2025 Remarkable Women Nominee: Meet Yugonda Sample Jones
'I've been there, and I am the people that I serve,' she said. 'I can't just walk by and know that I might know or have an answer to connect someone to an opportunity or a resource.'
As the founder and CEO of Empower All, Jones has helped transform many lives in underserved communities by breaking institutional hurdles, even assisting more than 300 families find stable housing. But Jones identifies with those she pours into beyond anyone's understanding.
'I remember I was pregnant and I had my oldest daughter at the time,' said Jones. 'She was nine-years-old and I was pregnant with my son and I was homeless. I was a young mother still trying to figure it out. And it really shook me and what my family instilled in me, my life experience is to have the wherewithal to be aware, to be able to ask questions, to get to where I needed to be.'
No stranger to opposition, Jones is also a domestic violence survivor, and said every issue she helps someone overcome is something adjacent to her heart.
'I want to make sure that I empower young women that were my age,' Jones said. 'Not just young ladies, but anyone that is experiencing domestic violence.'
Those trying times guided her to lead dozens to find a way forward. She's even ushered nearly 70 people into entrepreneurship through launching businesses with the help of the State Corporation Commission.
'It's important for us to understand that it doesn't take a lot,' she said. 'You just have to want to do it. And a lot of times, we have the skills of our hands or the talents to be able to turn it to a business. We just may not have the confidence.'
From Community Resource Walks where she and devoted volunteers meet the needs of the people at their front doorsteps, to the Royals Initiative, where she mentors young women, to partnerships with community gardens where she addresses food insecurity, Jones' activism is evident and compelling. And nothing is worth more than helping a community blossom where her roots are.
'I'm first-generation Newport News, so my family roots are in the Eastern Shore of fishing, and that's a rural area with little opportunity,' said Jones. 'Newport News is embedded in me.'
Adding to the hats of CEO, philanthropist and local leader, Jones also currently heads as chairwoman of the Citizens Advocacy Committee for the Choice Neighborhood Initiative and has contributed to the Bloomberg-Harvard Leadership Initiative and the Newport News Human Rights Commission.
Those who know her work say, if there's one thing about Jones, her community's needs are at the forefront of her mind.
'I was able to grow into who I am as a woman and be bold enough to share my story, which encourages other people to share their story,' Jones said.
And that's what makes her remarkable.
The 2025 Remarkable Women winner will be announced on the Hampton Roads Show April 1.She will receive a $1,000 donation to the charity of her choice and a free trip to Los Angeles. The winner will also be in the running to be named as Nexstar Media Group's Woman of the Year and be awarded $25,000 to a non-profit she selects.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Teen Wants to Keep Late Dad's Last Name After Mom's New Marriage, but She Says It Sends the Wrong Message
A teen wants to keep his late father's name, but his mom and stepdad say his refusal to adopt their hyphenated last name is hurtful NEED TO KNOW A 16-year-old refuses to adopt his blended family's hyphenated last name His mom and stepdad believe his choice shows rejection toward their family The teen, however, says he wants to honor his late father by keeping the original name A teenager turns to the Reddit community for advice following ongoing tension in his blended family over his last name. The 16-year-old, who shares his story on the popular platform, reveals that he's the only member of his household who doesn't use the family's hyphenated name — and he doesn't plan to start anytime soon. 'My mom has asked me about 5 times since she remarried to change my last name but I still say no," he writes, noting that he only uses his dad's last name, "Doe," rather than the new one combining the two households, "Jones-Smith." His resistance to adopting the hyphenated name has caused strain with his mother and stepfather, especially since everyone else in the house — including his half and stepsiblings — embraces the combined identity. Giving more context, the teen noted that his parents split when he was a toddler and his dad died when he was 7. His mom remarried when he was 11, bringing her new husband and his three kids into the picture, who mostly stay with them rather than their biological mother. The last name issue came to a head shortly after the marriage, when his mom chose to keep her surname to match her younger children. 'Instead they hyphenated both and some of the kids changed theirs too,' he writes. 'The others didn't but they use the family name anyway.' While the poster didn't want to change their last name, they offered to make the hyphenated option their "middle name," but their mom still wasn't satisfied. 'She said she didn't like me being the only person not connected in and rejecting the family name,' he writes. 'She told me that she knows I don't really like her husband… but he's a good guy and a better dad than my half siblings dads.' The teen, however, stands firm in honoring the name he shares with his late father. 'I told her I was good and I wanted to keep using my name,' he writes, noting that his father was also a good man and was in his life "until he died.' Things escalated during a family outing when they attended a workshop and were asked to create "family crests." He made one for his last name while everyone else did one for the hyphenated name. His stepfather told him that he "should've done one" for the family name, too, because "it was a family experience." When his mom asked if he "wanted to go back and do another one," he declined. That night, tensions boiled over. His mother and her husband confronted him again about his choice to stick with his dad's last name. 'They told me I don't need to be so rigid about the name and that never using it just makes it look like I hate all of them,' he shares. According to the teen, things got more intense when his mother reminded him she could have legally changed his name without his input. 'Mom told me she could have changed my name without my permission but she tried to work with me and I spat in her face right back,' he says. 'I told her I could just change it back eventually if she had done that.' That response didn't sit well with them. 'They looked upset that I said it but it's true,' he continues, noting that they insisted his choosing the other last name was a "bad" thing. Regardless, many commenters sided with the teen, pointing out that it's his name and his choice. One Redditor wrote, 'NTA, it's your name, apart from the legacy of your father who you've loved and who has loved you from your words, it's also a huge hassle to change the name on all official documents and stuff like that.' The original poster adds that he's also heard how legally "risky" name changes can be in general. 'I've also heard it's really risky now to change your name multiple times,' he writes. 'And I would always change it back eventually if mom had mine changed against my wishes.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. He finishes his post by standing his ground and questioning the emotional weight others have placed on a name he never wanted. 'I'm not sure what it is that makes it such a risk/pain,' he says. 'But I see people talking about it and warning women getting married to keep their own names because of legal issues with changing them.' With his family pushing for unity through a shared name, the teen turns to Reddit simply asking: 'AITA for never using the family last name and only using mine.' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Villagers face 'bureaucracy' in fight against sea
Residents of a coastal village say they are willing to pay for defences to protect their homes from the sea but are being thwarted by bureaucracy and delay. One home in Thorpeness, Suffolk, was demolished in 2022 after it was left perilously close to the cliff edge, and villagers fear two more could be lost this winter. Maureen Jones, chair of Aldringham-cum-Thorpe Parish Council, said residents were willing to invest money in defending their homes but had been met with challenges. East Suffolk Council told the BBC that getting the necessary permission for such defences took time. Defences, including rocks, gabions and geobags, have been installed to manage the effects of coastal erosion, but last year up to 23ft (7m) of coast was lost to the sea. Some residents want to install more defences "Residents in Thorpeness are prepared to put in money and they have put in for planning but unfortunately at the moment they are coming up against a brick wall because there's about 10 agencies concerned in getting planning through," said Jones. Sophie Marple, who bought her home in Thorpeness about 20 years ago, describes it as her "happy place". In 2010, after the area was hit with a "big surge" and more defences were installed, she decided to invest and rebuild the property. "It gave us a feeling of security. There was a thought if they maintained, we would have a life of at least 25 years," she said. However, over the past winter there have been "constant" northerly winds which have stripped back shingle on the beach and left defences exposed. She said she had received a warning from East Suffolk Council that once the erosion reached a certain point, she would be told to demolish her home. "We are going to fight to do something. One of the things this does do is bring the people together who are most affected," she said. Lucy Ansbro has already spent £450,000 on rock defences to protect her home. She and others have applied for permission to install more, but have been told this would require a full environmental impact assessment, which could take months. The council has launched a survey, asking villagers what they think should be done. It said the latest erosion had outpaced plans to install more rocks and it was doing all it could to support homeowners. Mark Packard, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for planning and coastal management, said: "It does take time and you have to have specialists doing that. "That's going to slow things up tremendously, and then you have to get all these permissions from Natural England, from the Environment Agency, from the Crown Estates - all sorts of people - and they take their time." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More on this story Push to protect village from erosion threat begins Plans made to defend cliffs with more rocks Erosion fears affecting mental health - residents Coastal dwellers may pay more towards defences Related internet links Aldringham-cum-Thorpe Parish Council East Suffolk Council
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Yahoo
Virginia Beach farming accident leaves patient on advanced life support
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) – A farming accident in Virginia Beach has one person on advanced life support, according to the Virginia Beach Fire Department. Crews say the incident happened around 11:10 a.m. in the 3100 block of Land of Promise Road. The accident is reported to have involved farm equipment, but no details on the type of equipment has been provided. The patient was transported via Nightingale, also known as a flying intensive care unit. No additional details have been provided at this time. WAVY 10 will update this article when more information becomes available. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
