Alan and Kathy Jackson are coping with the tough realities of raising a family in a small town during hard economic times. The Jacksons are raising two daughters, Kate, age 13, and Melissa, age 11, in a community that they have been a part of for most of their lives.

Alan, 39, was born in Clinton and has lived his entire life there except for serving five years in the U.S. Marine Corps. He received a medical discharge from the military in 1998 and returned to Clinton with wife Kathy.

Alan’s health makes it difficult for him to find work, and Kathy, age 35, has challenges that limit her employment. To scrape by, the Jacksons depend on social services and the generosity of others. But most importantly, their love of friends, family and each other, coupled with their faith, keep them going in hard times.

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Kathy and Alan Jackson leave the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Clinton after morning Mass. The Jacksons are active in both the Catholic church and the Cornerstone of Love Pentecostal Church in downtown Clinton.