Our KNX Hero of the Week, Deputy Sayra Valencia, is going above and beyond to help her community!
Deputy Sayra Valencia (left) and her partner delivering diapers to Olive Branch Outreach.San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
She recently helped a mother and young daughter who were victims of domestic violence. She met them while visiting Olive Branch Outreach and delivering items donated by colleagues. She discovered the mom and daughter were living out of their car, having left their home quickly with very little money, food, or clothing. The daughter had also missed several days of school.
Deputy Valencia’s partners who helped with the family:Deputies Ryan Lampman, Alondra Valdez, Taylor Esposito, Jesus Moreno, and Gabriel Villalba-Parra. They all joined the effort and escorted the family through Target while they selected needed items. Other San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies involved also pitched in monetarily, truly demonstrating what it means to be a public servant.San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
“We're about to head out, and she's like, ‘I'm so sorry, but me and my daughter haven't showered in like 2 days and we don't have any clothes or hygiene,” she recalled to Heroes host Heather Jordan. “And so I said, ‘We're going right now before you go over to the WIC’ because I didn't know if I was going to come across her. It wasn't a call for service. I kind of just like stumbled upon her. So we went to the closest Target here in Fontana and it was awesome because my partners just happened to see my location. And they came and they're like, ‘What are you doing?’ And I'm like, ‘Oh, like this is what I have going on.’ Shared the story, and they're like, ‘Oh, we're coming with you, like we're all going to pitch in.’”
It wasn't just food and clothing - Sayra said her fellow colleagues really stepped up, including getting the daughters some items for school, and they all pitched in for a safe temporary place for them to stay.
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
“They were awesome,” she said. “They were like, ‘you know what? We're going to buy her toys, and we're going to get her a backpack,’ and we just all pitched in, and it was just awesome to see it all come together and it was so unexpected and we just happen to be, you know, put right place, right time.”
Deputy Valencia helping the mother get items into her carSan Bernardino County Sheriff's Department
Sayra said she was inspired as a kid herself to serve her community, and she hopes to be that same positive inspiration for kids today.
“I just have a big soft spot for kids. I love the kids,” she said. “That's how I kind of came into this role when I was a kid. There was a school resource officer that I looked up to, and so that kind of motivated me to choose this career path, and I just, you know, hope to be that example for any other little girl or small person. They look up to us, and I just want to be that role model, and that's why I love to wear this uniform and come into work every day just to be able to make an impact on the small little people that are one day gonna, you know, do big things in the world.”
Check out our other KNX Heroes here.
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