To hear Norielez DeJesus so proudly and emphatically proclaim her status as “Chelsea’s Council President” during the city’s 10-minute presentation at the All-America Awards, was in a word, wonderful.
But her key contribution to Chelsea’s victory came in the question-and-answer period when a juror (event judge) asked about Chelsea being a sanctuary city.
DeJesus’ response was so on the mark, so informative and so emotional that it drew tears from a city council president from a Colorado(A photo was taken of the exchange and we will ask DeJesus if we may publish it at a later time).
“After I responded to the sanctuary city question, she came outside the room looking for me,” said DeJesus. “She started crying with me because she could connect so much to the stories of our youth, our families – and she told me that she wants to visit Chelsea when she comes to Massachusetts next month.”
DeJesus elaborated on the significance of Chelsea winning such a prestigious national award.
DeJesus had another defining moment at the Chelsea HUB presentation when she revealed the struggles that one of her relatives had faced, but with the help of Chelsea law enforcement officials and others, her relative is now leading a productive life as a parent.
Finally DeJesus elaborated on the significance of Chelsea winning such a prestigious national award.
“This award means that we get to bring home this symbol of strength, this symbol of hope and our community will feel more united,” said DeJesus. “The award is the grand finale, but this entire weekend was about planting the seeds to strengthen the collaboration among the schools, the city departments, and city officials, with our police department – getting to know each other, because once you get to know each other and build more of that trust, we’re able to provide a better service for the community.”
As the Director of Assistance at nationally La Colaborativa and the President of the Chelsea City Council, DeJesus is answering that call for service from her community every day.
And one more thing. DeJesus’ frequent conversations with the youths in the Chelsea delegation during their time in Denver was much appreciated. DeJesus helped make their memorable experience even better.