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| Jocelyn Garcia, left, and Adrianna Garcia look up at instructors while doing push-ups during the Hero Police Academy on Saturday in Albuquerque. More than 20 children took part.John Corvino, an instructor at Saturday’s Hero Police Academy event, encourages the class in exercises. (Antonio Sanchez/Albuquerque Journal) |
This story was originally published in the Albuquerque Journal.
Twelve-year-old Jordyn Evans lay tangled with the rest of his classmates Saturday morning at the Hero Police Academy, struggling to do a collective push-up.
The “T pushup,” as their instructor called it, required the students to overlap one another and work together as a team to push themselves up. Evans shouted with his classmates the phrase of the day for the group: “rise above.”
Child patients, a number of whom are battling cancer or other serious illnesses, spent the day interacting with officers and learning some basic police drills during the inaugural Hero Police Academy at the Albuquerque Police Department Training Academy in the North Valley.
Volunteers from APD and the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico organized the event that condensed the curriculum of APD’s Junior Police Academy for the 22 students, who are being treated in hospitals across the metro area. It was led by volunteer police officers, instructors and civilians, and donations from the Citizen’s Police Academy Alumni helped pay for the event.
JD Maes, wellness coordinator at the training academy, led the class in learning a few stretching exercises and drills.
Maes, a citizen volunteer, said the event provides kids with a positive distraction.
“These kids are in and out of the hospital – two of them just got out of the hospital last night,” Maes said. “It’s a good thing to help these kids and provide hope for them.”
Hero Police Academy got started after a small breakfast of doughnuts, with students learning how to stand at attention and count aloud push-ups as a group. A few exercises later, the class shouted, “rise above,” as they did the T pushup. The phrase “rise above” is one taught to all APD cadets who attend the academy, Maes said.
“With the cadets, we like to teach them to rise above because they face a lot of adversity, whether it’s in the academy or whether it’s out on the street,” he said. “With these kids, they’re facing illness and at their young ages. We just want to get to them that life sometimes is going to give us problems … when life gives you problems, bring that inner strength out and rise above so you can conquer.”
John Corvino, a police academy instructor, said the exercises help teach kids to work through difficult situations.
“Fight through the pain. When we do the physical fitness, we fight through the pain and hopefully they’ll take that with them as they battle cancer,” he said.
The class continued with a lesson about firearm safety, a session at the shooting range with non-lethal paintball guns, a rappel down a wall with SWAT volunteers, and a drive alongside officers through an obstacle course. Each student would leave that day with a certificate and a badge after a graduation ceremony.
Diana Trujeque, executive director of the Children’s Cancer Fund of New Mexico, said Corvino was instrumental in organizing the event. She said it could be the first of many, saying there were a number of children who were interested who couldn’t attend.
“We would love it; the kids would love it,” she said.
APD Director of Training Joseph Wolf said his personal experience helped him appreciate the event.
“I’m a cancer survivor myself, and I understand how it is as an adult and how difficult it was for me,” Wolf said. “I can’t imagine how any kid this age would have to struggle with constant surgeries, chemo, radiation.
“It just warms my heart to see them excited to be here.”
