Ben Jones
CENTER
TENNESSEE TITANS
Ben Jones and his wife, Alex, established The Jones Mission in 2017 to provide at-risk youth with opportunities they might otherwise not have through grants, additional resources and educational opportunities. Each year, they host the Ben Jones Celebrity Clay Shoot, a skeet shooting tournament, to raise money for local youth-serving non-profit organizations. Through the 2019 clay shoot, The Jones Mission was able to donate $40,000 to Endure Athletics and $45,000 to Preston Taylor Ministries. With their grant, Preston Taylor Ministries was able to open a new location for after-school programs. Ben also was the official race starter for the Shoney's 5k race benefiting the Metro Nashville Police Department's continuing education fund. He ran free non-contact youth football clinic in his hometown in Alabama this summer.
Renovations to the Nashville Ronald McDonald House kitchen and dining room were completed this summer, courtesy of a $88,000 grant from the 2017 clay shoot. The 2017 event also allowed Ben and Alex to expand and remodel the computer lab at Youth Encouragement Services. The computer lab was also unveiled over the summer. In 2018, the event raised $33,000 for Endure Athletics, $22,000 for Backfield in Motion and $33,000 for Alive Hospice.
Ben experienced extreme childhood adversity, as his father was killed in a helicopter crash just a few months after his 10th birthday. That circumstance planted the seeds of a strong and still-growing passion for helping kids in need, and he strives daily to be a role model and show children experiencing hardship that anything is possible through hard work, determination, and prayer. Because of his childhood experiences, Ben has successfully used his platform as a professional athlete to give back to the communities in his hometown and Nashville. Every year, Ben sponsors a trip to a Titans game for the seniors on the football team at his high school in Alabama. The experience includes round-trip transportation from his hometown, tickets, a private tailgate, swag bags plus a meet-and-greet with Ben and tour of the Titans practice facility after the game. Ben has been a model of consistency for giving back to the youth in communities and the non-profits that serve them. He is a guy that "walks the walk" in all phases of his daily life. His efforts to continuously inspire and motivate young people are demonstrated by his commitment to hosting these events on an annual basis.
In addition to his work with his own Foundation, Ben is also actively involved in team-organized community events and programs, appearing on behalf of the team at local schools, hospitals, fundraising events, 5K races and more. The Jones Mission is also very active during the holidays as Ben sponsors Christmas shopping events for families in his hometown in Alabama and locally in Nashville.