MAYOR HONORS PAIR OF GOOD SAMARITANS
Mother and son who “knew what it’s like to need help” made sure a friend didn’t go hungry at lunch.
When Josette Duran’s 15-yearold son Dylan came home from school a few months ago and asked his mom to start packing him a second lunch, she did what any good parent would do: She worried.
“I asked him, ‘Are you getting enough to eat? Is it not enough?” said Josette.
But it wasn’t Dylan who was hungry. It was his friend, whose mother had lost her job and was unable to pay for her son’s lunch.
The Durans are no strangers to hardship. Four years ago, they abruptly found themselves without a home and spent several months living in cars, hotels, and the houses of their friends. With that experience in mind, Josette and Dylan supplied lunch to Dylan’s friend for the next three months.
“We knew what it was like to need help,” said Josette.
Mayor Richard Berry awarded both Josette and Dylan with the city’s Good Samaritan award. Berry also asked Dylan to take a leadership role in the mayor’s ABQ Kindness initiative, which uses a mobile app to track and promote acts of kindness in Albuquerque.
“We’ve got a group of leaders growing up in our community who are exceptional,” said Berry.
“Dylan is one of them.”
The Durans’ story has attracted international coverage from media organizations as far away as New Zealand. Multiple organizations have awarded money to the family in an attempt to reimburse them for their actions, and each time they have donated the money to charitable causes.
At the ceremony, Dylan said he had not expected to be acknowledged for his actions.
“I did the stuff I did because I wanted to help my friend, not because I wanted awards and stuff,” he said.
At the same event, Berry also commended Iris Goddard, now a kennel supervisor at the Animal Welfare Department. Goddard improved the curriculum for the department’s Pet School class, a court-ordered program for citizens who have violated the city’s Humane and Ethical Animal Rules and Treatment ordinance.
Additionally, she was the lead officer in investigations involving cockfighting and dog fighting, and has spent hundreds of hours educating children and adults in animal care topics.
For her efforts, Berry named Goddard the city’s Employee of the Week.