When they meet, Jody Richards and Kenan Mujkanovic embrace like long-lost brothers and banter with each other like a couple of college roommates.

“Are you going to your classes now?” Richards asks the Western Kentucky University student as he flashes a smile.

Mujkanovic’s only response is a hearty laugh, the kind you let loose only around those with whom you’re close and comfortable.

Such familiarity makes it easy to forget that Richards – who retired last year after 43 years in the Kentucky General Assembly – and this son of Bosnian refugees are separated by three generations and a Balkan Peninsula-sized gulf between their life experiences.

Maybe because what separates them isn’t nearly as important as what binds them.

“Both are outstanding public servants,” said Sue Parrigin, a Bowling Green city commissioner who knows both men. “Jody is an easy man to want to emulate and is a great role model.”

Which is exactly what Mujkanovic was looking for when, as a South Warren High School senior, he had a chance to meet the veteran legislator.

Mujkanovic came across Richards at the 2016 Jefferson Awards ceremony at Mariah’s Restaurant, where the youngster was being honored for his work starting the Young Visionaries nonprofit and organizing events to help fight poverty in Bowling Green.

“I was looking for a role model, someone I could look up to and someone who served his community,” Mujkanovic recalled. “I thought it would be great if I could just meet Jody Richards. He was at the awards ceremony that night, and I thought, ‘Wow! This is my chance to meet him.’ Ever since, we have shared ideas and it seems that we think the same about a lot of things.”

That first encounter quickly led to a mutual admiration society, with Richards learning to appreciate the youngster’s drive, ambition and willingness to serve.

“He was one of the youngest to win that (Jefferson) award,” Richards said. “When they started talking about his accomplishments, it made you feel like you hadn’t done much.

“Our paths have crossed a lot since then. He walked door to door with me in my last campaign. The most important thing about him is his intelligence and ambition. In many ways, he’s just a typical American young man, and in some ways he’s extraordinary in terms of his ambition. You’d hope all kids had that kind of ambition and drive.”

That drive was evident when Mujkanovic and friend Zak Ahmed started Young Visionaries while still in high school. One of their first philanthropic projects was a Thanksgiving turkey giveaway in Bowling Green’s Shake Rag district in 2014.

Rounding up donations from businesses and individuals, Mujkanovic and Ahmed were able to deliver 120 turkeys that first year, and their nonprofit has since organized charity runs and other events to help groups and individuals in need.

“It was extremely fulfilling,” Ahmed said of that first Thanksgiving event. “Kenan and I started the organization, and we have done a lot of events that have helped the community.”

That desire to help others, Mujkanovic says, is an outgrowth of his own upbringing in Bowling Green.

“I grew up in poverty,” he recalled. “My parents had to work two jobs just to support me and my brother and sister. I always had hopes to get my education and help other people who might be going through the same thing.”

His mother, Erma Mujkanovic, saw in Kenan the traits of hard work and a willingness to serve from a young age.

“We raised our kids the best way we could,” she said. “Kenan was a hard-working young man and was always happy, no matter what. He’s really positive, and he makes others feel the same way.”

The Young Visionaries was only the beginning for Kenan Mujkanovic, who self-published a book called Voices of Bowling Green that is a collection of stories from many of the city’s youngsters. His charity work earned him a National Caring Award from the Caring Institute in 2016, and now he is preparing to fly to France to speak at a TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) Conference on Feb. 18.

He will speak on the topic “Life Equals Perspective,” which he says will be the title of a second book he is working on now.

“Life is all about how you view it,” Mujkanovic explained. “People look at what they don’t have instead of what they do have. If you wake up with the mindset that you’re thankful and blessed, it changes your whole outlook.”

That his young protege has been invited to speak at an international conference doesn’t surprise Richards.

“I’ve heard him speak, and I’m really impressed with how organized he is and how good a speaker he is,” said Richards, 80.

The relationship with Richards is a perfect fit for Mujkanovic, who would like to see his career path follow that of his idol.

“When I see Jody Richards, someone who has put in years and years of public service, it’s inspiring,” he said. “He cares more about the people he serves than he does about himself. My life’s purpose is to be beneficial to others. Jody motivates me to do that.”

Not that Mujkanovic seems to need much motivation. While working on his degree in economics and political science, he is working part time at a local law firm, serving as a senator in WKU’s Student Government and running an online marketing firm called Visionary Media. The ultimate goal of attending law school is still a couple of semesters away for the 21-year-old, but he’s looking well beyond that.

“I plan to serve several years as an attorney, getting to know everybody, and then run for office,” he said.

Parrigin has already seen evidence that Mujkanovic has what it takes to be a successful public servant. Through his position on the WKU Student Government, he was able to initiate getting the city to put a crosswalk on Normal Drive.

“He called and said there were concerns about safety on that road,” Parrigin said. “He was exactly right. The crosswalk was needed. He was responding to something that needed to be done.”

Mujkanovic admits to being saddened by Richards’ retirement last year, saying: “I kinda wished he would serve another term, but I know it has to be tough to serve that many years.”

Now maybe the one-time speaker of the House will fulfill one more public service: serving as mentor to a future officeholder.

“If he’ll allow me to help him in his goals, I’ll be delighted,” Richards said. “We need more people with that kind of serving attitude.”