CITY OF FRESNO
Office of Mayor Jerry Dyer
_________________________________ ________________________________ JERRY DYER, Honorable Mayor NELSON ESPARZA, Council President
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ESMERALDA SORIA, Councilmember District 1 MIKE KARBASSI, Councilmember District 2
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MIGUEL ARIAS, Councilmember District 3 TYLER MAXWELL, Councilmember Vice President
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LUIS CHAVEZ, Councilmember District 5 GARRY BREDEFELD, Council District 6
WHEREAS , Rodney Lowery joined the Fresno Police Department in September 1992, working as a K9 officer and serving on the Department’s Violent Crime Suppression Unit team before his retirement in January 2000; and
WHEREAS , in May 2007, Rodney returned to the department as the Senior Chaplain, a position he held for the past 14 years and 10 months until now, when he is retiring; and
WHEREAS , Rodney grew the Chaplaincy over the years. He created programs such as RISE (Resiliency In Student Education) – which places coaches into 1st grade classrooms under a partnership with several school districts – and Project STEALTH (Stop Teen Exploitation And Liberate Through Hope), which pairs at-risk teens with mentors who create balance and stability in their lives; and
WHEREAS , following his passion, Rodney, in partnership with the Fresno Police Department, established the Resiliency Center in 2018, where individuals who experience trauma can seek mental health assistance; and
WHEREAS , Rodney’s employees have called him visionary, solution oriented, proactive and someone who always ‘played offense’ in life; and
WHEREAS , his demeanor made people feel safe and comfortable, and over the years he was always there to help in any capacity; and
WHEREAS , Rodney has left a lasting legacy as a community leader, a man who constantly sought new ways to bring hope and healing to the City of Fresno. There is no way to estimate the number of lives affected by his leadership and the programs he has created.
NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that we, Mayor Jerry Dyer and Members of the Fresno City Council proclaim Thursday, April 28, 2022, to be:
“Rodney Lowery Day.”
In the City of Fresno.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hands and
affixed the seal of the City of Fresno, California, this 28th day of April 2022.
In Celebration of Rodney Lowery