Helping Others and Celebrating Diversity — Commitment to Volunteerism
“Volunteerism gives me purpose. I enjoy making a difference. It’s something we can do as a family together. We learn so much when we are willing to open our hearts and minds,” smiles Jennifer.
Meet Jennifer Majors Baca, longtime resident of The Woodlands, who is CEO of JMB Insurance Solutions. She is the recent recipient of the distinguished “Volunteer of the Year” and “Diplomat of the Year” awards by The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce where she serves as Team Leader for the Networking Breakfast and is the Co-Team Leader for the Community Relations Team.
This 50-year old altruistic force of nature also serves as the Auction Chair for The American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” Luncheon, the Auction Chair for The Pangea Network’s Annual Gala, is a Leadership Committee Member for Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Man and Woman of the Year” campaign and helps many other non-profits and charity groups.
This year JMB Insurance Solutions was the proud sponsor of Glade Arts Foundation’s “The Enchanted Forest”, The Woodlands Pride Festival and created and produced The Woodlands’ first “Celebration of Diversity” party held at Madera Estates in Conroe. Jennifer is also a co-founder of The Woodlands Coalition for Equality, a nonpartisan political group focused on equal rights.
Jennifer grew up in The Woodlands, lives in the Village of Panther Creek (serving on its Association Board) and is married to Bryon Baca. The two met in 1983 while she was working at the local Dairy Queen while attending McCullough High School (yes, in the 1980s McCullough was the high school!).
”I guess I must have really scared Bryon, because he didn’t have the courage to ask me out until after high school; we married in 2000, and 2 beautiful boys later—the rest is history!” laughs Jennifer.
Jennifer has always been a “people person”. As a young child, she always felt a strong desire to help others—whether it was sticking up for the underdogs and/or pointing out injustices and righting the wrongs wherever she could and volunteering to help wherever it was needed. In her adult life, she wanted to continue to help others, but she was raising a family and building her business so there was little bandwidth left for volunteering. This changed, however, in 2016 when Jennifer’sdear friend Adria Alexander Keeney told her about 8-year-old Woodlands resident Ellie Fetner’s cancer diagnosis. Jennifer’s heart was moved to help.
She learned a charity called Sunshine Spaces was coming to Ellie’s house to makeover her room— “to give a boost of strength” to this young cancer patient’s home life. Jennifer and Bryon volunteered with Adria to help the Sunshine Spaces team help Ellie. The feeling Jennifer received from volunteering for this project opened up a channel of volunteerism that is now part of her everyday life. She said she “found the time” and committed to doing more for others again (with Bryon and the kids now in tow).
“Volunteerism gives me purpose. I enjoy making a difference. It’s something we can do as a family together. We learn so much when we are willing to open our hearts and minds,” smiles Jennifer.
Jennifer is inspired by people who give others a chance. Recently, she shared an article on Facebook about a young man with Down Syndrome who retired from his 32-year career with McDonalds at the age of 50. At first blush Jennifer explains the post naturally celebrates the extraordinary man’s career and his abilities, but she also shared the post to celebrate the person who hired the young man—the person who took a chance on a young man with Down Syndrome 32 years ago when no one was doing this—and no one knew what this man was or was not capable of.
“I am inspired by those willing to stand up for what is right even if it hurts them, whether in business or in their personal relationships. I am inspired by different cultures and different faiths,” explains Jennifer.
In December of 2018, JMB Insurance Solutions hosted “A Celebration of Diversity”, an international pot luck dinner that is already earmarked to be an annual community event. International traditions such as an Islamic call to prayer, Jewish holiday music and dances from India, Pakistan, Israel, Columbia and Nigeria and the United States were performed and enjoyed. Over 175 people brought foods from their birth countries and ate, sang and danced together.
“Because of the myriad oil and gas industries based here, families from across the globe come to live and work in our community, and, as a result, we are all exposed to many different cultures. We are all so lucky,” says Jennifer.
The Woodlander salutes Jennifer Majors Baca for her incredible year of helping others and celebrating diversity in The Woodlands.