Global Community Impact Award
Casa Para Niños Aleluya
Edward Jones
Jessica Jones, a financial advisor with Edward Jones in The Woodlands, Texas, expresses her deep faith through her extraordinary charitable giving. For the past nine years, Ms. Jones and her husband, Michael, have donated full college funding to 250 college students in Guatemala — to the tune of $880,000. She has even created a $5 million charitable trust to be gifted posthumously. “I’m overjoyed to give,” she said.
In 2005, Ms. Jones visited the impoverished country with her church group and was swept away by the work being done for homeless children by the Build Your House on the Rock Ministries. The orphanage has cared for more than 4,000 children since 1989. According to the United Nations, Guatemala has more than 380,000 orphans.
Since then, she has visited Guatemala once or twice a year. The children have become like family to her. Living out her faith through giving imbues her practice. “It’s awesome to share the joy of giving with my clients. My hope is to inspire even one person to give to a cause they are passionate about.”
The Jones’ life is built around giving. “We have been very intentional to live below our means in order to do this,” Ms. Jones said. “Don’t wait till you die — do it now.”