Born in Olympia Fields, Illinois, Dalena Jimenez never could have imagined where her interests would be put to best use over time.
She eventually moved to the Region, living in places such as Hammond and Portage. Following her graduation from Portage High School, Jimenez furthered her education at then Purdue University North Central, now Purdue University Northwest, to receive a bachelor’s degree in social work.
Her studies led her to becoming a special education liaison today for InSource. As a parent of children with disabilities, Jimenez assists parents in navigating the special education process.
“We know that the process can be tricky,” Jimenez said. “As parents, there’s a lot of questions that come about in understanding the process. We have the empathy that’s needed to support the parents because we’re all parents of children with disabilities at InSource.”
Jimenez tries to carry over the skills from inside the workplace to her family as well.
Her 11-year-old son Miguel has autism and has immense creativity.
“He’s a big fan of art,” Jimenez said. “He runs his own YouTube channel. Recently, he hit 1,300 subscribers on his channel, so we are celebrating that. He’s also able to express his creativity there.”
As for her 9-year-old son Zander, he has dyslexia.
“Zander is my athletic guy,” Jimenez said. “He’s just a natural at whatever sport he plays and is always up for competition.”
Another project that Jimenez has invested a lot of time into is Momma Makins. The pop-up shop makes appearances at festivals and summer markets with designed shirts and homemade wreaths.
“One of the biggest things we’ve had for the business is our wine and wreath workshop,” said Jimenez. “It’s a community event that helps bring people together during the wreath crafting process. So far, it’s been a huge success for the business and everybody is able to have fun.”
Something that has really taken off for Jimenez in recent years is a lemonade stand fundraiser that helps the Hobart Humane Society. The idea first started during the pandemic. They raised $5,032 at this year's stand.
“We live in a very busy intersection,” Jimenez said. “One day, we asked Marco’s Pizza if we could set the lemonade stand up in their parking lot. They helped us out a lot by bringing attention to it, and we raised more than $1,000. We’ve been doing it every year since, raising more money each time. Last year, we put it online and got the amount matched by Hill’s Science Diet Pet Food during one of their promotional events. There’s been a lot of people that have made this possible every year and it’s great to help support the organization.”
Jimenez spends some of her additional time working in Hobart. One way she does this is by instructing cardio drumming courses at the Hobart Parks Department and the Hobart YMCA through Chicks With Drumstix. She also is a server at the Montego Bay Grille. Recently, she’s been making an exerted effort to campaign for her friend, Teddian Jackson, in his running for the Mayor of Hobart.
In the next few years, Jimenez would love to be a social worker for veterans or the older population as she feels there’s a lot to learn from previous generations. While she has plenty to keep her busy, she doesn’t plan on slowing down anytime soon.