A local cancer survivor has manifested her blessings into a foundation that now includes a thrift store. Jill Jones has set out on a mission to help the citizens of Coffee County through the Journey for Life Foundation.
“I thought, ‘What could I do to help people I walk and talk with on a daily basis’,” Jones explained. “That’s when the foundation came to mind. It was designed to help cancer patients with road trips and food as they travel.”
Fundraising for the non-profit organization took place at Williams Chapel Church, and the Journey for Life Foundation was able to grow into the Journey’s Thrift Shop located at 602 Shirley Avenue. The Coffee County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the store on Thursday, February 11. The products at the Journey’s Thrift Shop are sold at a low price; however, if someone is in need and cannot pay it isn’t a problem.
Jones stated, “If you’re in need of something, we want to provide it for you. It’s all about helping and giving back to the community.”
Jones thanked the Coffee County Chamber of Commerce, her family and her church family for supporting her mission—a mission “to serve, inspire, encourage, and respect; to provide assistance when needed, and to love those through the journey.”
Representatives of the local community spoke words of praise for Jones and her mission. City of Douglas Commissioner Johnny Lee Roper, who is also a cancer survivor, said “I’m just proud to see this going on in Coffee County.” Roper went on to say that cancer treatment can be expensive, including travel expenses. The services that the Journey for Life Foundation provides for cancer patients are desperately needed, and greatly appreciated.
“It’s such a blessing to live in a county where people think of others first and see the need and then rise to the occasion,” Coffee County Commissioner Johnny Wayne Jowers stated. Parallels were drawn between the giving nature of Jesus and the work that Jill Jones is doing here in Coffee County. “If [Jesus] were here today, he’d be right here supporting you, and he is right here by his holy spirit supporting you in what you do.”
Jill Jones’ husband also spoke in support of his wife, stating “This is my wonderful wife, and if she can help me be a man I know she can help the citizens of Coffee County make it through anything, and I am very proud of her.”
The Chamber of Commerce and the entire Coffee County community welcome this new business as a valued addition, and looks forward to the good that the Journey for Life Foundation and the Journey’s Thrift Shop will do for local citizens and cancer patients.