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Commissioners honor long‑serving staff and present proclamations for health, child‑welfare and community leaders
Summary
The court recognized long‑service employees (including a 40‑year juvenile probation retiree), read proclamations honoring AHEC week, Child Abuse Prevention Month, and presented a Pioneer Award to Precinct 2 Constable Leticia Vasquez and a 10‑year leadership recognition for Gabriel Quintero Velasquez.
The Bexar County Commissioners Court used its ceremony period to recognize long‑tenured county employees and community leaders.
Maricela Morales of the Juvenile Probation Department received special recognition for 40 years of service and announced she will retire July 31. Morales told the court, “I will be retiring July 31st of this year,” and described plans to continue community work through a new nonprofit, AlphaZen Rise and Restore. Commissioners and the judge praised her initiatives in juvenile drug court, crossover youth practice and anti‑trafficking work.
The court also read a proclamation recognizing the South Texas Area Health Education Centers and invited UT Health San Antonio faculty to highlight pipeline programs. Maria Danette Lapis Bloom, professor at UT Health San Antonio, said the programs “prepare future health professionals and provide continuing education opportunities for the current workforce” and stressed visibility for rural and underserved communities.
Other recognitions included a proclamation naming April as Child Abuse Prevention Month; speakers from Child Advocates San Antonio and Child Safe cited recent Texas Department of Family and Protective Services figures and urged community vigilance. Commissioners also honored Gabriel Quintero Velasquez for a decade leading Avenida Guadalupe Association; Velasquez thanked staff and predecessor leaders for the organization’s preservation and housing work on the West Side. The court presented the Bexar County Pioneer Award to Constable Leticia Vasquez (Precinct 2), who described her career from detention officer to elected constable and emphasized mentorship and community partnerships.
