A prematurely gray-bearded Bob Jones spends much of his time inside the same rectangular brick building in Garfield where he would shoot pool or watch movies with friends after school when growing up.
Mr. Jones, 49, is no longer looking just to socialize out of harm’s way, as he once did in the former YMCA. A few blocks from his home, in the same city neighborhood he’s lived in his entire life, Mr. Jones dedicates himself to mentoring and coaching black youths who may be in need of a professional, educated, African-American male to look up to as a role model.
One of six individual finalists for the Jefferson Awards’ Most Outstanding Volunteer of the Year in the Pittsburgh region, Mr. Jones is CEO and co-founder of Brothers and Sisters Emerging. The nonprofit organization, which has three full-time and one part-time staff members, runs after-school and summer camp programs aimed at nurturing academics, athletics and positive overall development among Garfield’s teens and younger children.
Funded under contracts with the Allegheny County Department of Human Services since 2013, BASE grew out of the Garfield Youth Sports program, which Mr. Jones created with longtime friends in 1994. Mr. Jones is the longtime volunteer director of the sports program, best known for its five Garfield Gators football teams for different age levels. The former Peabody High School and Waynesburg College football player still coaches the 11-to 12-year-old Gators.
Mr. Jones, who did not live with his father after his parents separated when he was 6, credits a strong group of friends with keeping him straight during his teen years. He wanted to provide more guidance during his own adulthood for his four children — including son Wayne, who nominated him for the Jefferson Award — and other neighborhood youths, males in particular.
“Through adolescence, there are so many pressures affecting their social and emotional development,” said Mr. Jones, who held a number of community improvement positions for government and private agencies before BASE. “I wanted to develop a sense of brotherhood and have influence not only on my son, but all his peers. If through a program like the Garfield Gators you can influence the lives of 100 to 150 boys every year, then we can make a difference in the entire community.”
While the football teams and accompanying cheerleading squads build a sense of responsibility and accountability among participants in the fall, Mr. Jones and other BASE staff and volunteers aim to make that a year-round part of life for dozens of youths who visit the organization’s small but lively Hillcrest Street headquarters each weekday. In addition to his many administrative duties, Mr. Jones relishes the chance to individually influence them as they do homework, play games, share meals and more.
“Growing up in Garfield, I always felt people cared about one another, and I’ve always wanted to be part of that,” he explained. “It’s life for me. I’m tired some days, but I love being part of it and giving back.”
At an invitation-only Jefferson Awards event May 9 at the Heinz History Center, a selection of Pittsburgh’s outstanding 2017 volunteers will be announced from among Mr. Jones and the other finalists. The local winner will attend a national Jefferson Awards ceremony this summer in Washington, D.C.
Locally, the Jefferson Award program is administered by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette with sponsorship from Highmark. PG Charities will provide $1,000 to BASE on Mr. Jones’ behalf.
Gary Rotstein: grotstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1255.
First Published: May 2, 2018, 11:30 a.m.
