It is with pride and joy I present to you the next member of Team Do Good, the mighty Jeff Joaquin. I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate Jeff here via Tampa Bless and Team Do Good. His willingness to participate in this feature and to provide feedback is highly appreciated. And now, without further ado...
Name: Jeff Joaquin
Place of birth: New Bedford, Massachusetts
Currently reside: Lithia, Florida
Heritage: My mother is French-Canadian and my father is Portuguese.
Family: Married to my beautiful wife Sandy for 21 years and we have an angel of a daughter named Faith who is 17 years old.
Alma Mater: Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1991
Occupation: Owner of JMJ Site Development Inc - A site development contractor in Tampa
Activities you organized or participate in related to helping others and uplifting humanity? I realize this is an uncomfortable question to answer because it feels self-promotional, yet it's important to share so to inspire others:
JMJ Site Development is a construction company, yes, but it is really a ministry unto itself. We have been blessed to participate in philanthropic ministries from the Philippines to Guatemala to across the United States. Our goal is to give each year between 55% and 65% of net income to charity and this is an enormous blessing to our family.
Founding Member in 2009 of Suncoast Catholic Ministries which holds an annual Catholic Men’s Conference in Tampa which hosts the best Catholic speakers from around the world at Higgins Hall in Tampa. We will be hosting our 11th Conference on 2/13/2021 and we typically get between 750 and 1,000 attendees.
On the Board of Directors of Paradisus Dei which is a ministry that produces programs for the enrichment of the family. One of the programs, That Man Is You! (https://paradisusdei.org/that-man-is-you/), is currently in more than 700 parishes across the country.
The Tampa Bless 12
1) Favorite pastime or hobby? Why? Please explain.
I would like to tell you golfing but I would be lying... I would like to tell you playing poker but that also would be a pastime that wasted much of my time in the past that I no longer find entertaining. My favorite “pastime” at this point in my life is attending Mass on a daily basis. It is the pastime that keeps me balanced in a very unbalanced world.
2) Favorite sport, team, or player? If not into sports, your favorite musician or album? Or answer one of each if you’d like or any combo. Please explain why for any one or more of the questions you answered.
My favorite sport is football. Even though I find it unconscionable that some of the players kneel during the National Anthem, I still love the sport because it has taught me much about getting knocked down in life and getting back up on your feet.
3) Favorite movie? Why? Please explain.
The Passion of the Christ by Mel Gibson. In a world that has turned its back on God, it was a profoundly impactful movie that put into context the love that God has for his children and the extent to which He is willing to sacrifice for their eternal benefit. I know that Mel Gibson was exposed to much criticism for this movie, but his speaking Truth to power was something that I respect very much.
4) Favorite place (country, city, town, etc…) you have visited and why?
I went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 2008 and this trip changed my life immensely. Prior to that pilgrimage, I had lived my life for personal satisfaction and gratification… After this trip, I have come to realize that my life should be a gift to others and not myself… Being able to visit the physical locations where Jesus was born, lived, and was crucified was an amazing experience that has changed the Bible into a “pop-up” book instead of being a coffee table fixture.
5) Last meal? You could have anything, what is it? Why? Please explain.
Definitely the Fabulous Fillet at Charley’s Steakhouse… a 20 oz. fillet with a huge baked potato and caramel salted cheesecake would be my last meal for sure…
6) Three activities or routines you would highly recommend? Please explain your reasoning for each.
1. Prayer (by yourself and with your family) is the oxygen for our souls, it is what keeps my family and I on the narrow path despite the constant temptations to stray. My wife and I have prayed the Rosary every night for the last 10 years and I attribute this prayer to the constant strengthening of our marriage through the highs and lows of life.
2. I have been blessed to attend daily Mass since May of 2008. Even though I have a very busy daily schedule, my 12 noon meeting with God is something that is essential for my sustenance in this life...
3. Do something good today for SOMEONE ELSE… Whether it is a couple of dollars for the person on the street corner, or a kind word to the teller at the bank, or a large contribution to an organization in need… go out of your way to help someone else in need today… it could change their life.
7) A) Personality trait you highly value? Why? Please explain. B) The personality trait you highly dislike? Why? Please explain.
A. I value HUMILITY the most…
“Being humble is not thinking LESS of yourself, but thinking of YOURSELF less.” - Rick Warren
“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” - Harry S. Truman
Jesus assigned two attributes to Himself, “...for I am meek and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:28-30) - if it is good enough for Him, it should be good enough for me… I need to work on becoming more humble...
B. DISHONESTY - a good number of people these days avoid the Truth because it conflicts with their lifestyle… instead of changing their ways, they decide to change their version of the Truth... Truth cannot change because it is an individual, not an opinion…
8) Favorite thinker (author, philosopher, theologian, etc…)? Why? Please explain. And what is your favorite piece of advice, quote, or text from them or in general? Why? Please explain.
Albert Einstein - even though he was a humanist, he was certainly a genius… some of his quotes are as follows (the 3rd, although still a favorite quote and often attributed to him, may be misattributed):
“I want to know God’s thoughts - the rest are mere details.”
“Weak people seek revenge. Strong people forgive. Intelligent people ignore.”
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.”
9) Biggest influence in your life or a top one, and what was it about them that really stood out?
My earthly Father. He understood as a child what it was to go to bed hungry and became financially independent by the age of 60. Sacrificed almost everything so that his two children could get college degrees. Instilled the value of Sunday Mass and service to the Church in my brother and I. Instilled the importance of praying the Rosary with my wife every night. A great model of sacrifice and hard work, I could not have been more blessed…
10) If there is one thing you could change in the world, what would it be?
Without a doubt, to stop the senseless killing of unborn children in the name of “reproductive rights”... I know that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was not on the “Supreme” Court in the early 1970s when Roe v Wade was passed by the “Supreme” Court, but I would like to have been a fly on the wall when she met the SUPREME Judge…
11) Where did your desire to help others and uplift humanity come from? Please explain.
Very simply… During Mass inside the Holy Sepulchre (the tomb where Jesus was raised on Easter Sunday) in June of 2008 - in an instant, I understood fully the words of Matthew 25:40, "What you do for the least of My brothers, you do for Me."
12) What are you working on now and how can people get involved?
Hands of Healing - medical missions to the people of Guatemala Ilag Elementary School - Liloan, Southern Leyte, Philippines Foundations of Life and Guiding Star Pregnancy Centers Ministries to the Family - Paradisus Dei - Houston, Texas It is very important for me to end with a quote from the Bible (1 Corinthians 3:7): “Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth.”
GOD GETS ALL THE CREDIT, AND I GET NONE.
Thank you so much for your time Jeff and for all that you do. The place we live in is that much better because of you. I hope that this feature has served to inspire you, as well as successfully celebrate those that help others and uplift humanity.
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