Welcome Letter from our Founder
Hello and Welcome!
My name is Dolorez Cobb-Jones. Over the past 30 years, I’ve had the pleasure of working in public education. Currently I am an independent educational consultant working with several school districts in the United States. I have been a passionate teacher, thoughtful team leader, innovative curriculum committee member, mentor and friend to numerous upcoming educators.
Over the years, I have encountered many grandparents that were raising their grandchildren in the schools in which I worked. I’ve observed many disturbing behaviors of children centered around societal ills such as trauma, death, drug abuse, and abandonment. Grandparents would share with me the many severities and fears of their responsibilities of raising their grandchilren due to lack of support and resources from schools and agencies.
Through this realization, Grandparents Involved from the Start (GIFTS Inc.), was founded and established in August 2011. As I began to have more discussions with grandparents, I recognized the need to establish information to help them navigate through the daily routines of raising a child in the 21st century. Thus, GIFTS was born.
BE INFORMED, INVOLVED and INSPIRED.
Peace,
Mrs. Dolorez Cobb-Jones
Mrs. Dolorez Cobb-Jones
Founder and CEO
Featured News
Dean Lang Community Grant
In March 2023, GIFTS Inc. was awarded the Dean Lang Community Grant sponsored by Penn State University’s Parent & Children Together (PACT) Organization . The grant is meant to support the GIFTS Inc. Relief Fund, which provides financial support to eligible grandparents who are raising their grandchildren between the ages of 5-18.
Grant Recipients, August 2023
Mission and Vision
The mission of GIFTS, Inc. is to provide support, resources, information, and in some cases, financial assistance to grandparents who are sole caregivers of school-aged children between the ages of 5 and 18 years old.
At GIFTS, Inc. our overall vision is clear: We want grandparents to become involved, inspired, and informed with the daily demands that come with raising their grandchildren.
A Community Effort.
"It’s time we support those who have supported us from the start, our dear grandparents."
—Jeanna Pasha, GIFTS, Inc. Board Chair
GIFTS Inc. Board Members
Dolorez Cobb-Jones, Founder & CEO
Jeanna Pasha Esq., Board Chair
Deborah Waters, Treasurer
Gia Johnson, Secretary
Raymond Bennett, Member
Yvonne Hollins, Member