Sergeant First Class Luis Jimenez's mother taught him at an early age that volunteering just one hour of personal time goes a long way.
Jimenez grew up watching his mother volunteer annually in the kitchen at the Salvation Army. The small action stuck with Jimenez and in his adult life, he has turned it into something big.
To recognize Jimenez's volunteer efforts in his community of DuPont, he was recently presented with the Chamber of Commerce's 33rd annual John H. Anderson Military Citizen of the Year Award. The award recognizes an outstanding military citizen to commemorate the civic contributions by resident military personnel.
"You always hear about the community helping out the Soldiers, but you hardly hear about Soldiers volunteering to give it back," Jimenez said. "I like to give back to the community I serve."
The NCOIC of the 593rd Sustainment Brigade's supply and services section at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, has served in the military for 23 years. Jimenez and his Family moved onto JBLM when it was Fort Lewis in 2006. As soon as the Family moved off post, Jimenez became as involved as he could, including volunteering at the mayor's office and attending DuPont City Council meetings every other Tuesday. He soon became a member of the DuPont Lions Club, the Kiwanis Club of Steilacoom and the JBLM chapter of Knights of Columbus on post. Two to three hours every week he volunteers for one civic group or another.
Other motivations to serve in the community where he lives are his two teenagers in the Steilacoom School District. Jimenez was a 2011 candidate for the Steilacoom Historical School District School Board. While he did not win, it did not diminish his desire to make a difference in youth education.
"I'm not a teacher, but I want to volunteer more in the educational forum with kids," he said. "I would like to help them get grants for education."
Whether he was helping with hurricane relief at Fort Campbell, Ky., or volunteering within his unit while serving in Taegu, South Korea, and now assisting school boards, parks and recreation departments, Jimenez's selflessness has been recognized on a citywide level.
His volunteer time is time spent away from his Family, but his wife Sin Young Jimenez and his children support his efforts.
"They always encourage me and support me," he said.
A fan of politics, Jimenez plans to run for city council when his military career is done.
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