Diane Reader Jones at the Grand Canyon, sporting her Save the Mothers cap. “I wear it everywhere!” she says.
BY SAMREH OSBORNE ON JUN 14, 2016
Playing baseball every summer and volleyball every winter, Diane Reader Jones has a great love for all of her hobbies, but especially for volunteering with Save the Mothers. This dynamic woman has been involved with Save the Mothers for over a decade. “This fall I will be visiting Uganda for the first time,” says Diane.
Today, she serves the organization year round as chaplain and special advisor, and as logistics coordinator for the Steps to Deliver Change Walk in Dundas, Ontario. Last year with the help of a summer student, Diane created a beautiful Save the Mothers’ calendar.
Growing up as the only child of a single mom in Edmonton, Alberta, Diane was the first person to graduate from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computer Science. She was only 20. Shortly after, she started working for the IBM Lab in Toronto.
At 26, she married her husband Vic. Together they moved to Winnipeg so that Vic could study at the University of Manitoba while Diane worked there as a Senior Systems Analyst. Six years later, the couple moved to Burlington, Ontario and opened their first ComputerLand Store, which made Diane their first female franchisee. She and Vic have had several businesses since.
Diane never had the desire to have her own biological children, but at age 42, she found out she was pregnant. Looking forward to the arrival of her child, her joy didn’t last long; her baby was stillborn. She was devastated. “I had no love for obstetricians,” she says, explaining that she blamed them for losing her child.
Still grieving, Diane attended a Christians in the Workplace weekend, seeking a prayer partner. Ironically, her discussion group leader was obstetrician, Dr. Jean Chamberlain (who later founded Save the Mothers). They became prayer partners and good friends.
Diane was moved by the stories Dr. Jean told her about the conditions in Uganda. Having lost her own baby, the stories hit close to home.
Now semi-retired, Diane and her husband still reside in Burlington. They own PromoLand, a promotional products distribution company. They’re renovating their home to make room for their adopted (now adult) daughter, son-in-law and three grandkids to move in. She is on the Mission and Outreach Ministry Team at her Church, Knox Presbyterian, in Waterdown, Ontario.
“I lead our Knox Spirit Team,” says Diane, “which is our Church group that helps with community events and fund-raising. They make up most of my Logistics Team volunteers and were the top online fundraising team at the recent Save the Mothers’ Mother’s Day Weekend Walks.”
The pride in her voice is unmistakable. It’s clear that this well-rounded, energetic woman has taken a personal tragedy and turned it into a passion for making a difference in the lives of others.
The stories are very inspiring. Would love to join such so I can make a contribution to the community