Upload
others
View
3
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Cedar Hill is a city that professes
to be a city of distinctive char-
acter, Chris Bullard upholds that
vision. This thirty-four year old,
soon to be married firefighter
and paramedic housed in Sta-
tion 2 recently received a thank
y o u
c a r d
f r o m
Donald
Wilcox.
M r .
Wi lcox
is a
military
v e t e r -
an with Multiple Sclerosis living
in a Cedar Hill apartment com-
plex. Being wheel chair bound
had presented a housing issue
that made portions of his apart-
ment bathroom inaccessible.
After several runs by the depart-
ment to assist Mr. Wilcox, Chris
asked his Chief if he could raise
funds to remodel the bathroom
to make it accessible for Mr.
Wilcox. Of course the answer
w a s a f f i r m a t i v e .
Distinctive Character, Distinctive Compassion By: Kim Risner, Manager of Library Services
April 2012
HR Update
HR Contacts
Jessica Wyner Ext. 1050
Jenifer Sweeney Ext. 1068
Angelica Morales Ext. 1052
Tracey Tso Ext. 1053
The fundraising began in earnest
in January. Chris personally raised
$300 and the other contributors
were Home Depot, Casey Jones,
and the Firefighters Association.
Once the funding was in hand,
the team of six firefighters banded
together outside of work hours
and gutted Wilcox bathroom.
Within one week this team provid-
ed results that would
change the quality of
life for Mr. Wilcox. Ac-
cess to all bathroom
features, new tile, wain-
scoting, handicap rail-
ing, and pull/push fau-
cets were installed.
Why did Chris care
enough to reach out o
Mr. Wilcox? Because he
has always been very
close to his grandparents
and he is more aware of the
needs and concerns of a geriatric
person. He said, “I would want
someone to do that for my grand-
parents if I were not around.”
It would appear Chris Bullard
found his calling when after a car
wreck he became interested in
becoming a paramedic. He spent
13 months on crutches and had
seven surgeries. He is now the
person saving lives when humanly
possible and even delivering ba-
bies…16 babies to be exact.
It also seems he has found his
work home in Cedar Hill, a place
that not only profess-
es distinctive char-
acter, but develops
distinctive charac-
ter. Character and
compassion such as
this young fireman’s
is not something that
develops without
nurturing by family
a n d f r i e n d s .
When asked about
his future plans Chris states that he
plans to become a driver and
A Secret Sister Tells Her Story By: Kim Risner, Manager of Library Services
Soft, doe brown eyes and a smile
that makes you think her given name
appears to be well-suited is the first
thing you notice about this woman.
Angelica Morales appears to be a
woman with an aura of an angel.
Angelica’s story speaks for itself. She
has led a life of determination and
spirit. She was the second child of
seven siblings. Her parents moved to
the United States from Mexico when
she was two years old. Her mother
said that even though Angelic was
only two years old, her transition into
this new culture was difficult. Angeli-
ca became more introverted. Angel-
ica speculates that possibly this was
due to the fact that she was in the
midst of both language and social
development at this young age.
As a child she was exposed to Span-
Upcoming Events - Save the Date!
April 9th
Walk Across Texas Team Captain Meeting
April 16th
Walk Across Texas Kickoff - “City Manager’s
Mile” event
May 10th
Employee Cookout (details to follow)
August 24
Annual Employee Health Fair
ish being the sole language her par-
ents spoke at home and English
being spoken in the public venues in
which she was involved. Angelica
freely admits that due to this situa-
tion she believes her comprehension
skills were affected, because neither
language came naturally. She over-
came this challenge through years
of hard work and determination.
Angelica attended school in West
Dallas until her sixth grade year. Her
parents then moved to Oak Cliff,
where she attended school until she
graduated high school. The move to
Oak Cliff was such a blessing be-
cause of the gangs and roughness in
West Dal las at that t ime.
After high school she began attend-
ing Mountain View College and later
retire from the Cedar Hill Fire Depart-
ment. When asked if there are any
other projects like this in his future he
says, “Well, there is this lady whose
husband has Alzheimer…” From an
outsiders viewpoint it looks like anoth-
er opportunity to make a difference,
another opportunity to leave the
legacy of distinctive character and
another story in the making and wait-
ing to be told.
Continued on Page 2 - See “Sister”
Page 2
HR Update
Animal Shelter
Human Resources
Code Enforcement
Upcoming Events
May 5th Adopt-A-Thon - Enjoy balloon animals, pony rides, snow cones, pop
corn, and a bounce house. Come out and take a look at all the
animals...and take home a Champion! During the month of May
every one who adopts a pet will receive a $10.00 Petco gift card.
May 19th Friends of Tri-City Animal Shelter annual “Grrrrrrage” sale
The Tri-Cities Shelter also continues to offer low cost micro chipping. With proof of
current rabies vaccination micro chipping is available for $20. For more information
they please call 972-291-5335.
Code Enforcement is excited
to welcome Michelle Gomez
to their team! Michelle brings
over six years of related ex-
perience from the cities of
Grand Prairie and Irving.
Fire
The Fire Department wel-
comes Phillip Lucky to the
position of Firefighter. Phillip
comes to the City, holding his
Firefighter and EMT certifica-
tions. He has started his em-
ployment with the City by
attending paramedic school.
Driver-Engineer, Jerry Pena (pictured
above) and Battalion Chief, Glen Clark
recently donated their time and exper-
tise to train the next generation of Fire-
fighters in Mexico.
Sister (Continued from page 1) the Universi-
ty of Texas Arlington. This was when UTA still
had a football team. She worked two part-
time jobs as well. One was at a jewelry store
and the other was at Fashion Barn. One of
her co-workers had a roommate that was a
friend with her now husband, Alfonso….and
so the next chapters of Angelica’s life be-
gan when she informed this coworker that
she was rather interested in Alfonso.
Alfonso called Angelica for a date on a
Saturday for that very evening. Angelica
said, “No.” Not because she had plans but
rather because she thought he should have
called sooner to properly ask. She later
learned that he was very upset, because he
thought this had been kind of pre-empted
due to the friends’ involvement. So what
does Angelica do? Well, what any strong,
determined angel would do…she called
Alfonso and told him she was going to a
UTA football game and had an extra ticket
if he would like to go with her. Four months
later the two were married. A few years
later they had their first daughter.
Fast forward to 2012 and the count is not
one, two, but rather 5 women in the house
with this one man. This is a home where hair-
brushes, combs, and eyelash curlers seem to
disappear into thin air. 27 years and 4 daugh-
ters later Angelica says that Alfonso will wear
a crown in heaven. How did they make it to
this point? There were definitely challenges: a
short courtship, 4 children, one income,
homeschooling, and then Angelica returning
to the workplace and completing her Bache-
lor’s degree from UTA. Angelica firmly states
the most important turning point in their life,
the reason they have been able to endure
during challenges is because Alfonso sug-
gested they find a church and begin attend-
ing. Their move towards faith together, has
held them together. The support from a
church family and the couple’s constant
strides toward spiritual well-being make An-
gelica certain that this was the defining mo-
ment of their family’s life together.
As an observer all I can say is Angelica you
emulate your name’s origin, angelic. You are
an angel of faith, determination, and
strength. Oh, by the way, your secret sister
loves your story.
Page 3
April 2012
Parks
Congratulations to Brad Robin-
son (Parks) and his wife, Aman-
da, on the birth of their sweet
baby girl, Makenna! Miss
Makenna was born at 1:04 a.m.
on Friday, March 9th. She was
10 pounds, 7 ounces and 20
inches long.
The Parks Department has re-
cently added several new fac-
es to their team. Seasonal Park
Maintenance Workers are add-
ed this time of year to assist
with the maintenance and up-
keep of landscaping around
the City, If you see a new face
within the Parks Department,
stop and say hello!
Police
Utility Billing
UBill is proud to welcome Gail
May to the position of Custom-
er Service Representative. Gail
has an extensive customer ser-
vice background, with over 6
years experience with the City
of Arlington and 24 years expe-
rience with AT&T. Welcome,
Gail!
The Police Department held its annual awards banquet on March 3, 2012. As chosen by their peers the win-
ners in each category were:
Patricia Lyon
Civilian of the Year Nick Foley
Rookie of the Year Chad Cooley
Officer of the Year
Aaron Leutwyler
Supervisor of the Year
Chief Rhodes also presented the “Chief’s Unit Awards” to Patrol / Community Service Officers, Crime Analyst
Unit, and Citizens On Patrol
Recreation
As summer approaches, Recreation staff is in
hiring mode! Lifeguards, Water Safety Instruc-
tors, Pool Cashiers, and Assistant Pool Man-
agers will be hired to staff the pool this sum-
mer. We are thrilled to have Taylor Wilson on
board as the Pool Manager this summer to
assist in hiring staff, ensuring the premier level
of customer service Cedar Hill is known for is
upheld. Welcome, Taylor!
HR Update
Page 4
Safety Sense
Safety Focus: Heat Stress Safety Tips
Congratulations to all who participated in the Biggest
Loser competition. Collectively, participants lost 207.3
pounds. Overall winners were as follows:
1st Place Female: Stacey Graves (Code) 10.83% Loss
1st Place Male: Chris Tancred (Fire) 13.04% Loss
1st Place Team: Wes Vaughn and Randy Jordan (Fire)
9.52% Combined Loss
2nd Place Team: Donia (Police) and Ricky White
7.73% Combined Loss
3rd Place Team: Max Brown (Parks) and Jacque Valdes (PW)
6.83% Combined Loss
CPR Training - Space Available!
There are still a few spots re-
maining for CPR/AED training on
April 20th. Contact Jenifer
Sweeney in HR to reserve your
spot today!
Wellness Challenge Chatter
April 16th - June 8th
Walk Across Texas is an 8 week
walking program, where teams
of no more than eight (8) City
employees attempt to collec-
tively log at least 830 miles…the
amount of miles it would take
to get across the state of Texas.
Form a team of no more
than 8 employees
Name your team
Select a Team Captain
Team Captains attend
meeting at 2 p.m. on April
9th in Conference Room D
for additional instructions Participate in the “City
Manager’s Mile” Kickoff
Event April 16th
Log mileage April 16 - June
8th for a chance to win
prizes!
• Dress for summer. Wear lightweight, light-colored clothing to
reflect heat and sunlight.
• Put less fuel on your inner fires. Foods, like meat and other pro-
teins that increase metabolic heat pro-
duction also increase water loss.
• Drink plenty of water, non-alcoholic and
decaffeinated fluids. Your body needs
water to keep cool. Drink plenty of fluids
even if you don't feel thirsty. Persons
who have epilepsy or heart, kidney or
liver disease, are on fluid restrictive diets
or have a problem with fluid retention
should consult a physician before in-
creasing their consumption of fluids. Do
not drink alcoholic beverages and limit
caffeinated beverages.
April 1st
Dorothea Baffour, Animal Shelter
April 2nd
Mr. Sims, City Management
Daniel Smith, Fire
Randall Roysdon, Jr., Fire
Juan Martinez, Parks
April 5th
Traci Hemminger, Fire
April 6th
Kevin Cunningham, Fire
Lance Lehrman, Police
April 7th
Wesley Vaughn, Fire
Tencia Taylor, Library
April 8th
Gail May, UBill
Demarcus Iglehart, Police
April 9th
Darrell Young, Signs and Signals
April 10th
Max Brown, Parks
April 15th
Leland Herron, Court
Todd Marsh, Police
April 16th
Amy Haase, Public Works
April 17th
Andrew Rhoden, Police
April 19th
Quang Nguyen, Engineering
Chad Richardson, Fire
April 20th
Charles Christian, Fire
Richard Lambert, Fire
April 22nd
Mr. Porter, City Management
Jeremiah Turman, Fire
David Young, Recreation Center
April 23rd
Allison Thompson, Economic Development
Aubrey Kirk, Court
Sakina Jackson, Court
April 24th
Christopher Williams, Utilities
April 25th
Linda Taylor, Recreation Center
Jose Arreguin, Parks
April 26th
Linda Eadler, Police
April 27th
Adam Campbell
Happy Birthday April Babies!
April 2012
Page 5
Woman on the Run: Belinda Huff
HR Update
through Huntsville State Park.
No one can make you run.
You can easily quit when
you get too tired. Running is
more of a challenge to your-
self, to see how disciplined
you are. Just as Belinda has
done, once you set your
fears aside, you can relish in
the psychological high that
you feel after completing a
run and proving to yourself
that you have the dedica-
tion and the discipline it
takes to do so.
There is no doubt
that she will meet
any goal she sets
because Belinda
takes running per-
sonally. She seeks
purpose in each
run she undertakes
and uses that pur-
pose as the moti-
vation and drive
she needs to finish
each race. Her
inspiration to com-
plete the White
Rock Marathon
was to run in memory of her
coworker’s father who had
recently passed away.
Though she did not publi-
cize who she was run-
ning for that day, or
ask for anything in
return, Belinda’s
motivation and genu-
ine compassion for oth-
ers served as a source of
comfort and strength for a
grieving family that will never
be forgotten and that is ap-
preciated more than she will
ever know. In all she does,
Belinda is an inspiration to
others.
“I am too old.” “I am too
fat.” “I am not a natural run-
ner.” All of these excuses
amplified the fear Belinda
Huff (Planning) faced when
she decided to become a
healthier, happier version of
herself.
In the fall of 2009, just three
short years ago, you would
not have seen Belinda out
running for enjoyment.
Though after seeing her
coworker, Don Gore, train
and complete a triathlon,
Belinda was in-
spired to make a
change. She want-
ed to experience
that same sense of
accomplishment
she saw Don
achieve when he
completed his tri-
athlon. With that in
mind, she set off to
find a physical ac-
tivity that was right
for her. Not being
much of a team
sport player, Belin-
da thought running would
be an activity that she could
learn to love…and she has
done just that! She is now a
proud member of an elite
group of individuals; the 1%
of the population that will
ever complete a full mara-
thon (26.2 miles)! And even
though Belinda achieved
her original fitness goal, she
continues to set new goals
and challenge herself even
more.
Taking the advice and les-
sons she learned through 3
marathon training programs
with Luke’s Locker in Dallas,
Belinda began working to-
ward her current fitness
goal , a half-marathon a
month. To date she’s com-
pleted Houston/Chevron in
January, Cowtown in Febru-
ary and most recently, Rock-
n-Roll Dallas on March 25,
2012.
She began training with
Luke’s in the “13 minute
mile” walk/run group. The
program provided a sense of
support, fellowship, and ca-
maraderie to develop the
skills necessary to achieve
her goals. Since then, she
has graduated to the “9:45 –
10:45 minute mile” group
and to date has completed
16 half marathons and 1 full
marathon. Her first full mara-
thon running experience, the
Dallas White Rock marathon
in December 2011, could not
have been under worst con-
ditions– 40 degrees and rain-
ing, but Belinda endured
and completed the race
that many had given up on
in 5 hours and 37 minutes.
Now, 30 pounds lighter and
physically, as well as emo-
tionally stronger, Belinda
continues to run at least four
times per week, along with
twice weekly strength train-
ing. Her next goal? Com-
plete an Ultra Marathon
(31.07 miles) and the Rocky
Raccoon, a 50k trail run
Running Tips from Belinda
•Try to eat “clean” before a
run, including staying well
hydrated – if you eat a big,
unhealthy meal or don’t
drink enough water, (even
in cool weather condi-
tions), it WILL negatively
affect your performance.
•Don’t wear headphones
when you run – not only is
this a safety precaution, it
also helps you appreciate
the outdoors and all of the
natural sounds.
•Get properly fitted for run-
ning shoes and replace
those shoes faithfully, at
least every 300-500 miles,
to avoid undue stress and
strain, particularly on your
knees.
•Download a running app
for your smart phone or
use a GPS watch to help
keep track of your pace
and time.
•It is hard to do it alone, so
try to find a group or bud-
dy to run with!
Health Sp
otlig
ht
Have news or a story to share? Email it to Jenifer Sweeney in HR for the next HR Update!