Local police captain a true Hometown Hero

By Mike Briotta, PRIME Editor August, 2011 Perched atop the desk of Captain Hipolito "Paul" Nuñez of the Westfield Police Department is a pair of bookends holding a single tome: "Changing Lives, Changing America: 100 Years of Boys and Girls Clubs." It's the perfect book for Nuñez, whose focus as a volunteer has always been on helping Western Massachusetts children who most need his assistance. Nuñez has been giving back to the community for more than 30 years. He works tirelessly to promote youth-oriented programs through the Boys & Girls Club. He's also raised more than $75,000 during the past five years for a local scholarship program. The police captain hails from a family of 10 children of Puerto Rican descent, whose parents couldn't provide much in the way of material wealth, but instilled in their children core values that continue to motivate them today. When he received the 2010 Hometown Heroes Award from Reminder Publications, Nuñez was lauded by his sister Ana as someone known for "giving back to the community and not forgetting your roots." As a young boy, Nuñez and his siblings considered the Boys & Girls club to be like a second home. When he was just a 9-year-old member of the club, Nuñez watched a police officer walk by, and vowed that he too would wear that uniform someday. Fast forward nearly four decades, and today Nuñez is not only a police captain but is also vice president of the board of directors at the club that started his dreams in motion. The Westfield Boys & Girls Club now has about 1,600 members, and serves an average of 375 children every day. "I've been vice president of the board of directors for the Boys & Girls Club for six years, and been on the board for over 30 years," said Nuñez, who turned 50 this year. "I've been involved with the club since 1969, as I became a member when I was just a boy. At age 19, I was president of their alumni association. That allowed me to become a board member. I was in a leadership role. Just prior to that I had won the Westfield Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year Award. This all helped me to develop in the areas of leadership, community service and commitment to the club." His litany of awards also includes a 2001 award from the Westfield Spanish American Association; 2007 recipient of the Man & Youth Award from the Westfield Boys & Girls Club; and he's also a 2007 member of that group's Wall of Fame. Should anyone mistakenly think that the Boys & Girls Club is his only community group, the list of organizations he also gives his time to is extensive. He began working with the Kiwanis Club three years ago, and helped begin the St. Mary's School Cub Scout pack some 15 years ago, which numbers 72 boys today. The Westfield Spanish American Association is another nonprofit group he works closely with. He's raised about $75,000 in scholarship funds during the past five years with that agency. An annual golf tournament was held in July. All the money raised in that tournament goes toward scholarships for individuals of Hispanic descent. Scholarships are for students in high school, as well as those currently seeking undergraduate or master's degrees in college. The group awards scholarships of about $300 to $1,000 each, handing out about $5,000 annually in total, according to Nuñez. He continued regarding the Westfield Spanish American Association, "When I was a boy, most of the Hispanic people in Westfield grew up in the same community. This was an area that included Orange Street and Washington Street. All of us lived in the same neighborhood; All of our parents came over [to the continental United States] together, or so it seemed. We branched out as we got older, but with this organization we wanted to be unified and help the community advance." Helping Youths As the Westfield club has slowly improved through time, so too has Nuñez gradually built upon his personal foundation, seemingly brick by brick. His parents instilled in him the twin desires to reach his personal goals and seek higher education. He's also grown from humble beginnings. "The boys and girls club started on Church Street, next to the bowling alley," Nuñez recounted. "It was about 900 square feet at the time. In 1973, it moved to Free Street, although that location is now the Samaritan Inn. In 1991 it moved again, to a new facility on West Silver Street. We're now adding another 10,000 square feet to that facility. It's a $2.6 million project and we've raised $2 million at this time." That project is a "Raise the Roof" campaign which would add 10,000 square feet to the existing building, off West Silver Street. The new roof is planned to reach 10 feet higher than its current peak, and would extend 56 feet high. Its ever-higher aspirations are in line with Nuñez's own. Since about 2005, when he took the chair of vice president of the club, the group has grown from a $600,000 budget to a $1.5 million budget today. "The reason for this is the success of the organization; the progress we've made. We have after-school programs for young children, educational opportunities, nutrition, and physical activities. It's an open-door policy — no child is turned away." He credited a homework help program that has been very successful, offering more than 8,000 hours of homework help last year. The club also helps students with their summer reading lists. "Athletics was the main aspect of the club years ago, and it's still an important aspect today. When I was there as a child, it was strictly a recreational facility," he said. "Now we offer breakfast and after-school meals for kids, for example. We try to engage ourselves in what the community really wants. The learning activities they do are fun and engaging." He added, "My family has always been involved in the Boys & Girls Club. When I was growing up, we went there almost every day. It was a safe environment, and the kids there, we formed our own social group. We shared the same beliefs and had respect for each other. No matter what class you came from, we were all alike; we had common needs. It taught us character, leadership, and built our confidence. The club helps you to believe in yourself." He said of his experience playing sports with the Westfield Boys & Girls Club, "We weren't superstars, but it showed us more than just where we lived. It taught us to be open-minded about other individuals. I've been involved with the club in some way since I was eight years old. Church Street was right around the corner from my house, and the location on Free Street was also no more than a block away. In lieu of a babysitter, that's where we would go." Family and Community It would be an understatement to say that Nuñez comes from a community service oriented family. He has three brothers who are firefighters, stationed in Falmouth, West Brimfield and Springfield. He also has a brother who is a state trooper — and that's just the tip of the iceberg. His son Nathaniel is now in the United States Marine Reserves, and his daughter Kali is in the Air National Guard. "Among my siblings and myself, we have three firefighters, two police officers, a nurse, and a family counselor," he said. "My parents were hard-working individuals. They believed very strongly that hard work produces results. My father worked for 40 years at the foundry. He instilled in us hard-working values and wanted us to better ourselves. My mother always gave us the opportunity to learn, and emphasized that education is success." The police captain continued, "Eight out of ten [siblings] have college degrees, and four have master's degrees. We aimed high. The success isn't just ours, but a lot of people helping us to move forward. Many people gave us the opportunity to succeed. You can have the will, but the opportunity is what makes the difference." Nuñez has greatly valued education in his adult life. He holds a Master's of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Western New England College in 2001, a Bachelor's of Science from Westfield State College in 1993, and his Associate's Degree in Law Enforcement from Holyoke Community College in 1987. Through it all, he's also been a dedicated police officer who rose through the ranks of the Westfield P.D. "I was no Clint Eastwood," he joked of his law enforcement career. "I've mostly been a supervisor during my career in the police force." He served as a patrolman for about four years and was promoted to sergeant, where he worked as a shift commander and street supervisor for nine years. He was then a lieutenant, and was promoted to captain last year. Nuñez currently oversees administration, computer systems technology, and is doing some auditing at the end of the fiscal year. He continued, "We've all had our share of stories [on the police force]. There are good stories and bad stories. At the end of the day, what I do is a job. You're out there working and you realize you're making a difference." A turning point for him came in the late 1980s, when he was on patrol one evening and pulled over someone who was driving erratically. It was, at first, a routine incident. However, he was surprised to learn that one year later, the person had looked him up — not to harm him, but rather, to thank him. "This person said it was the best thing that happened to them, that it put them back on the right track," he recalled. "When you treat people with respect and courtesy, they know you're just doing your job. In the 27 years I've been a police officer, my passion has been to help people." Nuñez added, "Some say our job is to make arrests. I see policing as a teacher. We educate people to the rules and regulations set by our legislators. The 'bad people' are few and far between. Most people are just trying to make it day-to-day. I try to listen to people and be compassionate. We're all humans, and we're doing the best we can to live in this community." The captain concluded: "All I can say is, I've been very fortunate in my life. I've benefitted from other people helping me to move forward. I'm fortunate that I also have the will, and my parents instilled in us the belief of success. My father has been gone six years, but I still see his smile, and look back at a man who lived with nothing but dignity." PRIME