
Jerri adds, “This program initiative was a collaboration between three entities of the Chamber of Commerce, University of Illinois Extension, and Mid Central Community Action. It revealed to me that through a variety of community disciplines we can address and solve critical programs and raise the well-being of individuals, families, and the community as a whole through true collaborative efforts. This program revealed to me how every individual no matter what their past or background can advance to a higher potential and achieve personal and professional success if they are mentored, receive encouragement, information, and are empowered.”
Jerri’s expenses for her son’s hearing aids, medical bills and her tuition bills were mounting. She was feeling the pressure to manage all of the bills by herself until one day she had a chance to befriend a woman who was also single and had six children of her own. Jerri felt compelled to ask her how she handled all the expenses. Her friend replied, “Join the Navy!” Herself a Navy recruit, she explained that the insurance was inexpensive and the pay was good. Jerri set out to do some research and contacted a local recruiter.
“They must have sent the most handsome sailor they could find,” Jerri says with a laugh, “and he promptly arrived the day after I called!” But she was a tough sell. In fact, the handsome Navy recruiter told her many years later that she was his #1 toughest sell of his entire career. He took her out to eight lunches before she fully committed.
She adds, “I signed one document at a time and asked lots of questions!” She later asked him why he was so persistent and didn’t give up on her. He said simply, “The day I met you, I just knew you would be in it for the long haul if I could get you to sign on.”
Jerri will tell you that was far from her plan. She committed to join the reserves for four years. All she needed was a new pair of hearing aids for her son and a little extra help to get by. “It is a well-known fact that the Navy promises when you join the Navy Reserves that you only have to commit to one weekend per month and two weeks of training per year.” She laughs heartily as she continues, “But that never happens. In fact, we have a t-shirt we all wear that says, ‘1 weekend/month + 2 weeks/year..,,. my ass.’ ”
Those first four years in the Navy Reserves turned into 23 years thus far and not once was it only one weekend a month and two weeks a year. Jerri turns misty-eyed as she reminisces about the very first time she was deployed. Her daughter was a junior in high school, her youngest was a freshman at the Illinois School for the Deaf, and her oldest was 18 and just recently out on his own. She left her three children to manage life as teenagers.
“They had to manage themselves and the house and attend school independently while I was thousands of miles away in Iraq at war. I warned them with a laugh, ‘Don’t go to jail because I can't bail you out from there!’ ”
That first deployment was an emotional roller coaster and lasted a very long nearly 14 months. With tears in her eyes she adds, “I remember calling at odd times of the night or day when the bombing wasn’t in the background. The sound didn’t scare me. In fact, it was comforting because as long as we heard bombing, it was off in the distance, and we knew the fighting wasn’t near us. But it would upset my kids so I would only call when the bombing wasn’t prominent or had ceased.
“One day I called and my daughter abruptly said, ‘Sorry, Mom, but I have to run and catch the school bus!’ Jerri stopped her and said, “Wait, what?! Why are you riding the bus and not driving the car? Did you wreck it? Are you hurt? What happened!?” Her daughter replied, “No, Mom, I am fine. I spent too much of my monthly allowance on outfits for school and new makeup so I can’t afford gas right now.”
Her daughter knew she had misspent her allowance so she decided to take the bus for a few weeks to make up for it. When Jerri got off the phone she sobbed quietly so her male sailor counterparts couldn’t hear. She would never have heard the end of it if she was caught crying. She was so touched by the fact that her daughter had matured so rapidly while she was gone and had made a responsible adult decision without her. Jerri’s face continues to beam as her heart swells with pride when she reflects on this one fond, albeit emotional, memory. She knew in her heart that her children were going to be okay in life. With or without her.
Her nominator, Joey Keller, says, “Her career in the Navy has provided Jerri with opportunities to develop knowledge, skills, and understanding about people and parts of the world that most of us only read or hear about in the news.”
Once that deployment ended, adjusting to life back at home came naturally to Jerri who had been adjusting all her life. “I didn’t carry my weapon anymore and that was certainly different,” she comments. She says during those early days she’d often wake up in the middle of the night half conscious and bolt around the house darting in and out of every room in search of her weapon. She said she couldn’t even drink her coffee correctly or eat a sandwich because she always felt like something was missing. She would literally go to take a bite and stop every time she sat down to eat. To correct the eating problem, a dear friend encouraged her to throw her purse over her shoulder while she ate so it felt like her rifle was there. To her surprise and delight, it worked!
Today, Jerri is a Chief Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy. She has also worked full time for Mid Central Community Action for the past three years and she currently serves as its Community Service Block Grant Coordinator.
“Last year, Jerri was assigned to an overseas post for a year, where she lived in very rough circumstances in a political hotspot, but wherever she goes and wherever she works, she tries to find the best in people,” Joey Keller, her coworker, added.
“As a Navy Reservist I was deployed to war and various military assignments around the world,” Jerri notes. “I am continuously learning over the last 22 years of service in my Navy career, and it has instilled in me a commitment to selfless service and has developed my skills as a leader with humility in serving all those I lead. It has become a core of my being to perform as a leader and continuously develop my skills in order to serve in the military, in my civilian job, and as a servant leader in my community.”
When asked how it felt to be nominated as an ExtraOrdinary Woman, Jerri quickly exclaims, “I don’t consider myself extraordinary at all. It was my mentors who were extraordinary! They were the ones who I leaned on and they guided me, challenged me and pushed me to do more than I ever thought I was capable of.”
She pays special tribute to Mary Campbell, Sandy McGhee,-Yanzy, Ruthie Cobb, Cathy Ahart, and Jeanne Howard who were there for her and are still in her life on a regular basis. They plan meetings regularly to keep in touch and she is incredibly grateful for each one of them and how they’ve helped shape her life.
A little faith has helped her along the way, too. Jerri notes that she was sprinkled and baptized by several foster families throughout the years because they all wanted to ensure she was blessed by God. “Perhaps that helped,” she grins. She also distinctly remembers turning to God after the father of her children left her. “It was such a terrifying time, and I wasn’t sure how or if I was going to make it,” she says as she reflects back on these dark memories. She prayed often and met and relied heavily on several of her mentors during those challenging years.
“My mentors have been an ever-present beacon of hope, encouragement, and support. I only need to look for the lights when it is dark. Their light has guided me through the most dark and fearful challenges, and it has illuminated my very being providing a glow in my life that I hope to share with yet others,” Jerri shares.
She instills in her children and young new trainee sailors that you have to live and that no matter what, you must always move forward. It is not a choice. She said her youngest son who is deaf is no exception. She has taught him from a young age not to rely on his disability as an excuse to have things handed to him. She tells him he will be very disappointed if he expects people to care. He must figure it out himself and be self-sufficient. Today he and his deaf wife are raising two hearing-impaired children. He is doing just what his mom instilled, and teaching his kids the same values.
Jerri shares that we can each live out our dreams if we are willing to fight for them. She tells her new recruits over and over that they will always be strong enough to do whatever it takes but they must believe in themselves in order to see it come to fruition.
Jerri enjoys her training and leadership duties in the Navy and notes this is one of her favorite endeavors. She says she was born to be a teacher and she pushes and challenges the young sailors to do more than they even dreamed possible just as her mentors pushed and challenged her. She repeatedly notes that she would not be the woman she is today without all of the female role models and mentors that remained in her life throughout the years.
Jerri’s contributions to the community do not stop with her service in the Navy. As mentioned, she assisted the McLean County Chamber of Commerce in developing a work program to aid with getting low resource or welfare populations into the workforce. This program was later transferred to Heartland Community College. She notes that this gave her the opportunity to work with amazing and talented business people in the community which taught her so many great skills she utilizes every day. Jerri also originated the idea to place ads on the city’s buses for extra income to support community transportation needs for the city. She persisted for many years in suggesting this idea. When she returned home years later, the ads were in place.
After years of traveling and serving in the Navy full time, Jerri began working for Mid Central Community Action in 2018 as a Block Grant Manager. Her expertise rests in her creative fundraising ideas for its various programs and finding the perfect people to carry out her vision.
Jerri is passionate about her military and individual mentoring through her work at Mid Central Community Action. Her nominator Joey adds, “Jerri has a passion for life. The world needs more people like her! She has overcome challenges since early in life, she learned to work within the system to access needed resources for herself and her family and now is striving to share her knowledge with those in need. She has built herself up from foster care, through single parenthood, onto a successful dual career. She has been a strong advocate for those in need, using her network to help build awareness in the community. Jerri carries a high level of enthusiasm and energy into whatever program or project she is connected to and is insightful with upcoming community issues and strives tirelessly to raise awareness to these issues.”
Jerri says she loves our community and notes that Bloomington-Normal is much more unified than other communities she has lived in. “The people here are committed to advancing and helping each other. The common theme is that we pull together to assist and raise each other up no matter the circumstances,” she adds.
“"You are worth it!" is what I say to those who thank me for my service in the military or when they see me in uniform,” Jerri says. “And this has become the foundation of my every decision and action. Always know that the people you work with, those you lead, those you love, your family, and the community you serve are ‘worth it.’ And I hold on to that through struggles or when I face challenges. I hold to this because so many along the way felt that I was worth it; and put the hard effort into being there, hearing me, encouraging me, and believing in me. Everyone has skills, talents, and strengths to contribute to resolving issues and challenges.”
Jerri shares that her greatest lesson in life has been that every single individual no matter what their upbringing, financial situation or physical capabilities has the ability to be extraordinary. “It never ceases to amaze me when I see people throughout my life and career do things they didn’t think would ever be possible.” She adds that she is thrilled that she has been a key factor and encouraging mentor for so many.
When asked what advice Jerri would impart with the younger generation she says,”Make a plan! Without a plan, you will never succeed. But with a plan and perseverance you can accomplish anything.”
However, we all know that the best plans can be waylaid. Jerri shares the greatest obstacle in her life was a few short years ago when her oldest son was murdered. The most surprising and monumental lesson she learned from this horrific experience was that forgiveness really is possible and that love truly can overcome all things.
In closing Jerri shares, “Everyone is extraordinary! Everyone has a unique story of their journey that will reveal amazing strengths and resilience if we just listen. Many may not ever know how extraordinary they are. Our goal should be to help others recognize the light they already have inside and encourage them to let it glow brighter. And oh ....how that would make our world a much brighter place for all!”
