The Westlake Couple Will be Honored at an Event on April 21, 2012
Austin, Texas– Austin lobbyist Buddy Jones and his wife Ginny will be honored by the National Dating Abuse Helpline with the 2nd Annual LifeStyle Award for their outstanding service to the community. The award exemplifies an individual or couple who, through an outward reflection of their heart and soul, demonstrates a commitment to inspiring healthy and positive relationships through strength of character, inspirational leadership and service to others.
The Westlake couple have volunteered their time and raised money for dozens of charitable causes in Austin including the National Dating Abuse Helpline. Their philanthropy spans the course of their 27-year marriage and encompasses a variety of different organizations from various walks of life—political, religious, educational, artistic, service-based and fundraising-based.
Buddy and Ginny say their marriage has been built upon the understanding that “To Whom Much is Given, Much is Expected,” and they have strived to raise their children to live alongside this principle as well.
“Our Christian faith takes the forefront in our heart for charity and we believe that any act of help, be it donating time, efforts or money, can be used to glorify God, “ said Buddy and Ginny Jones. “We have a special passion about helping children. Children are the center of our lives and we are honored to receive this award because we believe the National Dating Abuse Helpline is helping save the lives of our children and is helping guide them on issues of dating abuse and healthy relationships.”
Buddy and Ginny have a deep love for children and politics. They met at the State Capitol of Texas where they both were working and were married shortly after in 1985. Ginny worked for Governor Mark White and Buddy worked for Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis.
They are parents to six children, four girls and two boys. Their first-born son died in a tragic accident when he was only two years old. In the vast majority of cases, a child’s death leads to divorce, but Buddy and Ginny’s faith in God helped them through the worst time in their life and helped guide them through nearly 3 decades of marriage.
“We lost a child when he was almost 3 and speaking of relationships our faith is what held us together when Trey died and at the same time it is what made me pay attention to the importance of being a good parent and a good soul mate for Buddy. When we were both on our knees looking up to the only being that could possibly help us was God and watching them grow and seeing how precious their lives are and at any minute you can lose one, so whether it’s my child or somebody else’s that’s really important to me,” said Ginny.
Buddy was born in Fort Worth in 1950. The son of a Baptist Minister, he grew up in several cities throughout Texas, but spent most of his adolescent years in Dallas. After high school, Buddy attended Baylor University and went on to pursue his J.D. at Baylor University Law School in Waco. He served as District Attorney in Hill County, Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House and as a State Representative in the Texas Legislature. Buddy then shifted his focus to lobbying, eventually opening up his own lobbying firm, Hillco Partners, in 1998. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Regents at Baylor University.
Ginny was born in Little Rock, Arkansas and grew up in Dallas. A graduate of R.L. Turner High School, Ginny went to Southwest Texas University (now Texas State University) to pursue a degree in Dance Education. After serving as a high school drill team director, Ginny took a position as an Administrative Assistant in the newly elected Governor Mark White’s office in 1983.
Their list of involvement and support includes, but is not limited to the following organizations, charities and causes:
Baylor University, The National Dating Abuse Helpline, Knights of the Symphony, Kanakuk Kamps, Hospice Austin, Settlement Home, Austin Humane Society, Hyde Park Baptist Church, Dell Children’s Hospital, Helping Hand Home for Children, Ronald McDonald House, Admirals Club, Austin Lawyers Auxiliary, Eanes ISD, Jr. Austin Women’s Club, Jr. League of Austin, Headliners Club, Austin Women’s Symphony League, Lake Hills Church, Spanish Oaks Golf Club, Chi Omega Alumni Association, Austin Assembly, Texas State University, The Austin Club, Kids Across America, PromiseLand West Church, Austin Country Club, St. David’s Hospital, The Center for Child Protection, Austin Musical Theater, The Jr. League of Austin, The Long Center, West Austin Youth Association, Westlake Hills Little League, Beyond Batten Disease Foundation, Safe Place, Settlement Home, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and various political campaigns.
“A Day to Shine” will be hosted at the Four Seasons. A dinner and fashion show starring Westlake students will be held from 7 p.m. — 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 21 to benefit the National Dating Abuse Helpline. Tables and individual tickets are still available for the event. For more information call Kristen Delong at 512-794-1133 or email at rsvp@tcfv.org
About the Helpline
loveisrespect.org, The National Dating Abuse Helpline was launched in February 2007 with help from founding sponsor, Liz Clairborne Inc. For five years, the National Dating Abuse Helpline has operated the only peer-to-peer online chat service and 24/7-call center in the country. It is a national 24-hour resource that can be accessed by phone or the internet, specifically designed for teens and young adults. The Helpline and loveisrespect.org offer real-time one-on-one support from trained Peer Advocates. Managed by the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH), loveisrespect, National Dating Abuse Helpline operates from a call center in Austin, Texas. Peer Advocates are trained to offer support, information and advocacy to those involved in dating abuse relationships as well as concerned parents, teachers, clergy, law enforcement, and service providers.