“I love to see smiles on the faces of children and families I come in contact with. It is a personal responsibility to give back to my community because someone did it for me and it’s what I love.”
Juliett Jones
Meet Juliett Jones: She’s the director of the Doris Miller Community Center in East Waco and has worked more than 30 years in community centers here.
Outside her job and her family duties, she finds time to coach city league youth basketball.
Juliett’s community work has had a multigenerational impact, and she sees some of the youth she coached in the past show up at the center grown up, with their own kids.
Her journey to Waco: Juliett was born and raised in Waco.
“I didn’t encounter any problems growing up here in Waco,” she said. “I remember going to the summer camp at Paul Quinn College, where I made friends from all different neighborhoods. Attending camp was one of the best times of my young life.”
Juliett graduated from Waco High School and earned her associate’s degree from McLennan Community College.
Her children, Chalendria and Clayton Williams, teach at Midway High School, and she has two grandchildren, ages 5 and 9 months.
How she’s making a difference:
She has worked at Waco community centers for the last 30 years and continues to make an impact on generations of Waco youth. In addition, she is also a longtime youth recreation league basketball coach.
What inspires this work: Juliett is always inspired by her grandmother who raised her and ran a community childcare program from her home. She wanted to follow in those footsteps of community service.
How she sees Waco: “I love seeing all of the changes that they made on Elm Street. During the time when I grew up, it was like a lot of prostitutes, a lot of gun violence and stuff going on. But with all the different shops and things that they’re putting over, they’re bringing the farmers market to this area, I think it’s great for us.“
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