LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring Eleanor and Robert Holmes and family
upon the occasion of their designation by the Family Nurturing Center of
Central New York as its 2011 Family of the Year

WHEREAS, From time to time, this Legislative Body takes note of certain
extraordinary individuals who dedicate themselves to raising their fami-
lies and to enabling them to build lives of dignity and self-worth and
recognizes them as truly deserving of the highest praise and appreci-
ation; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to honor
Eleanor and Robert Holmes and family upon the occasion of their desig-
nation by the Family Nurturing Center of Central New York as its 2011
Family of the Year; and
WHEREAS, The Family of the Year Award is given to publicly honor fami-
lies from Oneida and Herkimer counties that demonstrate nurturing atti-
tudes and behaviors in their relationships, and to educate the community
about the importance of nurturing interactions in families, and serve as
outstanding examples of community commitment and involvement in Central
New York; and
WHEREAS, The Family Nurturing Center of Utica, New York was founded in
1988 to provide parenting education and family support programs; it
offers services which empower parents and children to strengthen their
relationships and to meet individual and family needs; it also provides
training for individuals who work with families, with the goals of
preventing child abuse and of building nurturing families; and
WHEREAS, For the past 23 years, the Family Nurturing Center of Central
New York in Utica has fostered an awareness of the importance of nurtur-
ing family relationships by honoring families who exemplify nurturing
attitudes and behaviors; and
WHEREAS, Eleanor and Robert Holmes and family, of Bridgewater, New
York, have fittingly been selected as the Center's 2011 Family of the
Year; and
WHEREAS, Recently, as the warm spring air was filled with the metallic
clang of an aluminum bat connecting with a ball, the smell of hot dogs
cooking in the concession stand, and the fine cloud of dust kicked up by
a runner sliding into home, Eleanor Holmes sat with her mother on the
sidelines of the Little League game, cheering on her great-grandsons,
Robert and Alphonso; and
WHEREAS, Late in the game, both boys had solid hits and scored runs
and Eleanor proudly announced that they were great hitters; and
WHEREAS, Her husband, Robert "Bobby" Holmes, cheered on the boys from
the family's minivan and, after they lost the game, he went over to joke
with the boys and their teammates, trying to cheer them up; and
WHEREAS, The scene was a page torn from the American dream, lazy late
spring evenings at the ball park, but it wasn't always this way for the
Holmes boys: Eric, 15; Derick, 13; Robert, 11; Pernell, 10; and Alphon-
so, 9; and
WHEREAS, Just five years ago, on September 15, 2006, the boys' fate
lay in the hands of a Family Court judge who had declared their home
situation unsuitable; and
WHEREAS, Then Bobby and Eleanor Holmes, the boys' great-grandparents,
stepped up, giving the boys the first stable father figure they'd ever
known and raising them in a loving, nurturing home where they have
thrived; and
WHEREAS, The Eleanor and Robert Holmes family is now a shining example
of supportive parents; Eleanor, 69, and Robert, 75, have chosen to live

a positive life and to provide a loving environment for their great-
grandchildren and have inspired their community and all that know them;
and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor Eleanor and Robert Holmes and family upon the occasion of their
designation by the Family Nurturing Center of Central New York as its
2011 Family of the Year; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Eleanor and Robert Holmes and family.