Frequently Asked Questions

The Jones Project is a speaking engagement organization dedicated to using the power of storytelling to spread a message of hope and healing to Kansas secondary students.

Our speaking calendar fills up quickly. We recommend sending 3-4 preferred dates directly to Coach Parker, and he will block off the first available date for your school or organization.

The presentation time is not important at this time; what’s most important is getting your school on the calendar before all dates are filled!

Once a date is confirmed, you will receive an email containing all the necessary information as well as the information Coach Parker will need from you to create a custom presentation for your students.

Absolutely!

Get a 30,000-foot view of who we are and what we do HERE.

Check out a recap of our first year HERE.

Both files are open access, so feel free to link or attach to newsletters, emails or other communication that goes out to your parents.

Additionally, there will be other resources and a press release that will be sent with your speaker agreement once a date is finalized.

No Kansas school is too large, too small or too far away. If your school is within the borders of Kansas, we would love to visit your kids.

Except in unique circumstances, we cannot visit out-of-state schools at this time due to the incredibly high volume of requests.

From the time Coach Parker picks up the microphone until the time he puts it down, it is right at 59 minutes.

Don’t forget to account for transition time into the auditorium (typically takes a little longer than host sites anticipate).

While the talk does cover some mature topics, it is appropriate for all 9^th through 12^th grade students.

With that said, all schools are different. If your middle school students have done some significant SEL work, they’re ready for it. However, if they haven’t had any meaningful conversations at school about mental health and suicide, it’s probably best to not have them attend or to do an introductory talk beforehand.

If your middle school students are just beginning their SEL journey, we have a separate introductory talk for younger students when necessary.

We do not recommend this talk for groups younger than 6^th grade.

We’re happy to arrange split presentations and/or make as many return trips as necessary to ensure that each student gets the opportunity to attend the session.

When facilities permit, we would always prefer an auditorium over a gym, even if that means making multiple trips.

YES! Teachers are going through a lot right now and will benefit as much from the content as their students.

Absolutely! We love it when parents attend, as it is a wonderful way to ignite some meaningful dinner table conversations. We have done several multi-school events as well. Feel free to publicize the talk and make it a community-wide event.

We are a true nonprofit in every sense of the word. We are fortunate to have a very generous base of school and private donors, which allows us to provide our programming at no cost.

However, as a 501(c)3 charity traveling to provide charitable services, we must charge the standard IRS mileage rate of $0.655/mile. We are required to do this to maintain our tax-exempt status.

You can calculate this final number easily through Google Maps: It’s a round trip from our home base (Auburn, Kansas) to your school, multiplied by the standard IRS mileage rate of $0.655/mile.

We have ways of getting creative. We handle these situations on a case-by-case basis. Reach out, and we will find a way to make it work!

Since all school communities are different, we currently do not have an opt-out form. We firmly believe that every student in Kansas can benefit from our programming, but we will certainly respect the school’s decision if they choose to send home an opt-out form.

Yes. While never expected, donations are always accepted and greatly appreciated.

For additional queries, please contact Mary at Wing.MaryNinal@gmail.com or Coach Parker at Damon@TheJonesProject.org. We’re here to help!