GREENSBORO, N.C. - U.S. Representative Mark Walker (R-N.C.) honored Katie Gerow Jones as the Sixth District Community Hero of the Month for August 2020.
Each month, Walker awards a constituent, business, or organization for displaying extraordinary acts of service and for making a difference in the lives around them.
“In the midst of her grief and pain, Katie thought of a very tangible way to honor her daughter, June, by supporting other women in similar circumstances," Walker said. "Her generosity and courage are an inspiration to us all."
Katie Jones is the founder of June's Bouquets, a nonprofit which provides bouquets of flowers for mothers who experience stillbirth. She is the mother of June Alice Jones, who was born still on August 23, 2018. When family and friends provided her with a bouquet of flowers to hold in her arms as she left the hospital, she was inspired to offer this to all women who experience a hospital stillbirth. Her nonprofit enables nurses to hand-deliver a beautiful bouquet with a note to a grieving mom before she leaves for home. The service is free for hospitals. June's Bouquets partners with Bouquet Boutique, owned by Leah Gillis, who has supported the mission from the beginning.
A nurse since 2012, Katie began her career in Neurosurgery and Neuro ICU at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and then transitioned to Cone Health Women's Hospital as a Labor and Delivery Nurse - which she discovered as her true passion - in 2015. According to Nursing Director Amy Skrinjar, "Katie is a remarkable individual who has used her own experience to impact others positively in our own community and beyond.
Katie Jones lives in Greensboro with her husband Scott, daughter Juliette May, and their goldendoodle Pearl. She is also the co-founder of the North Carolina Rowing Center in Greensboro along with her husband, utilizing rowing as a platform to create community and help people believe in themselves.