Meet Jennifer Jones of Lenexa

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Jones

Hi Jennifer, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born and raised in a remote countryside in the Philippines. My family used to live in a small house (with no electricity and running water) made of wood and bamboo built by my grandparents. When I was in 5th grade, my sister and I got sick, and since we didn’t have access to transportation and hospital, my father climbed a “Santol” tree to pick a fruit to cure us which cause him to fall for his death. As the oldest of five, I helped my mother in raising my younger siblings by working in the farm.

Along the way, I experienced abuse and lost my mother to cancer. Despite all the challenges I faced, I graduated college in the Philippines (a feat that my grandparents and parents never attained) and achieved my “American Dreams.” Today, I am currently married to my husband of 14 years, and I’m a full-time mail carrier for almost 10 years (since November 2015) at the United States Postal Service in Kansas.

In 2023, I registered my own nonprofit organization “Together We Heal, Inc.,” and I published a journal “100 Days of Healing: Ease Your Pain, Use A Pen” and children’s book “Dream Big Little One” to help women and children heal from trauma to recovery worldwide. Both journal and children’s book are available through Amazon where links provided at the website www.jenniferljones.org.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Growing up in poverty in the Philippines, I lost both of my parents due to lack of financial resources, and I experienced sexual abuse as a child. Despite all the challenges I faced, my trauma did not define me as a person, but I used it as leverage and voice to heal myself, move forward, and inspire others that healing is possible and achieving our dreams that is why I created my own nonprofit organization “Together We Heal, Inc.” and published my two books: “100 Days of Healing” journal and “Dream Big Little One” children’s book.

My struggles with low self-esteem and social anxiety also highlight the importance of mental health and seeking professional help when needed. Through my journal “100 Days of Healing” and nonprofit organization “Together We Heal, Inc.,” I am working to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health and provide support/ resources to those who may not have access to it otherwise.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
“Heal yourself, heal others.” I always believe that in order for us to help others in their healing journey, we need to heal ourselves first and foremost. Despite facing numerous challenges and traumas in my life, I not only found a way to heal, but I also aim to help others who are going through similar experiences. I transformed my struggles into a mission to assist others.

My advocacy of helping women and children heal from all kinds of traumas was realized and established when I joined my first beauty pageant as Mrs. Kansas to the Petite USA national stage in 2023. I also represented Johnson County to the Miss Kansas USA stage as Miss USA/ Miss Universe organization lifted their age and marital restrictions in 2024. Beauty pageant is not all about glitz and glamour; it is a medium where women and girls spread awareness to the causes they care and advocate about.

In 2022 (a year before I joined beauty pageants), I started modeling in my free time as I found it exciting to walk on the runway, wear designer clothes and be on the cover of magazines. My passion for modeling and fashion is another example of how I had found ways to express myself and overcome my fears. As a shy person dealing with stage fright and social anxiety, I found that by putting myself in front of audiences and walking the runway, I have been able to build confidence and pursue my dreams. I experienced walking the runway during New York Fashion Week (NYFW) in September 2022. I attended a four-day Coco Rocha Model Camp (CRMC) on February 2023 in New York. I walked several local fashion shows in Kansas City (Kansas/ Missouri), Omaha, Nebraska, and St. Louis, Missouri.

My journey from poverty and abuse to becoming a mail carrier, model, advocate, beauty queen, and founder of a nonprofit organization is an inspiring example of what can be achieved through hard work, and determination. Above all, I never lose faith, hold onto hope, and trust in GOD always.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
I am happy in the presence of my family and friends. I aim to continue and bring my advocacy worldwide of helping to create a community where everyone has the opportunity to heal, grow, and thrive. So far, I partnered with other nonprofit organizations in the Philippines, Kenya, Iraq, and Uganda in providing resources such as trauma-informed yoga, counseling, educational materials, and food. I donated my two published books “100 Days of Healing” and “Dream Big Little One” to children who had suffered trauma. I also distributed a few copies of my published books to nonprofit organizations I volunteered here in Kansas City.

Healing is a process, and it takes time. Let’s work together and help one another so “real healing” will take place. Sharing our burdens with people who care is a crucial part of the healing process, hence the title “Together We Heal.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jenniferljones.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/togetherwehealinc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/togetherwehealinc
• Other: https://a.co/d/g2L90IO