Rain didn't get in the way of the 2026 Government of Guam Labor Day Picnic on Sunday as hundreds of GovGuam employees and their families showed up to the celebration that honored each agency and employee as "Pillars of Service."

In what may be her final Labor Day address to GovGuam employees as governor, Leon Guerrero said, "It's been an honor, it's been a great honor to be your first female CHamoru governor."

This year's theme "Pillars of Service," carried special meaning for those who spoke with Guam News Network.

Craig Cruz who works with the AmeriCorps Program at the Guam Memorial Hospital said the day was special.

"You get to see all the hard work that all the people, the government put in for the full year, and you get to celebrate that with all your colleagues, your professional colleagues, and your personal family and friends who work at other agencies, and it's just one big celebration of the achievements that our island has made," Cruz said.

Leiviah Osborn, a George Washington High School senior appreciated the recognition the day brought to many of her family members.

"I have a lot of family working government. My Nina, she works for DPW. My dad worked for GPD and Parks and Recreation, and my mom is a teacher with Guam Department of Education. So, I think it's really nice that we're recognizing all of them and their hard work," Osborn said.

Her Nina, Camille Quinata, said the day was also about connecting with fellow government workers and relaxing.

"I feel like this really brings together each agency to kind of hang out with each other. We have so many friends from other agencies other than DPW. S0, we went from hanging out at our tent to going and checking our friends at the other tents and it's just so nice for everybody to kind of like take the time to hang out and kind of relax after all of their hard work," Quinata said.

Quinata said that this year's theme, "Pillars of Service," recognizes the importance of each government employee.

"As an employee, I feel like without each and every one of us, without each of the people here working, all the admin, the officers, everybody in between, we wouldn't be where we are as a government or as a community," Quinata said.

Cruz, meanwhile, said government employees serve as pillars for future generations.

"It's like the chief said in his speech earlier, we're the pillars for our island, and we represent the next stage in growth, and he mentioned the children walking around and they're going to be our next island's workforce, and by being a pillar it's not only for ourselves, but for our community, we're also being a pillar for them, as well. And we're giving a strong framework for them to jump onto it to continue the work of the island," Cruz said.

In a Labor Day message, Leon Guerrero thanked Guam's workers.

"On This Labor Day, my heart goes out to every worker who holds up our island: our farmers and fishermen, our nurses and doctors, our teachers, our military and federal workers, our hospitality and tourism family, our construction crews, our small business owners, our government employees, and every hand in every industry that keeps Guåhan strong," she said. "Your work is sacred. It is how we show love for our families and for this island we call home. To every worker, in every pillar of our community: I see you, and I am forever grateful for you."

The Labor Day Picnic festivities ended at 5 p.m. on Sunday.