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Now Jones, 61, has a secret of her own to reveal, she tells PEOPLE. Beginning Thursday, she will accept applications on her new Web site, jennysheroes.com.
And what will members of the public apply for? Cash – $25,000 each, to be exact – to help finance good deeds in 2008.
"When my show started, we didn’t even have computers," says Jones, who'll give away a grand total of $1 million dollars. Now she is handling all aspects of the philanthropic process online, from the applications to the announcement of winners, to charting the recipients' progress.
Jones says her selection gauge is simple: "It has to help a number of people – you obviously can't keep any money for yourself – and it has to have a long-lasting benefit, like building playgrounds or providing computers."
She adds: "I can't wait to see how much good this money is going to do."
Just don't expect to see Jones back in the TV talk game anytime soon, despite numerous offers. "It's a lot of work and, honestly, I don't think I want to be in pantyhose and makeup everyday," says Jones. "This I can do from home."
