Roger, Gloria Jones establish endowment for chldren's center bearing their name

YOUNGSTOWN

The usual tradition for a birthday is to receive gifts, but Roger Jones decided for his 88th birthday, he’d give a $1 million gift, with his wife Gloria, to the OH WOW! Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science and Technology.

“We feel it’s absolutely necessary to protect the future of the children’s center,” he said to the crowd Thursday afternoon at the center.

It has served as a hub for children aspiring to learn more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics and provided educational entertainment to more than 215,000 visitors since it first opened in 2011. The couple has given many gifts to make sure the center could achieve success.

With the new gift, the center will also establish an endowment fund to allow children and families to learn, play and enjoy the center for the next century.

“I guess that the success of OH WOW! and what it offers this community in terms of making learning fun has made us feel like we could not have made a better use of our money,” Gloria Jones said.

Read more about the gift in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.