This Big Brothers Big Sisters Month, we’re spotlighting the community champions who make our work possible. Few embody that spirit like Tim Jacques, whose commitment to Beach to Beacon has spanned nearly two decades. His story is one of consistency, family, and showing up, year after year, for kids who need it most.
In 2007, Tim laced up his sneakers for his first Beach to Beacon 10K without any idea what he was starting. It was the first race he had ever run. Along the tree-lined streets of Cape Elizabeth, past ocean vistas, and into the finish at Fort Williams Park, Tim experienced the magic of one of Maine’s most iconic races and was hooked. Afterwards, he learned something that would shape his summers for years to come: Hannaford fielded a large Beach to Beacon team in support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine (BBBSSM). Working in leadership at Hannaford’s corporate headquarters, he signed up, and his commitment to running and fundraising for BBBSSM began.
BBBSSM was the very first Beach to Beacon beneficiary back in 1998, and has had a team on the course every year since. Some years have been bigger than others. But since Tim got involved in 2008, he has been one of the team’s most consistent members, even through the COVID years and the rebuilding it took to bring the team back afterward.
In the early days, the BBBSSM team would gather at the Portland office and get bused over to the race together. That small tradition created a sense of camaraderie that Tim has now spent nearly two decades building on.
Tim got his whole family involved, hoping to carry the momentum forward long after he’s retired from racing. “This little bit that we can do, I want to do it for as long as we can,” he says. His wife, son, daughter, niece, and daughter-in-law have all joined him at various points. Tim, Tim Jr., Sarah, and Kayley have run together for the past several years, turning Beach to Beacon into something of a family reunion with a finish line.
In 2012, Tim and his family moved from Maine to North Carolina. For most supporters, a move like that might mean drifting away from a cause tied so closely to a specific place and race. Not for Tim’s family. They kept flying back to Maine for the race and kept fundraising. Today, they split their time between Maine and Florida, and their support for BBBSSM has never wavered.
Tim has consistently ranked among the event’s top fundraisers, raising tens of thousands of dollars over the years, the result of a strong network of colleagues, family, and friends who show up for him the way he shows up for BBBSSM.
Ask Tim why he’s stuck with it this long, and the answer comes back to mentorship every time. He and his family see BBBSSM’s mission as essential to helping young people grow and thrive. “All kids need someone to guide them and support them,” he says.
Tim is quick to point out that this is an easy way to get involved in the mission. His advice to anyone thinking about joining the team: fundraising and participation are more accessible than people often assume. “If you don’t get involved, you don’t know,” he says, “You just have to be willing to reach out to your own network.”
Eighteen years in, Tim’s hope for the future is simple: that Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine keeps growing, and that the Beach to Beacon team keeps building on the impact it’s had. This is a hope backed by almost two decades of showing up, a family legacy of giving, and a community spirit that has followed him across state lines and never let go.
Congratulations, Tim, and thank you for being a true community champion of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine.
