Maintenance workers Carlos and Martha Hernandez received an all-expenses-paid trip to Hawaii for the smiles they’ve brought to children and staff at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic School over the decades.

The Thousand Oaks couple knew ahead of time they would be honored with the Westlake Village school’s Legacy Award Saturday night but had no idea about Hawaii.

Carlos Hernandez, 63, has worked since the mid-1980s as the plant manager at the school and St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, which is on the same site. His wife Martha Hernandez, 55, has worked as assistant plant manager at the school for 12 years, Principal Marty Freel said.

The couple received the Legacy Award and the trip during a presentation before 200 parents and staff Saturday at the Sagebrush Cantina in Calabasas. Megan Goldberg and Sarah DuRoss, co-presidents of the St. Jude Parent Teacher Group, appeared before the couple, carrying a giant airline ticket.

The Parent Teacher Group raised $11,600, enough for roundtrip airfare, a stay at The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, food, drinks and activities such as luaus, Freel said Monday. He added that also leaves them plenty of extra spending money.

As plant manager at the school and church, Carlos works as an electrician, plumber, carpenter, landscaper, painter, you name it. Freel said Carlos is consistently cheerful, even whistling while he does major work to fix a clogged-up toilet.

What’s more, Carlos is there for the kids, Freel said. He noted one of the school's teachers attended the school as a young girl and felt scared on her first day until Carlos comforted her and introduced her to other students.

Carlos said Monday that students grow up and return to the K-8 school and talk to him.

“They say, ‘Carlos, I went to the school in kindergarten. Right now, I’m a banker. I’m an engineer. I’m a lawyer,’” he said.

The father of three adult daughters from a previous marriage said he moved from Mexico City to Thousand Oaks in the early 1980s and worked briefly as a cook at restaurants and at California Lutheran University before starting his career at St. Jude.

Martha Hernandez, a native of Morelia, Mexico, moved to Thousand Oaks in 1999. She said she likes working at the school because of its nice kids and adults.

“It’s a beautiful community, with the children and their smiles,” she said.

Freel said the school and the Parent Teacher Group wanted this year’s Legacy Award, typically given to a family and sometimes to a donor, to be about bringing the community together.

“We couldn’t think of anyone better to give the award to than Carlos and his wife,” Freel said.

Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at[email protected] or 805-437-0232.
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