Ms. Ethel’s inspiration to create The Kennedy Austin Foundation came from the loss of her only son, Damon Jermaine Jones who was 17 years old at the time of his fatal car accident.

The Kennedy Austin Foundation started with a support group called a “Mother’s Cry” in 1993. The name was later changed to Kennedy Austin Developmental Center in 1996 as a Non-Profit 501(c)(3). In the year 1998, it was reorganized as the Kennedy Austin Foundation a 501(c)(3), a Non-Profit Organization. There was a great need in the community for the parents and families that have lost children.

Kennedy Austin Foundation’s name was created by the birth of Ms. Ethel’s first granddaughter, Kennedy Austin, whom she felt that she would never see. Kennedy was the one who brought back life and healing to a devastated heart.

Kennedy Austin Foundation serves the Tri-City area and surrounding communities with our Wellness and Crisis Intervention Center programs and classes that educates, equips, and empowers individuals and families to overcome the effects of major losses. We serve people of various backgrounds, ages, religion, and ethnicities.

Our services include but are not limited to: Reflections of Promise, Survivors of Domestic Violence Support Group (qualifies for those that are court mandated), Youth Vision Classes, Annual Giveaways, and the Million Mother’s March.

The Write the Wrong Writer’s Workshop began in August of 2016, with the support and collaboration with Tri-City Mental Health Center. The workshop was developed for individuals that are seeking emotional healing and personal growth through journaling.