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When Tammy Jones first moved to Columbia after graduating high school, she fell in love with Main Street and city living. Originally from the small town of Pomaria, near Newberry, she came to attend Columbia College—quickly learning she was a “country girl with an urban girl on the inside.”
After working in a local hospital, first as a human resources intern and then as a night receptionist for the emergency room, she joined the team at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (BCBS) in 1999. Five months into her time with the company, Tammy was 26 weeks pregnant with her son when she began feeling unwell one morning. Her husband and her mother encouraged her to stay home, but she thought she could power through.
“I went to work Friday morning, gave birth Friday evening,” Tammy said. “I was in labor all day and had no idea I was in labor.” Her son, who turned 25 this past fall, weighed less than three pounds at birth.
When she returned to work after months spent caring for her son, she quickly demonstrated her capacity to learn and excel—a trait she loves to amplify in others.
She experienced the first of two “aha moments” in her life while serving in a training role, realizing that she loved to teach others. Her second “aha moment” came years later, as she volunteered through Women in Philanthropy (WIP) to help teach a life skills course for the residents of Homeless No More. There, she understood once again how central teaching is to her personal fulfillment.
Created by United Way of the Midlands, WIP is a community of local women who donate, fundraise, and put in the work to help all women in the Midlands become more self-sufficient. They lend their support through charitable grants to pay for education, career training, automotive work, technology access, and other valuable resources.
Before learning about WIP, Tammy always associated philanthropy with extreme wealth. But when she saw how WIP provides for the community, she realized she had witnessed philanthropy all her life. Tammy said, “I saw my mom and her friends do this growing up… [If] toilet paper was on sale, they would buy it. Almost like in bulk—just because it was on sale. It was a good price. And Dale might need it, Laura might need it, or Carolyn might need it. And they would do that for each other, just to make sure their houses had what they needed. That’s philanthropy to me.”
With community-based philanthropy, social good doesn’t come down to just one person. It’s neighbors, friends, and family building each other up—just as Tammy’s mother always did, and just as Tammy does now.
Today, Tammy serves as the committee chair of WIP and the training and development manager for BlueChoice HealthPlan at BCBS—leading the city she has long-loved in philanthropy. Always excited to be in the redeveloped downtown, she still visits her old stomping grounds on Main Street, browsing Soda City Market on Saturday mornings and venturing into the city beyond.
