St. E's Farewell to Jake Fulmer

St E's is saying a bittersweet goodbye to our well loved staff member Jake Fulmer, as his last days of working here were at the end of February. Although we are all happy for Jake who returned to his beloved hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee to be with his family, we also miss his endless generosity, kindness, and work ethic. He was in integral part of the St. E’s family for five years.

Jake started here as an intern in 2013 and afterwards stayed on as staff member. He touched the homeless community in a huge way. It’s impossible to mention everything that he contributed, but we’ll note a few of his gifts to provide a picture of just how grateful we are.

Holidays, from Thanksgiving to the Super Bowl, were always important family events to Jake, and he brought that spirit to the shelter. He made every holiday special for the men here by cooking hearty meals, playing music on the guitar and banjo, and (maybe most importantly) just by having such a big heart. His music touched the community in many other ways as well. He regularly performed at special events for the homeless community such as the annual Homelessness Memorial. He was very dedicated to his work. Taking on the position of coordinating St. E’s regular river clean-up for the last 3 years, Jake extended his service to the Santa Fe community at large. His environmental work brought together guests staying at the shelter with St. E’s staff, volunteers and many of our neighbors in the city to care for our watershed. Jake also enjoyed working with youth groups, guiding them through meaningful service projects that benefited both our guests and the volunteers themselves.

There’s no question, Jake did a lot and gave a lot of himself to Santa Fe and people experiencing homelessness. He gave it with love, patience and humility, which will always be a learning lesson for all who had the opportunity to work with him.

Some moments of Jake at his best...

Jake, shortly after arriving at the shelter, having a good time with the other interns

Taking a break for food and conversation with a volunteer youth group

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Bringing some holiday cheer

A video of Jake and his coworker Ben playing music at the 2016 Homeless Person's Memorial

As proud as a peacock with his crew of volunteers after a morning cleaning up the river

Thanks for everything Jake! We miss you so much!