Jones Scholarship Fund - TCF The Community's Foundation

The Jones Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to students from Chester-Upland.

Tommie Lee Jones & Isiah A. Jones Sr. were deeply devoted to their neighbors.

In the 1970’s Tommie Lee and Isiah A. Jones founded the Black Youth Society, which later became Youth in Action. They established a food distribution site in Chester and pressed the PA State government to release more food supplies into Chester. By the end of that decade, they had collaborated with County Officials to offer over 200 summer jobs to the youth of Chester.

In the 1980’s, they established the first Youth Aid Panel, to keep first time youth offenders out of prison. They served over 500 Chester families through clothing & food drives. And, they were instrumental in organizing the First Black Youth Olympics at Franklin Field & Cheyney University. Chester’s team placed 3rd overall. They then saved Penn Day Care from closing, ensuring high quality childcare for working families in Chester. And, they advocated for changes to Interstate 495 & State 291 planning, that spurred economic development in Chester. That decade, Youth in Action was recognized by the American Enterprise Institute.

In the 1990’s, they were recognized by the National Runaway Association in Washington, DC, for establishing a Safe House for Youth Runaway Victims. And, they served on the state-wide advisory panel that advocated for legislation that would address the social and economic issues faced by the community of Chester.

There are generations of Chester residents who remember Isiah Sr. and Tommie Lee as self-less leaders. They left an lasting legacy. Many of the young people that they mentored have gone on to become engaged & active citizens that are paying it forward to the next generation of young people, in Chester.