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The Schuylkill United Way's annual Day of Caring has been renamed to honor a man who put his service to his community and country above all else: Capt. Jason B. Jones.

The event will now be called the Capt. Jason B. Jones Memorial Day of Caring and will be held May 8. A formal welcome and dedication ceremony will start at 8:30 a.m. at the Salvation Army, 400 Sanderson St., Pottsville. Volunteer projects will then begin throughout the county.

Schuylkill United Way's Day of Caring matches volunteers to service projects at the organization's 15 partner agencies that facilitate health and human services for free or at little cost to the residents of Schuylkill County. The volunteers spend hours at the nonprofit sites, working on both indoor and outdoor projects. Projects vary from gardening to kitchen installations, depending on volunteer interest and skill sets. In 2014, the sixth annual event had nearly 200 volunteers taking part in 21 service projects across the county.

The SUW board of directors unanimously voted on the name change at a meeting earlier this month.

The Jones family has supported the SUW unwaveringly for decades and has even championed the community fundraising organization as the "United Fund" before it became known as the "Schuylkill United Way" in 1971, according to a press release Tuesday

"We wanted the blessing of the Jones family, and we wanted this to be a local volunteer event to honor Jason through community involvement," Kelly Malone, SUW executive director, said. "The Day of Caring is very simply about lending a hand. We know from Jason's legacy that a beautiful life can be built through consistent acts of kindness. We welcome all who wish to give back through the Capt. Jason B. Jones Memorial Day of Caring."

A 2003 graduate of Blue Mountain High School, Jones earned a degree in nuclear engineering at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He then chose to branch into the Infantry Division with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. His first deployment was to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he served as a Platoon Leader for 2nd Battalion of Charlie Company Parachute Infantry Regiment.

After completing a year deployment, he returned to Fort Bragg, where he served as company executive officer and battalion air operations officer. In 2011, Jones completed the Special Forces Qualification Course in May 2013 and was assigned as team leader of a 12-man team in 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group.

Jones married Amy Weniger at West Point on June 15, 2013, and deployed to Afghanistan in April 2014 as the commander of a 12-man Special Forces A-Team with the Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets.

Jones, 29, died in Afghanistan on June 2, 2014. In addition to his wife, Jones is survived by his parents, Joseph H. Jones Jr. and Suzanne Jones, Orwigsburg; and a sister, Elizabeth Jones, Philadelphia.

Jones' awards and decorations include Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal and National Defense Service Medal. He was also awarded the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with one campaign star, Iraq Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, NATO Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Parachutist Badge, Ranger Tab, Expert Infantry Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge and the Special Forces Tab.

Gold Star Mothers and families who have lost sons and daughters in war will also be remembered during the May 8 ceremony. Those interested in volunteering or attending the formal welcome are asked to call Michelle Halabura at 570-622-6421 in order to be recognized during the ceremony.

All single volunteers and teams are asked to be registered for the seventh annual Day of Caring by April 17. Project start times and length of time on site are negotiable depending on volunteer preferences.

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