Joy Jones is a trainer, performance poet, playwright and author of several books including Private Lessons: A Book of Meditations for Teachers; Fearless Public Speaking, a practical guide that teaches young people how to plan, prepare and deliver a speech with confidence; and her latest book Jayla Jumps In, chosen as one of the best sports books for children by the American Library Association. Joy Jones has won awards for her writing from the D. C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, and the Colonial Players Promising Playwrights Competition. She has also received awards for outstanding community service from the D. C. Department of Recreation & Parks and the D. C. Commission on National & Community Service.

Joy Jones believes that despite the importance of the digital age, “books are still treasures.” This love of books and concern for those missing the privilege of owning their own provided the impetus for her creation of The Story Gift Project.

Ms. Jones collaborated with the National Home Library Foundation and World Book Night, enabling her to fulfill her goal of providing free books to adults and children in underserved and disenfranchised communities, who may not own or otherwise be able to enjoy a book.

To date, The Story Gift Project has donated over 300 books to Ballou Senior High School, H. D. Woodson Senior High School, Richard Wright Public Charter School, Maury Elementary School, Hart Middle School, the Psychiatric Institute of Washington, and Saint Elizabeths (SEH), a psychiatric hospital located in Southeast, Washington, D.C.

The most recent book donations went to The Genevieve N. Johnson Senior Day Care Center, a center that has provided daycare services, as well as, recreation and socialization for seniors living in the District of Columbia for over thirty-eight years.