By Kyle Presley
Managing Editor, Chatsworth Times

Murray County Family Connection now has a new leader in longtime social worker Danielle Jones, who has taken the reins at the organization following the retirement of Pam Bishop. According to Jones, the new job is a natural fit.

“It just made sense,” Jones told the Times. “As a social worker in this community, I was already doing those things anyway.”

Jones hosted her first Murray County Collaborative meeting Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the Murray County Enrollment Center, 1006 Green Rd., Chatsworth. The collaborative brings together agencies and organizations that provide resources to children and families and is a central part of Family Connection’s work. Jones officially began as coordinator July 1.

“It’s going great,” Jones said. “It’s been pretty quiet so far, but we’re just now getting ramped up with school starting back. In September things will get really hectic.”

Although Jones is new to the coordinator’s position, she is far from new to Family Connection. Jones, a Murray County native and longtime school social worker, served on the Family Connection board for about 13 years and spent the past five years as the board’s secretary. “I have been very involved, so it’s not like I’m not familiar with how everything works,” Jones said.

That familiarity has helped make the transition relatively seamless, she said. Her work with Family Connection also closely mirrors what she has spent much of her career doing – connecting children and families with the services they need. “It’s kind of bringing together families and children and resources to make sure that they have everything that they need,” Jones said.

Jones has about 27 years of service with the state of Georgia, she said. She began her social work career around 2000 with Whitfield County Juvenile Court, where she served as CASA director. She later joined the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice and spent 10 years supervising probation officers. Twelve years ago, Jones joined Murray County Schools as a school social worker.

She said Family Connection was a natural extension of that work and intends to continue with Family Connection after eventually retiring from the school system.

Jones succeeds Bishop, who retired at the end of June after 14 years as coordinator. Bishop’s retirement capped a 50-year career serving Murray County children and families, including 35 years with Murray County Schools.

Under Bishop, Family Connection developed into a community resource hub connecting residents with organizations that can provide assistance with needs ranging from food and utilities to housing and disaster recovery.

Jones said she does not anticipate making major changes to the organization. “Every year things change, and change is inevitable,” Jones said. “But I don’t think that I will change things up a lot.” Instead, she expects to make adjustments as community needs arise and to become involved with some organizations and causes that particularly fit her interests, just as Bishop did during her tenure. “I just want to do what’s best for the families and the children in our community,” Jones said.

Jones said she is looking forward to building on the work already underway at Family Connection. “I’m just excited and looking forward to it and hope that I can be an asset to the community,” she said.

Read the story on daily-tribune.com. 

Murray County Family Connection is a member of the Georgia Family Connection statewide network, working alongside children, families, and communities across the state to craft local solutions that maximize resources and make systems more effective and efficient.

To learn more about Murray County Family Connection’s efforts, visit murray.gafcp.org or contact Jones at danielle.jones@murray.k12.ga.us.