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Tiana Jones (center, standing) with neighbors at the Senior Hub: "I love the folks who attend the Senior Hub. I always connect with people of that generation," she says. See what they say about her in red below. | | |
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Tiana Jones, Assistant Director of The Welcome Table, grew up on Hilton Street, right around the corner from St. James School. Her father, Thomas, still lives in the house where he and his late wife, Charlotte, raised five children. Tiana is the youngest. Her mother, who passed away in 2015, owned a day care center on Allegheny Avenue.
Tiana recalls a joyful childhood in the neighborhood, where there were always lots of kids to play with. Her favorite memories include jumping Double Dutch and zooming around on her bike and rollerblades. As one of the youngest kids, she remembers having at least 10 parents or older kids always looking out for her.
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Tiana fondly recollects attending events at The Church of St. James the Less during the mid-1990s. The parish held Halloween parties in what is now our school dining room, and end of summer block parties on Clearfield Street.
Asked how she feels about being back as a working adult, Tiana declares, “First, I get to work in the wonderful community that I grew up in. Second, we do great work, and third, I get to share health and wellness information and practices, which is my passion!”
Tiana loves the motto of The Welcome Table: Share What You Have, Get What You Need. "It’s such a multi-dimensional statement," she enthuses. "Sharing What You Have can be sharing yourself, your personality, whatever gifts or talents you may have as an individual. It can also be sharing food, clothes or other necessities. Get What You Need can be a conversation with someone, prayers for a special intention, or food: It can be whatever the person needs at that moment.”
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As Assistant Director, Tiana’s #1 responsibility is running the Food Sharing Community Action, primarily the Saturday Farmer's Market and Tuesday Student Market. This involves everything from coordinating food donations to purchasing whatever else is needed to managing the volunteer team.
“On Saturdays," Tiana notes,“ I spend time listening and talking to our neighbors. I ask for feedback and suggestions and I introduce them to other Community Actions that we provide, like Legal Aid and Home Repairs."
Tiana also contributes her knowledge and talents to The Welcome Table's Adult Education and Senior Hub Community Actions. She has taught Zumba, Body Positivity, Movement and an Essential Oils workshop. She currently provides Health Coaching to a class as well as individuals.
Last year, Tiana introduced The Wellness Weekend to Adult Ed, and this January four Wellness Weekends were scheduled. Topics included health coaching, Zumba, yoga, tea blending, aroma therapy, and line dancing — a crowd favorite!
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As if all that were not enough, Tiana is also involved with St. James School students, leading the Food Justice Squad after-school enrichment. She teaches nutrition, food insecurity, and how to address it. London, a 5th grader, comments, "Ms. Jones teaches us how to be healthy. We learn how to eat and exercise. We also learn how to make delicious snacks and shakes."
Last year, the Squad collaborated with Penn Charter and Mt. Airy Presbyterian Church to establish a free, 24/7 community refrigerator on the St. James campus. It's stocked with items donated by individuals, businesses, and organizations near and far.
Looking back at Tiana's journey from childhood to her current role at The Welcome Table, there is ample evidence of the confidence, initiative and drive that enabled her to turn her interests and talents into a career.
During middle school, she studied acting and dance at the Freedom Theatre on Broad Street, the oldest African American owned theatre in the world. For high school, she attended the all-girls Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Bryn Mawr, which she credits with helping her develop confidence and a strong sense of self.
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At Albright College, she majored in fashion merchandising and theatre, which led to jobs in the fashion industry in New York City. In March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the city, Tiana started a business teaching dance and fitness virtually.
Eventually, the lengthy shutdown made life in NYC unworkable and she returned to Philadelphia and her very happy father. Within three days, Tiana was invited to Saturday Farmer's Market by longtime neighbor and volunteer Isolene Nelson. Hearing there about the Adult Ed program, Tiana almost immediately began teaching a body positivity class.
Six weeks later, she officially joined St. James and The Welcome Table as the new Food Sharing Coordinator.
The Welcome Table's mission is to support our neighbors so that they can thrive. Having one of the leaders be a grown child of the community is a powerful way to achieve this objective.
As the public face of The Welcome Table, Tiana shares, “I feel 100% connected to the community. I never expected to be back in such a well-known role, but I’m loving it.”
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Many community voices express thanks on the gratitude tree created through St. James' new community art program, a unique and bold initiative that connects our students, grads, and community through art | |
Building Connections Through Community Art | |
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Art serves as a bridge connecting St. James students with neighbors, fostering relationships, and preserving memories through creative collaboration. Recent projects demonstrate how art can inspire dialogue, celebrate shared experiences, and build a stronger community.
One project this fall centered around a gratitude tree. During a Saturday Farmer's Market, neighbors and others contributed leaves expressing heartfelt thanks for family, friends, and cherished relationships.
Relationships are exactly what Director of Community Art Initiatives Jamese Newsome-Williams has in mind when she engages our community in new projects.
Jamese says, “Art is a right that everyone has to express themselves, tell their stories, and create the change they want to see in this world. It is a platform where voices can be heard, recognized, and amplified. Art can also serve as a launching pad for ideas and projects that can unite and bond neighbors and strengthen communities.”
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Neighbors contribute to the gratitude tree while a student-crafted garland adorns the altar of remembrance | |
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A poignant collaboration took place around All Souls' Day. Our 5th and 6th grade girls in the after-school enrichment art class worked alongside the Schoolhouse and Chaplaincy teams to create pressed marigolds in remembrance of loved ones who had passed away.
In another after-school enrichment run by the Chaplaincy team to explore Episcopal identity and serve the community, students crafted paper marigolds to form garlands for the altar of remembrance.
Reflecting on the past year, Jamese says, “Some of my favorite moments have included talking with our neighbors as they wrote and drew images of favorite holiday traditions as well as watching our students create artwork every day in the classroom.”
Collaborating through art embodies the St. James goal to build deep connections in the community, and Jamese has many future plans to advance that goal: “I am hoping to present art-based opportunities that our community members can participate in to tell their personal stories, showcase their individual skills, and exhibit and display their rich collective local history,” she says.
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Jamese leads art classes and students create art every day in their classrooms | |
The first marking period's Students of the Month enjoying their field trip to Uncle Bobbie's Coffee & Books, a Black-owned shop in Germantown | |
During Advent, the season of waiting, students eagerly light the Advent candles at lunch each day | Alumni in the workforce! Our First Bosses program hired on some recent graduates, including Journee at Thunder Mug Cafe on Ridge Avenue | |
5th graders having fun at the Advent Party on the last day of school before the holiday break | One of our young scholars showing off her work at the 2024 Science Fair | The Graduate Support Team held its first male alumni retreat, Iron Sharpens Iron, and one of many activities was "playing basketball with Mr. Todd just like we did back in 8th grade." | |
Our Winter Band Concert filled the school with beautiful sounds and brought us into the spirit | |
Donations from Graduates Helped Unlock Year End Challenge Gift | |
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Thanks to our donors we received 503 gifts by December 31st, exceeding our year end fundraising goal and unlocking a $50,000 match from Lori and Matt Espe! This moment was made extra sweet thanks to 12 St. James graduates who each contributed, helping us cross the finish line. THANK YOU to EVERYONE for supporting St. James!
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St. James is a faith-based educational community deeply rooted in transformative loving relationships. | | | | |
