JOHN WESLEY GRIMES 2005 Jefferson Award Recipient

For years John Wesley Grimes has helped to better the lives of those he comes into contact through the mental health profession, the Court Appointed Special Advocate program, children’s ministry and numerous other ways.

As a service coordinator at Family Works Therapy, one of his co-workers said that “he is a blessing to the people he touches.”

Another co-worker said that she trained John “but to be honest John has taught me more than I could ever teach him.”

He gives 110 percent to his job. John spends much of his time away from the office helping emotionally disturbed or underprivileged folks.

He volunteers for Area 5 Special Olympics, takes disadvantaged kids to movies, dinner, the park, Western ball games and church-sponsored activities. He buys and delivers holiday meals for impoverished families and asks his family members to give him money for the needy in lieu of Christmas gifts for him. He not only buys his clients gifts, but also buys their siblings something so they would not feel left out.

Though not a member at Oakland Baptist Church, he keeps an autistic child there twice a week while the child’s mother attends the services. He takes off work, unpaid, to take a mother and her disabled child to the doctor in Louisville because they have no transportation.

In short, those who know John say they are blessed just knowing this unique and very special human being.