For our March issue, we are happy to recognize Dedrick Rael, son of Annette and Michael Rael Jr. and brother to Isabel Rael.

Dedrick is 16 years old and he is deeply entrenched in his community. He plays soccer, is a member of the Questa Mariachi, and he plays guitar in Miguel Rael’s church choir at St. Anthony’s Church. He is an active member of the St. Anthony’s Youth Group and was an altar boy until 2020, when the pandemic eliminated altar servers.

Dedrick works at Questa Hardware and in his free time, he enjoys visiting with his elders as they play music together at Rael’s Jam Sessions on Thursdays. Additionally, Dedrick is committed to helping his grandma Maxine who lost her husband Fred in 2018.

“Dedrick is my mom’s right-hand man. He keeps up with the park maintenance in the summer and sweeps the snow for my mom and the tenants of the park during the winter months. He saw how my dad’s absence impacted my mom and he steps up to the plate,” his mother Annette says. Additionally, Dedrick serves as a Junior Firefighter with the Questa Fire Department.

Dedrick was named for this recognition by a community member who saw him sweeping snow for the Questa Hardware mall.

Annette says Dedrick is special and has an old soul. “We will go to basketball games, and I’ll look around for him, and he is usually at the top of the gym talking with adults in our community. He values that interpersonal connection with people,” she says.