Hometown Heroes: Jim Kij

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By Joan Frances –

Over the past ten years, Fort Bend County has been recognized by a variety of studies as an outstanding area to raise a family. The county is ranked for its safety, education, low cost of living, diversity and growth, with welcoming neighborhoods. The heart of this community is the people. Hard working, generous individuals like Jim Kij, who has donated his time for over 20 years to helping the less fortunate and is an exceptional Hometown Hero.

Kij was born in Buffalo, New York, worked for Mobil Oil (Mobil Chemical Division) for 15 years and continued with a career as Director of Sales and Marketing. He married Jessica in 1980, and they have one daughter, Kristen.  The family moved to Sugar Land in 1991 when they fell in love with the hometown feeling of this charming city, and Kij immediately became involved in his new home.

Kij’s resume of community involvement is impressive.  “I believe in giving back,” he said.  “You can do this two ways:  First, with your financial resources or second, with sweat equity.  The best is a combination of both.  Every little bit helps.  As our county has grown, so has the need to assist others.”

And as the needs of his new community grew, so did Kij’s involvement. “I have become known as a fundraiser. I’ve learned that in Fort Bend County, all we do is ‘connect the dots’ and pass the money around. We help each other to reach others. We also share our resources to help others. If you ask most volunteers, they will tell you that they got out a lot more than they put into a cause. They say you make a life by what you give. This is my motivating mantra.”

Kij has served on the Better Business Bureau Fort Bend Advisory Board. He is also an Education Committee member of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce.  He has served on numerous boards and commissions for the City of Sugar Land, as well as the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo-Past Chairman/Founder of the Recycle Committee. Kij was the recipient of the City of Houston Proud Partners for Recycling Program in 1999 and is currently a Lifetime Committeeman.  He has been a Rodeo volunteer for 26 years, and in 2009, he joined the Board of Directors of the Fort Bend Central Appraisal District and has served as Chairman.

In addition to his prodigious achievements, Kij is committed to The Exchange Club of Sugar Land.  “I joined Exchange in March of 2001,” shared Kij. “I participated in their Santa’s Exchange event in December 2000, and I was so inspired by the work of these volunteers that I wanted to become part of this wonderful organization.”

Today, The Exchange Club of Sugar Land provides Christmas gifts for 5,000 families who otherwise would have no Christmas. “I was Club President from 2008 to 2009, and on July 1st of this year, I became the Texas Louisiana Gulf Coast District President for the 2017-18 year working with 19 clubs,” shared Kij.

The Club hosts an annual fund-raising event, the Spaghetti Dinner, and last year was a record-breaking year for Kij and the organization. “I set an unofficial record for service organizations in Fort Bend for raffle tickets, selling 102 $100 raffle tickets. This amounts to $10,200 for the club. The money is used to fund our programs of service. These are Americanism, Youth Programs and Community Service, and our national project is the prevention of child abuse.”

Since volunteering in 2000, Kij has been on the Board of Directors from 2003-2005 and from 2007-2010. He was the Chairman of the Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser in 2003 and 2013, raising over $250,000 for this worthy organization.

The city of Sugar Land is so fortunate to have residents like Jim Kij. Congratulations on your unprecedented accomplishments, and thank you for your devotion and substantial contributions to making Fort Bend County one of the best places to live in Texas.