By Gussie Fauntleroy
The Santa Fe New Mexican (New Mexico)
Copyright 2006 The New Mexican
It’s not a fire captain’s job to do yard work for strangers for free, but Santa Fe Fire Department Capt. Ernest Holmes has been known to take orders from his heart, as well as his boss. That’s how Holmes ended up cleaning the yard of an elderly Santa Fe woman earlier this summer and why he was named the city’s August employee of the month.
Holmes and his crew were at the woman’s house in response to a medical-emergency call when he noticed her large yard was full of weeds, unpruned bushes and trees and what looked like many years’ worth of rubbish. As the medical team cared for the woman, Holmes asked about her living situation and found she has no family in the area and no money to hire a yard worker. So the fire captain took it upon himself to help her, recruiting his wife and father-in-law to help him.
On their own time, Holmes and his family spent two weeks pulling weeds, raking leaves, pruning trees and dumping trash from the yard. The task generated so many bags of yard waste that a special Solid Waste Division pickup request was made by Fire Chief Chris Rivera, who nominated Holmes for the monthly award. “It is this type of compassion accompanied by hard work that makes Santa Fe a great community to live and work in,” Rivera said. The elderly woman also expressed her “heartfelt gratitude” to Holmes and his family for their efforts.
Rubel Gallegos Jr. is the first employee of the month for the city’s Community Services Department. Gallegos, a 2005 Capital High School graduate, began working for the city golf course at 15 and is a full-time custodian at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. He also serves as a volunteer firefighter with the Peña Blanca Fire Department and has hopes of a career with the Santa Fe Fire Department.
Genoveva Chavez Community Center director Liz Roybal nominated Gallegos for the award, citing his hard work and positive attitude, which she describes as “always exceptional, proactive, pleasant and very helpful.” Department director Ruben J. Lovato and marketing specialist Laneia Marie Gallegos started the Community Services Department’s monthly recognition program, which rewards honorees with a certificate of appreciation and a check for $50. Other department employees recognized for excellence on the job were Juan Apodaca of the Senior Services Division, juvenile justice planner Richard Demella, planner supervisor Rick Anaya, recreation supervisor David Alire, office manager Edith Martinez and librarian Miriam Bobkoff.