Tom Mathies of Eden Valley recently received recognition as Jail Volunteer of the Year from the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association.
Mathies, who volunteers at the Meeker County Jail, received the award at the Jail Administrator’s Award Banquet Sept. 18. The award follows a long career of volunteer service.
“I am proud to present the jail volunteer of the year award,” Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze said during the ceremony. “(Mathies) has been volunteering in a jail for about 25 years now. He brought a program to our jail about 15 years ago called ‘Let’s Talk.’”
Prior to his time volunteering at jail, he volunteered at prisons beginning in the mid-1980s.
He volunteers at the Meeker County Jail every Tuesday, meeting with inmates in an effort to help them move forward in a positive manner.
“Tom’s approach to an inmate is to build a trusting atmosphere with an emphasis on listening and setting goals,” Cruze said. “He works to have the inmate empty their past with a positive approach to starting over. Tom wants to help inmates move away from their past decision making and understand there is a positive life outside of jail.”
Among the activities he engages inmates with are spiritual interactions, singalongs and conversations about personal feelings.
A U.S. Army veteran, Mathies received a purple heart for his service in Vietnam. He survived near-fatal injuries when his armored vehicle was struck by an explosive. Mathies lost an eye in addition to other injuries.
Mathies now says his life was spared so he could give back to others.
“With all his life experiences, Tom is able to provide inmates with a positive impact and resource they need to help turn their lives around,” Cruze said. “Anyone who knows Tom knows that he does note of this for recognition. He does it to help others.”
