Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Jones is all about going above and beyond.
Over the past 22 years he has been a member of the Pennsylvania National Guard, a reservist and on active duty. Currently he works as a Mortuary Affairs specialist with B Company, I Corps G4 on Joint Base Lewis-McChord and is planning to transition back into the Reserves this fall.
"My job is to help these families transition to the next phase," he said. "In my mind, cases are never closed. Families are always welcome to call for help."
Never closing the door is a mindset Jones is personally familiar with and is also why he recently found himself at the helm of a new nonprofit venture called the Troop Program, geared toward helping kids succeed in school.
"I believe that a good education is the foundation to the start of a good life," he said. "It just took me awhile to get there."
In 1988, Jones dropped out of high school and received his GED before joining the Army. Despite a good career as an NCO, he felt that he could achieve more as an officer but lacked the education. Then his eldest son started to have trouble in high school, and Jones wondered how he could help without being able to practice what he preached. So in 2009, at the same time that he was completing his associate's degree, he returned to his high school and earned a diploma. But he didn't stop there. In 2010, he was awarded a bachelor of science in health care administration and is working on an MBA in finance.
"Kids need to get motivated about education," the father of eight said with a knowing smile. "And sometimes they need a push ... which is where my group will come in."
Driven by his own experience and that of his 8-year-old son who has special needs, Jones felt that starting this program at JBLM, where he and his family hope to stay, was the best way to reach as many military kids as possible.
In addition to providing tutors and mentors to the children, the Troop Program will make a community service impact as well. There will be food drives for the homeless and less fortunate, visits to nursing homes and children's hospital wards during the holidays and an Invasion of Troops where a road area will be adopted and kept clean by the kids.
The Troop Program also will sponsor an annual college scholarship for three qualified students. To apply, applicants must be a senior in high school, have an acceptance letter from a college or university and write an essay on an assigned topic.
The first official Troop Program meeting, intended to serve as a meet and greet between the families and volunteers, will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Forza coffee shop in DuPont, 1520 Wilmington Dr. Jones has a six-member team - all volunteers with various talents - but he is constantly looking for more.
"A place like Sylvan (Learning Center) is great, but they can't always relate to a child whose parent has been deployed multiple times," explained Jones. "We can. Our motto is ‘Service Members Helping Our Own,' and that is the purpose."
With future fund-raisers still being planned, Jones is excited to hold the first one next month. On Saturday, Aug. 28, the Troop Program will host a 5k Walk for Troops. A location has yet to be finalized for the event, which will require participants to make a donation of at least $5. Check the Web site, www.thetroopprogram.org, for updated information soon.
The Troop Program's office, open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., is located at 10011 Bridgeport Way S.W., suite 1500, office 115, in Lakewood.
If you are interested in volunteering, making a donation or enrolling your child, call (253) 267-0624 or e-mail info@thetroopprogram.org.