Pastor Douglas P. Jones named Black History Month Game Changers honoree

DETROIT – Pastor Douglas P. Jones has empowered a unified group of organizations in the Pontiac, Mich. area.

A native of Cincinnati, Jones has served as Pastor at Welcome Missionary Baptist Church in Pontiac since 1989 and founded the Greater Pontiac Community Coalition (GPCC) in 1994.

“One of the things I noticed was a lot of disconnect [between community organizations],” Jones said. “At first, I wanted to do a white paper about these issues, but a group of 50 people came together, and we said we don't need to write about it, we need to do something about it.”

Jones is this year’s fourth Black History Month honoree in the Ilitch Sports + Entertainment Game Changers series, which celebrates community members making a profound difference in Detroit. In partnership with Comerica Bank, the Detroit Red Wings and Detroit Tigers recognize one Game Changers honoree per week during select months throughout the year to receive a $1,000 grant dedicated to the charity of their choice.

The GPCC stands on four pillars: youth, education, economic development and communication. Jones has worked tirelessly to make sure that each pillar supports the organization’s invaluable resources for the community.

Jones has created opportunities for young people in Pontiac by using the Coalition’s resources. He said he considers the opportunities given to young people to be an investment in the future of the community.

“We formed a program called Youth in Government,” Jones said. “What we have done with a little over 4,000 kids that have gone through the program is that persons have become judges, superintendents of schools, deputy mayors, they've worked with the police department, and we had a great deal of success.”

Young people who choose an alternative career path are also given resources to receive an education to pursue their goals.

“We’re working with young adults in relation to what we call Workforce Development,” Jones said. “Not every kid wants to go to college, but what we've been able to do through that program is help them become machine operators, work in the manufacturing arena, help build housing.”

Jones knows that a young workforce needs a robust local economy so they can succeed right away. He and the GPCC have taken steps to secure investment in the City of Pontiac.

“We’ve been able to bring together banks, businesses and corporations to look at, ‘How do we improve the economic development within the city of Pontiac?’” Jones said. “We've forged partnerships, not only with the city, but with the county and with the state. The county has committed something like $56 million to the redevelopment of the community.”

These improvements that the GPCC and Jones have helped to create aren’t useful if the community doesn’t know about them. The GPCC’s final pillar, Communication, helps get the word out about the organization’s initiatives.

“Over the last five years, we've had five summits that dealt with economic development, education, financial literacy,” Jones said. “You have to get the word out to people to say that opportunity is available, to show them the opportunities within the schools, and so we maximize our communications outlets to bring these people in and to identify that help is available to them.”

Ilitch Sports + Entertainment is proud to recognize Jones as a Game Changers honoree during Black History Month. On February 8, prior to the Red Wings’ game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, all four Black History Month Game Changers honorees were invited to a banquet at Little Caesars Arena to celebrate their achievements.

“I felt really good about that,” Jones said. “We're not working in silos, but we're trying to pull together to address the issues. The camaraderie that existed was excellent.”