Meet our New Asst. Construction Director - Jake Wiig
We are excited to announce the newest member of our full time staff team: Jake Wiig. Jake is originally from rural Nebraska but from there found his way to the University of Missouri (MIZ…) on a wheelchair basketball scholarship. He graduated in 2013 with a degree in sociology and religious studies. Shortly after graduation Jake married his wonderful wife, Amanda, and together they moved to Memphis where Jake was an SOS Academy Intern in the class of 2014. For his Academy year, he spent most of his time working at the Urban Farm in Binghampton. He also served as our Lead Construction Manager for SOS114 in Orange Mound in the summer of 2014 and started on full time staff in August, 2014. Jake and Amanda recently moved into a Binghampton home and love being residents of the inner city neighborhood that has been home to SOS for years. In his free time, Jake enjoys making things with his hands, cooking (all local of course!), and playing wheelchair basketball.
Jake will be serving as one of our Assistant Construction Directors. He will help oversee construction leadership during all of our home repair camps as well as oversee the general maintenance of our facility and intern houses. In addition to those responsibilities, Jake will help lead our weekly after school construction training program for urban youth, SOS Builds.
We asked Jake a few questions to help you get to know him:
What drew you to the SOS Academy?
JW: I had been on a few spring break camps in college and loved the ministry and the city. As I was graduating college, I had known several people from my church who had done the SOS Academy. They all had an incredible experience during their time in the Academy and truly fell in love with the city. I knew God was doing awesome things in Memphis and the Academy was an opportunity to take part in that.
What are some of your favorite things about Memphis?
JW: Memphians love food, and they love to talk about food. I really enjoy hearing people’s opinions on restaurants and dishes. Speaking of which, I love Memphis BBQ! I admire the pride of neighborhood in this city, it truly is a city of neighborhoods.
Share one memorable moment from your year as an Academy Intern.
JW: One moment from my year in the Academy that stands out was during our Vision Trip in Rwanda. We had gone to visit a school in a rural village, all of the children were out at recess. One of the other interns, Stephen, decided to play soccer with some of the children. He dribbled around a couple and caught the attention of the whole playground. Dozens of children gathered around him. He crouched down to bring them all in close then jumped up and screamed, startling all of them, which resulted in roaring laughter. This went on for thirty minutes. Our sides ached with laughter.
What are you most excited about in your new role at SOS?
JW: I’m very excited for two things. First, I’m so excited to help with SOS Builds, our new after school program. I can’t wait to get to know the students who are participating in the program. Second, I am delighted to be part of the SOS Staff Team. There are some incredible people who work here and I am honored to be working with them. There is so much to learn and the relationships are priceless.
We continue to be so thankful for all the amazing people God has provided to work on our team. Pray that God would do great things in and through Jake in this new role.