Fighting The Good Fight

Holly Robinson Peete is feisty, candid and determined.

Her tough-as-nails mindset rarely wavered as the actress helped her father battle Parkinson's. And it went into overdrive when her son Rodney Jr., also known as RJ, was diagnosed with autism at age 3. The challenges she faced were mind boggling - but they sparked a desire to help others grappling with these life-changing diseases.

Robinson Peete, who played no-nonsense cop Judy Hoffs on "21 Jump Street," and her husband, former NFL quarterback Rodney Peete, founded the HollyRod Foundation in 1997, a charity that assists individuals with Parkinson's and autism with healthcare, counseling, jobs and other resources. Above all, she emphasizes, it gives them hope.

"My husband came to me and said, 'You have to do something for the other families that don't have a voice.' So, we started HollyRod because of Parkinson's. But, then, when RJ was diagnosed with autism, we decided to expand our mission," says the 54-year-old mother of four. "It's been such a blessing. When things happen to you that are bad or sad, to be able to help others is so cathartic. It makes you feel so good."

By partnering with Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorder Center at Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, HollyRod created programs that provide low- or no-cost care for those with Parkinson's.

It took a few more years to get the funding to open the HollyRod Autism Compassionate Care Center in 2012 at California State University, Northridge. Over the years, the charity has received funding from Microsoft, FedEx, Xerox and Outback Steakhouse.

The center provides resources, services and support programs, including My Brother Charlie, an annual private event that allows children with autism to visit amusement parks and other open spaces in a quieter environment, and RJ's Place, a grant program that provides resources to families in need as well as equipment for children's hospitals and autism centers.

Robinson Peete says that, while it hasn't been an easy process, all the hard work is worth it: "The nonprofit world is very difficult - a lot of begging for money! I call it creative begging, but it's been amazing, and it is going well. We just celebrated our 20th anniversary. We're opening RJ's Place Vocational Training Center in Los Angeles to help families and young people with autism to get jobs."

Unfortunately, her father passed away in 2002, and her brother Matt Robinson was diagnosed with Parkinson's last year. Adding to the ordeals: A recent MRI revealed that Peete has lesions on his brain that may be an indicator of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, brain trauma from decades of playing football.

Robinson Peete never expected her life to take the turns it has. Born in Philadelphia, she had an inside track to success through her parents, Matthew Robinson, one of the original cast members and producers of "Sesame Street" and a writer for "Sanford and Son" and "The Cosby Show," and her mom, Dolores Robinson, an actress and talent manager who has worked with Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez and Mariska Hargitay.

In 1969, Robinson Peete made her television debut playing a little girl, Sally, on the first episode of "Sesame Street." She botched her one-liner, though, saying "Hi, Daddy," instead of "Hi, Gordon," because her father was playing the part of Gordon.

The Robinsons moved their family to Los Angeles in 1974. Robinson Peete landed small parts while attending Santa Monica High School - where she was voted "Most Talented" alongside fellow classmate and future actor Rob Lowe - and later earned degrees in psychology and French from Sarah Lawrence College. After a brief respite in Paris, she returned to work in Hollywood with her mom as her agent.

In 1987, she landed her role on "21 Jump Street," one of FOX's early popular shows, which also launched the career of Johnny Depp. Robinson Peete followed that up with a starring role in "Hangin' With Mr. Cooper." Peete, a celebrated quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys at the time, proposed to her on set.

She's also an author: Her first book, "Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching the Game: A Women's Guide to Loving Pro Football," a primer on all things football, won the 2006 Quill Literacy Award. She also collaborated with her daughter, Ryan, on "My Brother Charlie," based on RJ's autism.

Today, she stars in two Hallmark Channel series: "Morning Show Mysteries," a whodunit in which she plays a chef, restaurant owner and TV host opposite basketball-star-turned-actor Rick Fox, and the reality show "Meet The Peetes," which will be returning for a second season in 2019.

In addition to RJ, 20, the show features Dolores, who lives with the Peetes, and their other children: Ryan, 21; Robinson, 16; and Roman, 13.

"When we came up on the free agency market, they picked us up," she recalls of the Hallmark Channel. "They said, 'We love this family, and we especially love their connection with autism.' Our son RJ has really galvanized the autism community and [President and CEO of Crown Media Family Networks] Bill Abbott came to us and said, 'We love your platform, and we want to see more of these stories.'"

Robinson Peete told Ebony that the show has been cathartic for her family: "It's been an outlet for a lot of frustration and sadness. ... It's also been really effective in helping open up the conversation, certainly nationally, about autism awareness and taking the stigma away, which is important."

RJ - whom his proud papa calls a "rock star" - has defied all odds. Despite doctors' predictions that he wouldn't be able to drive, hold a job or have friends, the family never gave up hope.

"We were told RJ wasn't going to do anything, and RJ is killing it," says Robinson Peete. "He is working with the Dodgers. He is loving it. They love him. All the things they said he would never do, he's doing it. He's driving. He's working."

But there are still some things that remain difficult for the young man.

"We still see his struggles, his challenges, especially when it comes to relationships," she says. "He has not been able to connect with young women because he is still socially disconnected from that, and that is my biggest scare now."

Robinson Peete fears that RJ will be taken advantage of since he doesn't fully understand how to relate to others or discern their intentions.

"Mama ain't having that, though," her husband quips.

Robinson Peete says she's like a hawk hovering over her hatchling: "I'm like a helicopter mom. [Peete] says to let him have some space, and it's hard. But the bigger picture is the awareness that we are bringing." O