Bo knows helping people never gets old

One of the world's greatest two-sport athletes remembers when money usually earmarked for Christmas gifts was instead spent on electricity to keep him and his nine siblings comfortable in his native Alabama.

So when the White Sox asked Bo Jackson to assist in the massive upgrading of a South Chicago home for an expectant mother with three young children, the former football/baseball star jumped on the opportunity in the same manner he crushed a tackler or smacked a tape-measure home run.

"It's always about giving back," Jackson said Friday, before he led Tanika Harmon and her kids to their incredibly upgraded upstairs, two-bed unit. "We don't have day-to-day worries like this family or a lot of families in this area. I can relate to them because I'm one of 10 (kids). I was raised in a 700-foot square home.

"So by doing something like this, when the White Sox called to ask if I'd participate in, I didn't think about it."

Unlike the times Jackson, 59, threw the ceremonial first pitch at White Sox games, there was no fanfare or police escort when he pulled up in his vehicle.

Two weeks ago, the Harmons' home consisted of a box spring and mattress in one bedroom, a couple televisions, a broken futon and a few toys.

Harmon said she rarely watched television because she didn't feel she was living in a home.

But with the help of Digs With Dignity, a nonprofit organization that helps the homeless live more comfortably, and several White Sox volunteers that included Jackson, Harmon and her children will celebrate Christmas and live more comfortably.

"Since I was 18, I've been homeless," said Harmon, who said she moved in and out of shelters settling in her current residence two years ago. "We didn't have anything.

"This was my dream come true. I've been wanting something like this all my life since I had nothing. God gave my kids what I didn't have. And I appreciate it so much."

Harmon and her children were told to leave Friday morning for a few hours but were informed they would be "surprised" when they returned. A DWD designer measured the dimensions earlier so the upgraded fixing would fit perfectly.

While the volunteers filled the home with new furniture, two upgraded bedrooms and a bathroom, a fully-stocked kitchen, and a Christmas tree corralled by presents, Jackson took inventory.

He noticed the newly stocked pantry needed rearranging to prevent the shelves from collapsing while rattling off some potential recipes.

Yes, Bo Knows Cooking.

"I'm a jack-of-all trades," Jackson said. "Being one of 10 (children), you learn those skills because we didn't have people come by to mow lawns or rake leaves. We had to do it ourselves.

"If we didn't do it, we didn't eat. There were times we didn't eat until 8:30 or 9 p.m. because we forgot to rake the leaves, around this time, too. So mom comes home and the leaves aren't raked, you're not eating until the yard gets raked."

After listening to Jackson's sage advice about the pantry, Harmon lost her poise when she turned to her refrigerator and noticed a new mixer she's coveted for years.

"I wanted to bake so much and now twirling that spoon, it was getting tiring," said Harmon, who is expecting her fourth child on Feb. 8. "Now I got a whole mixer. I can keep on baking, and for the holidays."

Despite his brilliant professional career ending after the 1993 season due to lingering problems caused by a hip injury during a 1991 NFL playoff game, Jackson remains active with the White Sox as an official ambassador since 2014.

And his participation showed that he is more than a figurehead.

"I wish I could do this every day," said Jackson, who left a few three-digit dollar bills for each kid on the Christmas tree. "What I mean is that if you can put some sunshine in somebody's day, or in somebody's cloudy day, you've done something right.

"This is just a chip of the iceberg. There's a whole lot more we can do if we just take the time out to do it."

Jackson, who earned his bachelor's degree in family and child development at Auburn in 1995 - 10 years after winning the Heisman Trophy - and his wife Linda remain residents of the Southwest suburbs while their three children have moved to warmer climates.

"I'm still here," Jackson said. "So this is home for me. And doing something in a philanthropic way for the city makes me feel good."

Harmon's 3-year-old son Antonio stayed by Jackson's side most of the time. But aside from attending a White Sox game while residing in an Indiana shelter, Harmon admitted she never heard of Jackson until his visit.

That's OK with Jackson.

"As long as they know some big guy in a White Sox jersey cares enough about them to make sure they have a good Christmas, that's all that matters," Jackson said.

"It's all about giving back."

@MDGonzales