JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) — “I wanted to do more than just say, Thank you. I really wanted to show them that we thank them.”
Meet Kimberly Williams, a woman on a mission. That mission? To help veterans and those in the military have an employment plan for when they are done with their service.
City of Jacksonville human resources director nationally recognized
“North Carolina for Military Employment is an initiative that I started to educate employers on the value of bringing people into their organization with military talent, and then connect them with military talent,” Williams said.
NC4ME started as an idea, one that came about after Williams was involved with a similar organization in Virginia.
“I decided to do that here. I was asked by (Virginia’s) governor at the time. And now our governor, Roy Cooper, that we continue this initiative,” Williams said.
Working together to make a difference.
“We all know what the suicide rate is for our veterans, and my goal is to be proactive. Let’s make sure that every transitioning service member, every veteran, every garden reserve member and every military spouse has the opportunity for the military for meaningful employment,” Williams said.
But why does she do it?
“My daughter’s in the Marine Corps. And she’s been in, she’s a sergeant in the Marine Corps,” Williams said.
“When she chooses to leave the Marine Corps, I want her to know that the skills she learned that she contributed to the … to this nation in order for us to be free, I want her to have the opportunity for a great career here,” Williams said.
But this mission hasn’t always been easy for Williams. She survived breast cancer twice, but that hasn’t stopped her.
“People think that’s tough. Yes. But I can’t even imagine that even being compared to how tough it is for our service members and our veterans that leave their families, leave their homes, go to countries that they know nothing about, and fight for our freedom,” Williams said.
Her ultimate goal for the future of NC4ME? To reach wider and further.
“As long as we can get exposure to companies across our state, and as long as we can get to all of our veterans, we know that we can win this,” Williams said.
