ABQ RECOGNIZES GUARDS FOR RESCUING TWO PEOPLE
Quick action by two city guards prevented a tragedy at Tingley Beach. They were honored by the city Friday.
An afternoon of feeding ducks at Tingley Beach almost turned tragic had it not been for the quick response by two city security guards, the mayor said Friday.
Mayor Richard Berry recognized Sgt. Miguel Reza and officer Thomas Valverde by naming them the city’s employees of the week for their actions.
Crucito Chavez, 3, was feeding the ducks at the pond on a Saturday in April when he slipped and fell, said Betty Chavez, Crucito’s grandmother who was watching him. She jumped in after him, and both were unable to reach the shore and were struggling to stay above water.
Reza and Valverde respond-
ed to the cries for help and arrived as people nearby were trying to get the pair to safety by extending a tree branch to them, to no avail.
That’s when Valverde jumped into the pond and grabbed Crucito, and Reza jumped in and helped Chavez to shore.
“What could have been a very tragic incident turned into an opportunity once again for city employees to go way above and beyond the call of duty,” Berry said.
Crucito and his grandmother both stopped by City Hall on Friday to thank the security guards for their actions.
“It was a very emotional day for me,” Chavez said.
Also on Friday, Berry recognized a young man for helping the homeless.
At just 12 years old, Diego Sy has already launched a nonprofit called Diego’s World. He creates bags filled with snacks and toiletries and passes them out to people on the streets. Berry gave Sy, who just finished the fifth grade at Georgia O’Keeffe Elementary School, the Good Samaritan Award.
Sy said he was inspired to create the organization after he saw a homeless woman sitting outside a grocery store when he was 7 years old. He asked his mother to buy a bag of snacks for the woman, which they did. That launched the idea for his organization, which has provided care packages to more than 300 people.
Berry said that in addition to creating a nonprofit before enrolling in middle school, Sy has also become a motivational speaker of sorts. He gives presentations to younger students in Albuquerque and tells them to do something nice for one person every day.
He used his platform in front of the media cameras on Friday to make his pitch to an older audience.
“I invite you,” Sy said while pointing to the cameras, “to go out and help one person who needs it today and find that being kind and empathetic to others is as rewarding as I do.”