Jill brought together other parents and advocates with and without disabilities to form Mission Empower in December, 2007. “We all new that there was a need to support families and students to understand and advocate for true inclusion in school and the community”, Jill said. “Kids were still segregated like I was in the 70’s and 80’s; we had to do something about that!” And thus Mission Empower was born. We formed because of the passion of a small group of committed volunteers working long hours with no to little pay.

Curtis’s commitment to the greater Erie community is further evidenced by his participation on numerous community groups and organizations. He has served on boards for both non-profit agencies and economic development organizations. Additionally, Mr. Jones completed his third consecutive term on Erie’s City Council in 2017. During this tenure he was Council President for two years. In 2019, Erie City Council selected Mr. Jones to serve for another year.

In addition to his youth empowerment and civic work, Mr. Jones serves as Pastor of Light Center Ministries.

Curtis approaches his work from the foundational belief that all individuals have unique gifts to offer the world and that connectivity is of paramount importance. These core values translate into his focus on the significant role of effective communication in the social service field and his inspirational and empowering approach of serving others while in a leadership position. Mr. Jones, Jr. remains constant in his effort to remind people of their greatness and that they should always strive to be their best selves.