Third annual turkey giveaway
KHBS 40/29 reported a JD Youth Foundation Thanksgiving event at the Fort Smith Boxing Club with approximately 200 turkeys distributed.
READ THE 2025 REPORT ↗COMMUNITY / JD YOUTH FOUNDATION
Give back.
Move forward.
Learn about Jermaine Carlos Diaz’s personally operated charitable initiative, its youth-focused mission, and documented Fort Smith Thanksgiving giveaways.
Experience into purpose
The JD Youth Foundation is the name Jermaine Carlos Diaz uses for a personally operated charitable initiative. It is not presented here as a registered nonprofit organization.
Its mission is rooted in a personal belief: young men and women deserve opportunities to learn from people who understand how early choices, social pressures, and difficult circumstances can shape a lifetime. Diaz hopes to use his own experiences to encourage reflection, responsibility, and better possibilities.
THE LEGACY OF DONALD EUGENE CARTER
The greatest lesson he taught me was accountability.
Growing up, my godfather, Donald Eugene Carter, taught me a lesson that would take on greater meaning throughout my life: accountability.
Accountability for my decisions. Accountability for the people who depend on me. And accountability for what I choose to do with the experiences life has given me.
As a young man, I didn't always understand the weight of that lesson. But as I grew older, became a father, and reflected on the direction my life had taken, its importance became clearer.
The Thanksgiving Turkey Drive is one way I honor his memory. Through the JD Youth Foundation, I want to pass that lesson to young people who may be facing some of the same decisions and influences I encountered growing up.
“Accountability isn't just about accepting your past. It's about taking responsibility for what you do next.”
Personal reflection approved for inclusion; the closing quotation is proposed website language.
2023 — The first annual Turkey Drive
The photographs and archival flyer below document the 2023 event in Fort Smith, held in remembrance of Diaz's godfather Donald Eugene Carter.
Thanksgiving in Fort Smith
EXPLORE THE 2023–2025 PHOTO GALLERIES ↗
King Solomon Missionary Baptist Church
KHBS 40/29 reported the church's Thanksgiving giveaway of approximately 300 turkeys and included Diaz's comments about giving back.
READ THE 2024 REPORT ↗COMMUNITY IN PHOTOGRAPHS
The people behind the giving.
Continuing a family tradition
Diaz has described the importance of his godfather Donald Eugene Carter's charitable example. The initiative seeks to honor that tradition through tangible community service.
These images preserve moments from the community initiative. The event photographs are from 2023, as confirmed by Diaz. Individual names have not been identified. The mayor’s separate church visit is not represented as participation in the giveaway.