Tanglewood Middle School Receives Gift from DJ Jones Foundation
Greenville Barbeque Chef Dave Jones, along with his son, Denver Broncos defensive tackle DJ Jones, announced the DJ Jones Peace Award at Tanglewood Middle School today. A portion of this $10,000 gift will recognize students who exhibit strong leadership, relational skills, and excellence in academics. This two-part gift includes an annual award that will be given to two Tanglewood Middle School students – one male, one female – for each of the next ten years, as well as a monetary gift to the school.
“On behalf of the district, I want to extend our appreciation to the DJ Jones Foundation for your generosity, not just financially, but for your willingness to be involved at Tanglewood Middle School,” said Dr. Burke Royster, superintendent of Greenville County Schools. “Whatever we do, we can do better when we have the involvement of our community – parents, community members and others like Mr. Jones and his son – who are committed to giving their time and resources for the betterment of our students.”
“We thank God that He has positioned us financially and spiritually to be a part of finding solutions to motivate children to be peaceful and academically focused so that they have a better chance at succeeding in life. Our funds will promote this through a scholarship that will be given to two eighth-grade students each year for the next 10 years,” said Dave Jones.
The DJ Jones Foundation helps provide mentorship and mental health advocacy for youth. The foundation seeks to organize football camps, food and toy drives, and provide mentoring and mental health programs for local youth. The mission of the foundation is to help under-served communities, including homeless and foster care children, to overcome adversity by teaching leadership, discipline, and healthy lifestyle skills in a safe and fun environment.
“At Tanglewood, we have the best students on the planet. This grant gives us an opportunity to reward and celebrate the best of the best. This is exciting and encouraging to me and our Tanglewood family, said Dr. Graysen Walles, principal of Tanglewood Middle School.
