Vanessa Marshall JonesVanessa( Marshall) Jones Author, Advocate, Playwright, Youth Motivational Speaker, Entertainer, Literacy Volunteer Tutor, ESL Instructor and Founder of Encourage Friends Club. Vanessa is a resident of Central Virginia. She is a self-published author nd member of the SCBWI: Mid Atlantic Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. She is an advocate against bullying and the creator of the Stop Bullying in its Tracks campaign. Her passion for this cause, which stems from personal experiences as well as the accounts of others, has inspired her to start the Encourage Friends Group. EFG teaches and encourages friendship building, self-esteem, empathy, service to humanity and awareness of the dangers of bullying. Mrs. Jones focuses on teaching kindness, respect and equality and is a big supporter of public libraries and the importance of reading. She is a member of the (FOL) Friends of the Public Library, a group which helps secure funding for library events and activities through various fundraising projects. After reaching out to become a Literacy Volunteer, she has now taught many English as a Second Language (ESL) students and low English proficiency students to speak, comprehend and read English, more proficiently. Vanessa believes that by providing activities focused on education, entertainment and the arts, such as Makerspace, music, reading and drama, etc. will open the door to communications about daily school life and childhood problems. By teaching youth acceptance of other's differences and how to become team players, it is her ultimate mission to help young people navigate their way to become responsible adults by staying focused and remaining mindful of their actions and their effect on the world around them. Her motto, having been a Cosmetologist in the beauty field, is We should work hard to be as beautiful on the inside as the outside... and the world would be a much better place. To learn more about the author: Visit her website at: https: //www.encouragefriends.com, email info@encouragefriends.com Or, visit her on facebook: https: //www.facebook.com/stopbullyinginitstracks Or, twitter: @encouragefriend Read More Read Less