Robert B. Jones ~ Founder

Robert (Bob) Jones was contacted by his local dentist, Dr. (Doc) Angelini, who was a friend and neighbor with Bob and Marjie Jones in Caledonia, NY. Doc, familiar with Bob and Marjie's generosity, asked if they would like to assist a family with three girls who were in dire need of dental attention. Bob agreed, with one condition, he did not want to know who the family was. This was the first step on a path of quietly helping families in need in his local community. Bob reached out to Merl Galusha, pastor of Stone Presbyterian Church. Together the two men established a close relationship as they reached out to families in need. Bob wanted to help more... Merl contacted Laura Canne who was then working with the Livingston County Coalition of Churches in a similar role. Soon Bob requested the trio, along with daughter, Elizabeth (Betsy) Sherwood, form a formal charity with the mission of serving children who were slipping through the cracks of traditional help services. In 1993 Focus on the Children was established as a 501(c)3 serving children in Livingston County. Shortly after the agency's organization, Bob was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away in September of that same year. Merl, Laura, and Betsy continued Bob's work and the agency is still operating under the same mission set forth by Bob in those early days.