The Pueblo Food Project is growing food, building community and connecting generations across Pueblo through free edible gardens and cooking classes, to name just a few of the nonprofit's initiatives.

You'll find one of those edible gardens behind the Pueblo Arts Alliance building off South Grand Avenue in downtown Pueblo.

There are 12 garden beds filled with vegetables and herbs open to anyone who wants to pick from them at no cost. It is one of several edible landscapes the community coalition maintains across the city.

"It doesn't matter who it is, doesn't matter who you are, this produce is available to you," said Megan Cover, director of The Pueblo Food Project.

The landscapes are funded by grants and maintained by staff and volunteers. Cover leads the nonprofit, which operates on multiple fronts.

"We have the coalition side, which is community members working on different initiatives to make a better food system," said Cover. "We have an entrepreneur program for food businesses, so they go through a class and learn more about growing their business, and we have community gardens like this."

The Pueblo Food Project also organizes free cooking classes around the city. One of those classes is a 10-week program bringing together senior citizens and youth.

"We get to interact with the kids that come," said Linda Phelps, a cooking class attendee. "We've met some real nice kids from Girls and Boys Club."

The goal of the classes is to create connections and a sense of belonging among different groups of people.

"We get to do a lot of sharing of our different experiences, sharing food traditions and recipes, and then just learning all the new cooking skills together," said Lindy Webb, food skills education manager.

It's the kind of work we at News 5 like to honor with the News 5 Lighthouse Award. The award recognizes those who go above and beyond to make their community better.

"I always just say how thankful I am to be able to do a job like this," said Cover. "It's hard to complain when I get to spend the whole morning planting with my amazing coworkers and wonderful volunteer(s). (I'm) thankful that we get to spread the joy and the love of food, which everyone already has. We just get to expand that."

The Pueblo Food Project has helpful resources to free food pantries locally and across the nation. Click here for more information.

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Rob Decker, co-founder of Recovery Rebels softball and the non-profit Rise as Lions, is the latest winner of the News 5 Lighthouse Award for his work helping people navigate addiction and mental health recovery in southern Colorado.

Decker and Donzell Hampton founded the Recovery Rebels to create a fun and sober environment where healing is possible. The team is made up of people pushing each other forward in their recovery journeys, as well as their family members and friends.

"There's something about the team dynamic, especially if you grow up playing sports, you understand how important having teammates is and showing up for each other and fighting the good fight for each win or loss," said Decker.

"We're about faith, community, second chances," said Hampton. "Some people like being in a room for hours talking about sobriety, but I'd rather be out here on the field fellowshipping with brothers and sisters."

The softball group is part of Decker's larger non-profit, Rise as Lions, which provides outreach and support to anyone facing addiction, trauma, or thoughts of suicide.

"Rise as Lions was actually a play off of resurrect like Christ," said Decker. "So for me it was about redemption and resurrection."

Decker's own story is full of redemption. He was addicted to drugs and alcohol for 20 years and has been sober for 13 years.

He even attempted to take his own life in 2007 by jumping from the third story of a building. An awning below broke his fall, which he writes about in his book "God's Awning."

Decker is vulnerable and transparent with his story, hoping to use it to encourage others to get help.

"The hope is that the more we talk about it, the more aware we are with it, that people will come forward and start talking about it so they can start their own process of healing," said Decker.

It is the kind of selfless action to make a community better that we like to honor with the News 5 Lighthouse Award.

"We don't do this work, whether it's the mental health or recovery or showing up for people to get the awards, but just to see that some of the work has been recognized in the community I think is really important," said Decker.

The Recovery Rebels have four softball teams right now, including a co-ed team, two men's teams and a military team. They will host a mental health recovery tournament on May 30 at Leon Young Park in Colorado Springs.

If you or someone you know is in crisis right now, call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. A trained counselor will answer your call 24-7 to get you the help you need.

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Beth Alessio, executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Colorado, has been named the latest winner of the News 5 Lighthouse Award for more than two decades of work helping families with critically ill children.

A volunteer nominated Alessio for the recognition, which honors those who go above and beyond to make their community better.

The Ronald McDonald House in Colorado Springs offers families a place to rest while their children undergo treatment nearby. Bedroom windows face the hospital where the children are being treated a detail that has brought comfort to parents in their most difficult moments.

"(One mom) put a little Himalayan salt lamp in her daughter's room so in the middle of the night when she woke up she could look out the window and she could find her daughter's room," Alessio said.

Alessio describes the house as a place built on a foundation of love.

"We understand how hard it is to have a critically ill child and we can't imagine it or we have been there ourselves and we wanna help you through it," Alessio said.

Alessio has led Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Colorado for 25 years. Volunteer Idgie Watkins, who nominated her for the award, said that kind of sustained commitment is rare.

"Not a lot of people can say they spend that much time working this tirelessly to help others in their community," Watkins said.

Watkins said Alessio's influence extends well beyond her own efforts.

"It starts with Beth, but it branches out to everyone who she hires to work here, all of the volunteers that are screened to work here," Watkins said.

Sam Milam, who has worked alongside Alessio for 17 years, said her leadership sets the tone for everyone around her.

"Her attitude really does set the tone as a leader for the rest of us to come alongside and every day we bring our best and lift families up," Milam said.

Milam said Alessio's involvement goes beyond managing the big picture.

"I would see her when I came in on the floor chatting with some of the kiddos and meeting at the table with the parents and so it wasn't just that she was in charge of the big picture she was engaged with everybody all the way along," Milam said.

When presented with the News 5 Lighthouse Award, Alessio said the recognition belongs to the people around her.

"I'm really honored that I received this nomination, but at the same time, the work happens because of everyone that you see behind and so many more that it's in our community that makes the magic happen here," Alessio said.

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Learning what it takes to stay safe is a hands-on experience in a Kidpower Colorado workshop. The nonprofit's mission is to teach children ages 3 to 18 personal safety and confidence-building skills to reduce their risk of abduction, assault, and emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

"You literally see kids start in a place where they're not sure if they're in their body, they're not sure what their voice means, and afterwards the light in their eyes of just feeling strong, empowered, and like they're going to take control of their life and their body," said Liz Hahn, Kidpower senior instructor. "It's really cool."

"It is so rewarding when you see a young person find their personal power," said Diane Loschen, Kidpower Colorado community relationships coordinator.

Hahn and Loschen teach children the tools to stay safe, have a voice, and set boundaries. They are led by Jan Isaacs Henry, the executive director.

"Kids being harmed, I can't tolerate that and so I have to in whatever way I can in my little corner of the world do what I can to help kids be safe," Henry said. "It's that important and I feel compelled to do it. I have to do it."

Henry has been at the helm of the nonprofit for 31 years. In that time, more than 70,000 people have been trained by Kidpower Colorado. She holds one story close to her heart about a boy who was being bullied because of his physical disabilities. She says his life was transformed by Kidpower.

"First we heard from the teachers who said, 'What happened in that class with him because he looks different, he's walking in the world in a different way, he's using his voice, he's advocating for himself and also for other kids?'" Henry said. "And then we heard from his parents and his parents said this class changed his life because he is moving again through the world believing in himself and having the confidence to be able to stand up for himself in a way that he never did before."

Henry says over the last three decades, as safety concerns for children have evolved, the nonprofit has looked to children to teach them, too.

"We're now dealing with everything that technology brings good and bad," Henry said. "So we are really lucky that we have a teen advisory board that advises us, guides us about the relevant safety issues that kids are experiencing because we can't fully know that."

Even though Henry is quick to acknowledge the teens and all the people that make Kidpower a success, her colleagues say none of it would be possible without her.

"The thing that impresses me the most is the utmost integrity in which she conducts not just herself but has laid the foundation for Kidpower here in Colorado," Loschen said. "It's just from every component of what we do from teaching to just operationally stewarding donor dollars and managing the organization."

"Jan is an exceptional human being, and it makes me a little bit emotional in a great way because you want people who care about doing the right thing to be leading an initiative and an organization like Kidpower," Hahn said. "She's a great role model. She's a great leader, she's somebody who cares so tremendously about what she does."

That's exactly why Jan Isaacs Henry is the latest winner of the News 5 Lighthouse Award.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Whether she's bowling with her Special Olympics team members, she calls her "MVP's" or singing songs in her special needs classroom at Minnequa Elementary school in Pueblo, Shari Houser seems like an energizer bunny.

"I've got a secret, and it's called 'napetizers,'" jokes Houser as she explains how she keeps up with her busy schedule. "My kids will vouch for m,e I take 'napetizers on the weekends.

Houser's contagious laugh and sense of humor help break down any barriers in the classroom between her, the students, and her team of paraprofessionals.

"They love, and they connect," said Houser about the paraprofessionals. "They know part of our kids are going to come in, and it's a tough morning, or it's this or that, and it doesn't matter. They don't take anything personal."

It's the kind of unwavering support she also gets from her friends.

"I'm blessed with this community of friends that if I needed anything for any kid or any athlete, I'd pick up the phone and all my friends are like, 'What do you need? What can we do?'" said Houser. "It's a community of giving and I'm just a beacon of sparkle."

"You dream about having a parent like this," said Houser's daughter Brooklynn Abraham.

Abraham says she and her sister never wanted for anything, even though Houser was a single parent often working three jobs to make ends meet.

"I remember making sandwiches when we were little, she'd get all my friends together and we would go hand it out to the homeless," said Abraham. "I never really understood. Why are we giving people we don't know stuff that is hard for us to even get, and she just always told me that this life is a life of service and I didn't know until she was leading by example."

In her News 5 Lighthouse Award nomination, Houser's other daughter wrote:

A kindness that has touched the life of 44-year-old Grant Morris, Houser's best buddy for the last 12 years. Houser recently asked her principal, Katie Harshman, if Morris could be part of the staff at Minnequa. In no time, Morris became a regular volunteer.

"Grant comes in every Thursday, and he works in the library, and he checks everybody out," said Houser.

When we told Grant she was being honored by News5, he immediately stood up and praised her and helped us present to her the News5 Lighthouse Award.

Grant Morris: This is good, happy days for you and me, and this is for my team.

Shari Houser: It is.

Grant Morris: You are the best coach.

Shari Houser: Happy days for you and me and our team. You're right. I love you. Thank you.

We hope you have someone in mind who should be our next winner of the News 5 Lighthouse Award. We've given the award to community leaders, veterans, volunteers, and so many more unsung heroes. Fill out the form below to nominate someone today.

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Ben Johnson spends his days as part of CSFD's Communtiy and Public Health Division trying to help anyone they meet in the homeless community find a way out.

"A lot of time it starts with providing some water, providing perhaps some hand warmers, things like that," Johnson said.

It's a small gesture but it can make a big impact in creating rapport.

"The next time we see them we're still gonna say, 'Hey,would you like a water or are there any resources that we might be able to plug you in with?,'" Johnson said.

On the day we followed him and his partner, CSFD Crisis Navigator Anne Ledjte, through the city, they took us on a trail along Fountain Creek. They often see familiar faces, others new, always keeping in mind their work takes consistency and patience.

"We've been working with a veteran here for about a year who's been on the streets for several years and really struggled with substance use," Johnson said. "Over a lot of time and alot of work, we were able to work closely with the VA and just this past week got him into housing and he's just so thrilled and getting this place furnished."

Johnson and his team are grateful for the success stories but know some people do not want help.

"We see it all the time and, of course, we don't take it personal," Johnson said. "We continue to try to build rapport. We don't give up on people."

Johnson's loyalty and tireless determination was noted in his nomination for the News 5 Lighthouse Award. The anonymous writer said, "People like Ben are willing to roll up their sleeves and do the impossible work of facing the ugly and broken parts of this city, planting hope for those who feel unseen or unable to settle their mental illnesses and hardships."

Johnson's partner agrees. Ledtje says he pushes for answers from the homeless community when they say they do not want help.

"He wants an explanation and if that explanation doesn't make sense he'll challenge it," said Ledjte. "That's exactly what our community experiencing homelessness needs."

It's the kind of commitment to go above and beyond to help make his community better, that we acknowledge with the News 5 Lighthouse Award.

If you have someone you would like to nominate for the News 5 Lighthouse Award, please fill out the form below this story.

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It's easy to see how much the more than 240 students and staff members at Minnequa Elementary school love their principal Katie Harshman. Seconds after I present to her the News 5 Lighthouse Award for helping to make her community better, the school erupts in cheers. Balloons and handmade posters of praise fly up into the air. Harshman uses the moment for a lesson in love, calling on students to listen closely.

"Tank Tank,Tank!" she shouts to one student to capture his attention. "I want you to hear this because I want you to know how much I love you and care about you. I need you guys to find your role models and find your people who are going to make you great."

Harshman says the school is united in showing everyone how great they are.

"The students tell the teacher every morning 'I'm gonna show you how great I am' and we take it to a higher level," Harshman said. "When you believe you're great, there's nothing stopping you. So whether it's true or not doesn't matter, it's that you believe it. Then our job is just to help them to acquire that knowledge along the way."

Getting that knowledge is a hands-on collaborative process. Harshman spends most of her day in classrooms providing feedback to other teachers.

"I just think that it's my job to support teachers and support my scholars all day," said Harshman.

Harshman says the teachers are not nervous when she comes into the classroom.

"This is the culture we've built," she said. "It's a culture of respect. It's a culture of like growth, but it's also a culture of error. I make tons of mistakes in the day, but we also show that not to only staff but also the students we're human. It's not about the mistake you made, it's how you overcome the mistake."

Harshman and her staff have had to overcome quite a bit. Seven years ago the school district recommended the school be closed.

"Seven years ago our achievement in third grade was two percent," Harshman said. "In that same grade level, just last year we're at 51 percent, and now we're at 49 percent."

Getting there took intense training from a team brought in by the state. Along the way, Harshman learned every moment had to be intentional. That meant creating clear plans for success for teachers and clear expectations for students.

"There's discipline here," Harshman said. "There are expectations and systems and students are to follow them but right now in Minnequa 99% of our students are doing what we ask, maybe even a percentage more."

As Harshman and her team hold the students accountable, she's holding herself accountable, too.

"It's all just about being present so I know how I can support the scholars, how I can support the teachers, what the temperature is of the building," said Harshman. "For us to truly be powerful, I have to know what's going on."

That means being one of the first to greet students as they walk into school, and being one of the last to go home.

"We have work to do, we have to keep going," Harshman said. "The New York Jets say 'All gas, no brakes,' and that's what I'm trying to do here."

By the looks of the celebration inside the school for the News 5 Lighthouse Award, it's pretty clear principal harshman has plenty of support.

"Good, better, best we never let it rest until our good gets better and our better is best," says Harshman as she leads the student in a school cheer.

Harshman is one of fourteen children. She credits her parents, who were both public servants, for teaching her what it means to be a good person with a strong work ethic.

If you know someone deserving of the News 5 Lighthouse Award we want to hear from you. Click here to nominate someone now.

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David Warner spends most of his spare time teaching others about space.

"That black spot is about the size of the planet Earth," Warner said as he watches a child look at a black spot on the sun through his telescope.

It's the moments of awe that keep him going.

"Wow, that's awesome," says 9-year-old Oliver Yeary as he looked through Warner's telescope.

It's that kind of excitement from people young and old that motivate him to show up at events across the area.

"When people say, 'Oh wow look at the flare, look at this I'm seeing something I've never seen before that can't be real' that kind of feedback loop we get is what feeds us to come out and keep doing this every day," Warner said.

When Warner says "us" he's talking about his friends at the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society. The amateur astronomers show up with their telescopes at events all over southern Colorado. Click here for a list of events.

"My telescope's name is actually 'Goldilocks,'" said Warner to a group of onlookers. "It Goldilocks because the telescope is tuned to see right in the middle of not too hot, not too cold, just right."

On this day, volunteers from the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society were at the Colorado Springs Cool Science Festival at UCCS.

"That big red dot is the sun," said Warner to another child looking through his telescope.

Warner volunteers at more than 100 similar events every year.

"It's a sacrifice," Warner said. "But the way that I think about it is I could be sitting at home watching Netflix and eating potato chips on my couch, or I could be outside looking at the stars providing that foundation of hope and inspiration for young and old alike that had never looked through a telescope before."

Warner's sacrifices inspired his Space Force colleague and friend, Patrick Murphy, to nominate him for the News 5 Lighthouse Award. The award recognizes people who go above and beyond to make their community better. I shared what he wrote at a recent meeting of the Colorado Springs Astronomical Society.

"His efforts easily reach 15,000 people, both young & old, and ensure that astronomy remains accessible & interesting for all," Murphy wrote.

That kind of selfless dedication and determination to inspire others is why we chose Warner as the latest winner of the News 5 Lighthouse Award.

We're one human race," Warner said. "We're not black, white, Asian or Hispanic. We're not Buddhist or Catholic or Muslim. We're not Iranian, or American, or Russian, or Ukrainian. We're all one people looking up from this one planet Earth.

If you or someone you know deserves to be recognized for making our community better, we want to know about it. Click here to nominate someone for the News 5 Lighthouse Award right now.

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Every Tuesday, you will find Richard Skorman and a team of volunteers with a trashbag and a litter picker as they clean up parts of Colorado Springs. On Tuesday, July 29 they focused on the Midland Trail along Fountain Creek on the westside of the city.

"Feels good, you know, you're keeping all this plastic out of the steams," Skorman said. "You don't think about that, but a lot of that water goes to other people's water systems and and we pollute it."

Skorman founded the non-profit called Richards Rubbish Roundup in 2023. Since then, he has rallied more than 800 volunteers to help.

"Everybody's so enthusiastic, it's just great," Skorman said. "You get 20 to 30 people who come. They love doing it. We all celebrate afterwards with pizza and beer."

A celebration for work that Skorman recognizes can be dangerous.

"We try to make sure everybody's careful," said Skorman. "They're in pairs. They have yellow vests, they have a whistle, they don't go in steep embankments where they can fall. We have cans for needles."

Since 2023, Skorman said volunteers with Richards Rubbish Roundup have collected more than 4,100 bags of trash and disposed of more than 1,400 needles.

Part of his mission includes providing cleanup supplies to anyone who asks for them.

"We will help them in any way they can," Skorman said. "Even if they can't do it, we'll bring volunteers out there to do it because we want everybody to be safe."

Sonja Walker said when she moved to Colorado Springs from California, she complained to Skorman about all the trash she saw.

"He told me I should stop talking about it and do something about it," Walker said.

So, Walker became the Director of Richards Rubbish Roundup.

"I'm learning a lot not only about our city, but also the unhoused individuals that live here, because a lot of them see us picking up, and they want to pick up," Walker said.

Inspiring others and making his community better, that's why Richard Skorman is the winner the News 5 Lighthouse Award.

"People here are doers and that's what this is about," Skorman said. "Let's all get out there, roll up our sleeves and show how much we love our city."

By the way, Skorman feeds volunteers afterwards at his restaurant in downtown Colorado Springs called Poor Richards.

If you would like more information about the next cleanup events or how to organize your own, call Richards Rubbish Roundup at (719)238-1161, or click here.

Remember, if you or someone you know is going above and beyond to make their community better, we want to know about it. Nominate someone for the News 5 Lighthouse Award here.

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Paulette and David Greenberg hope the Holocaust educational displays they've created over the last two decades serve as a reminder of the impact of hate. The retired cardiologist and his wife have put their heart and soul into creating displays that foster important discussions about tolerance and compassion.

"To hear the people's stories who actually have lived in Colorado Springs is amazing, and we have the stories of every Holocaust survivor who lived here," said Mrs. Greenberg.

The couple has been talking about hate and it's consequences since they founded the Greenberg Center for Learning and Tolerance in 2003. That year, they were presented with a humanitarian award from Temple Shalom in Colorado Springs.

In recognition of their award, the couple decided to establish the non-profit.

"Over two and a half million people have seen our programs and exhibits," Mrs. Greenberg said.

The couple says one of their biggest goals is to help people learn about history.

"Remember the past so you don't have to reproduce that in the future," Dr. Greenberg said.

The money the non-profit raises has helped bring in exhibits that foster learning and discussion over some of the world's most horrific events. In 2005, they helped bring the remnants of a bus blown up in Israel by a suicide bomber to display at both Colorado College and the Citadel Mall in Colorado Springs.

("We're) trying to show that if you have respect for other cultures and for other people who are different than you are, you can't possibly get to the point of getting to this kind of hatred," said Dr. Greenberg as hge spoke next to the display at Colorado College in 2005.

"He was 28 years old, and he waited until the bus was filled with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim children, and he blew himself up," Mrs. Greenberg said. "Then you actually see it. It was their books, their backpacks."

The Greenberg Center also hosts guest speakers. Vinh and Leisle Chung spoke to a sold-out crowd at the ENT Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs in 2022. Leisle Chung shared her story about her Korean American family's search for their American dream. Vinh Chung shared his story of fleeing Vietnam as a refugee.

"Some of the mothers on the boat started talking about the unthinkable, they thought about maybe drowning their children in their suffering," Mr. Chung said.

"They were in a boat, and after a week, they ran out of food, and the father was going to push them overboard, and along came World Vision and World Vision saved them," said Mrs. Greenberg. "So that's when we raised $70,000 for World Vision to give to the Ukrainian refugees."

Greenberg Center board member Will Stoler-Lee says the work the Greenbergs do is becoming more relevant all the time.

"I think their steadfast commitment for people to engage in dialog, to learn from one another, and to respect our differences is so needed today, as much as ever, and they've been committed to that vision from the beginning," Stoler-Lee said.

That vision, that commitment to making their community better, is why David and Paulette Greenberg are the winners of the News Five Lighthouse Award.

"I watch who you give awards to and what you do, and it's amazing to see what the people do, everybody does a lot of wonderful things," said Mrs. Greenberg. "It makes me feel good that someone says, 'Thank you for doing what you did.'

The Greenbergs share their exhibits in our libraries, with teachers, and the community. If you are interested in using one of their displays, click here.

The next event being hosted by the Greenberg Center for Learning and Tolerance is on July 15th at 6:30 p.m. at the ENT Center for the Arts in Colorado Springs. It is titled "The Free Press Under Fire." Our Alasyn Zimmerman will be part of the panel for this event. Click here to get tickets to the event.

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Veteran Bob McCook did not know the impact Project Healing Waters would have on life. When we first met the retired Navy chief warrant officer last year, he told us he previously had mapped out a financial plan to end his life within two years.

"I actually developed a spreadsheet," McCook said. "The plan of the spreadsheet was all the things I would need to do to make sure (my wife) was financially okay."

But that all changed when volunteers from the Project Healing Waters chapter in Colorado Springs invited McCook and a group of veterans on an all-expenses paid fly fishing trip to Montana. On that trip was Desert Storm Air Force veteran and B-52 combat pilot Dave Ross. McCook credits Ross with saving his life.

"I come to this and I'm clammed up and I walk in and (Ross) is there, I'm good," said McCook.

Air Force combat veteran Woody Boyd says he was struggling when he first came into the program with Project Healing Waters. He said the way Ross invests in each person he meets has made an impact on him, too.

"Dave reached out to me and said, 'Hey, can I treat you to a cup of coffee?' and I was a little bit hesitant, but I said, 'Okay,'" said Boyd. "The way he spoke to me he just made it so personal, and he encouraged me to get back into the program."

The program uses fly-fishing to help veterans and active duty military cope with disabilities from their service.

"It's a detailed sport, so everything you do you have to focus on," Ross said, "Everything from tying the flies, building the rods, every aspect of fly- fishing, there's a focus. That focus is what gets them out of their mind and puts them on the river."

Ross's wife, Sue, a retired Air Force pilot herself, nominated him to receive the News 5 Lighthouse Award, which recognizes people who go above and beyond to make their communities better.

"I think he deserved a pat on the back," Sue said.

She says her husband's volunteer work started with cooking for the non-profit's daylong fishing trips across southern Colorado. He then started to take on the responsibilities for coordinating overnight fishing trips, then fundraising. The national non-profit eventually recognized Ross as a top fundraiser.

"I really wanted to acknowledge the hours that he spends that people don't see," said Sue Ross. "He's on his computer looking for grant sources, editing grants, making sure that he has all the information that he needs, and making sure every trip is full and that the right mentors match with the right participant."

It's that kind of selfless service to others we knew deserved one more special recognition, the News 5 Lighthouse Award.

Project Healing Waters has nearly 200 chapters in 48 states. It started in 2005 serving wounded military service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. To find a chapter near you click here.

If you know someone in our community deserving of the News 5 Lighthouse Award we want to know about them. Click here to submit your nomination now.

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The News5 Lighthouse Award celebrates our neighbors who go above and beyond to make our communities better. Our unsung heroes.

We are proud to announce that April's award is going to a Pueblo man who dedicates his time to helping the unhoused access transportation, housing, employment, and more.

I spoke with this month's winner about his commitment to helping those less fortunate.

Sam Chambers helps run the Green Chile Bike Bank in Pueblo with his wife Stephanie. It's a nonprofit that helps hand out, repair, and repurpose bicycles, specifically for the homeless community.

"We're well into 1,000 bikes or more that we've just outright gifted. I couldn't even begin to count the number of repairs," said Chambers.

He's been doing it for a long time, once using their own yard, then, growing big enough to move into the space they're in now a little over two years ago.

Green Chile Bike Bank opens their doors every Tuesday evening for anyone to bring in their bikes, and maybe grab some food and coffee. They also do more to help many find housing, employment, and other services.

"I would like to think that everybody that comes in here, at least has food stamps and can eat, and if not, if they bring that to our attention, we'll make sure that we get that started for them," says Chambers.

Sam's work helping people like Gary Lovett. They met at the Pueblo Rescue Mission almost 10 years ago.

Lovett ended up coming down to the Green Chile Bike Bank to learn from Chambers and begin volunteering, coming back every Tuesday.

Lovett says it was Chambers who helped him get out of homelessness.

Brett Forrest: "So if Sam had not come into your life. Where do you think you'd be right now?"

Lovett: "I think I'd probably still be at the mission."

For these reasons, Chambers is our winner of the News5 Lighthouse Award.

"He really does have a way to help get out of them the things that he can so that he can help them to get to a different place, or at least have a little bit of normalcy and comfort for the few minutes they spend time with him," said his wife, Stephanie Chambers.

But he's not done.

Chambers is urging the community to help them continue their work.

Recent sweeps of Pueblo's homeless encampments have made life harder for the people Sam and Stephanie help, they said. With their clients having to ride further, this increases their need for repairs.

Donations of bicycles or money go a long way. To learn more about how you can get involved, click here.

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Christina Chafe has been a famliar face around Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado for the last nine years. She helps run the front office at the warehouse in Colorado Springs and often helps people who show up needing food.

"I had this lady come in to Care and Share, and she was in tears, and I asked her how I could help her, you could tell that she was really nervous, tell me why she doesn't have any food," said Chafe. "I told her that it's okay and that I'm here to help you and to give you as much resources I can. That was the moving part for me because she just cried so much. I told her I was very proud of her to come into the front doors."

For 40 hours every week, Chafe does it all for free.

"It's a community that I love helping out," said Chafe. "I love doing our outreach events, because I talk about Care and Share and the mission that we do."

Care and Share CEO Nate Springer says more than 5,200 volunteers walk through the doors of the warehouse in Colorado Springs every year. He says the non-profit could not get food out to it's 289 partner agencies that distribute food across southern Colorado without volunteers, but he also recognizes that the more than 12,800 volunteer hours Chafe has given is rare.

"12,800 hours is just amazing for anyone," said Springer. "She should be a real example for what one person can do for an organization in our community."

That example of selfless service to her community is why Christina Chafe has been chosen as the winner of the News 5 Lighthouse Award.

"This is my second home," said Chafe. "I feel very honored, because I love Care and Share and I love everyone here. This is why I come here every day. It is because of the staff. The staff makes me so happy."

Chafe's husband, Mark, says he was proud to see his wife honored for her tireless work.

"It's just fantastic because I know how much she puts into this and how much she cares about this," he said. "It's really wonderful that there are programs and there are folks out there that give a little bit of that recognition."

We love recognizing the selfless work of people like Christina. If you know someone deserving of the News 5 Lighthouse Award, we want to know. Click here to nominate someone now or fill out the form below:

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Who are the amazing people in our community making a difference daily? KOAA5 wants to celebrate the unsung heroes who selflessly serve those in need.

The News5 Lighthouse Awards are a program that recognizes people who make extraordinary efforts to improve their neighborhoods through service.

KOAA5 has the honor of presenting this award to people in Southern Colorado and we need your help to discover these gems in our communities.

The Lighthouse Award takes the place of our previous program, the Jefferson Award. The Jefferson Award was in partnership with Multiplying Good, a company not affiliated with KOAA News5 or the E.W. Scripps Company. After decades of community service, Multiplying Good made the decision to dissolve as a non-profit entity last year (2024).

In the spirit of community and ensuring we tell the stories of people making a big difference in Southern Colorado, News5 has re-branded and will continue to tell these impactful stories under the News5 Lighthouse Awards. Have someone you know who is making a splash in peoples' lives locally? Nominate them below.

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Zelna Joseph spends most days giving away medical supplies, medical and dental care, and medical equipment through the faith-based non-profit she runs, Mission Medical Center in Colorado Springs.

"This is an amazing place, everything is free," Joseph said. "People know they can come and get free over-the-counter medications. They can come and get wheelchairs and walkers and shower chairs."

Joseph says she was hired in February of 2023 to help get Mission Medical Center financially back on track.

Dianne Derby: Do you consider yourself a problem solver?

Zelna Joseph: I am a problem solver. I called my sister and I said, 'I don't want that job' and I told her everything that was going on. She said, 'Yeah but you thrive on jobs like this, you like to solve problems.' And I thought, 'Yes, I do, but I'm 69 years old.'"

Five months later Joseph had a stroke.

Dianne Derby: Did you have a stroke from the stress?

Zelna Joseph: I did...When I was in the hospital I thought I need to quit this job and the Lord said, 'No I took care of you, I saved you and I want you to go back.'"

As she fought to keep the non-profit running, she temporarily closed the doors telling the staff she could no longer afford to pay them.

"When we closed everybody through Mission Medical was done for," Joseph said.

Less than two months later they were back up and running but this time, every staff member brought on agreed to work for free, including Joseph herself.

One of those is Ed Schroeder who originally came to the center as a patient.

"Ed got $300 more on his social security and he lost his state health insurance because of it," Joseph said.

"I came here, I came inside. I was really like, 'What do I do, I lost my insurance?' They just treated me wonderful here. It's like God told me to come here and now I'm working here."

Schroeder now does maintenance at the building, the same thing he did for 30 years at a hospital in Chicago.

"I get paid from God now," Schroeder said. "I don't have to worry about money in (my) pocket, because He'll always put it there."

Each staff member is united in a determination to provide the highest level of care at no cost to patients. The center offers comprehensive medical, dental, and behavioral health services.

"People come in here and they say, 'Wow, this is really nice.' They're not expecting a very professional clean facility with loving people who are just here to serve them."

People like Flavia Francis who has been a patient here for three years.

Dianne Derby: The care you get here, what's it like?

Flavia Francis: It's great. I'll give it 10 out of 10 out of 10.

It's all not possible without the leadership of Joseph who says she has now brought the non-profit into financial stability.

Sharyn Markus nominated Joseph for the News 5 Jefferson Award to help honor her selfless service and commitment to multiplying good.

"She is the most amazing person I know," Markus said. "She does it just from her heart."

Mission Medical Center currently offers services to patients in both El Paso and Teller counties who qualify for their assistance. That includes patients who have no form of health insurance or only catastrophic insurance coverage. For a single person, the income cut-off is $43,740. That number rises to $90,000 for a family of four. For more information about qualifying call 719-219-3402.

Mission Medical Center is funded through grants and private donations. Nursing students from Pikes Peak State College and the UCCS Johnson Beth-El College of Nursing also help provide care. To learn more about donations click here.

Remember if you know someone deserving of the News 5 Jefferson Award for community service we want to hear about it. Click here to make a nomination now.

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If you walk into the bathroom of the Boateng home in Peyton, Colorado you'll see at least 15 toothbrushes in a cup at the sink.

Desmond Boateng: You can see how clean the bathroom is.

Dianne Derby: It's immaculate.

Desmond Boateng: That just shows that special kids are living here because we want to live like normal people, too.

Every foster child who comes to stay quickly learns order not chaos is expected. Keeping a sense of normalcy may seem challenging when you consider the family of five, originally from Ghana, has welcomed 45 foster children into their home in the last 6 years.

Emelia Boateng: My house is clean and I like cleaning. So that's my hobby.

Dianne Derby: I don't know that most people would say that's a hobby, Emelia.

Emelia Boateng: That's why I say you need God's grace. If you don't have God's grace, you can't do all these things.

Dianne Derby: I love it.

Emelia Boateng: Thank you.

The children the Boateng family has fostered range in ages from 6-17, but the couple says they are welcome to stay until they are 21. The goal is to reunite children with their parents as soon as both child and parent, or parents, are stable but that's not always easy. The Boateng's ask the Colorado Department of Human Services to be matched with children who have complex intellectual and developmental disabilities. They say in one case the parents were scared of their son's behavior.

Desmond Boateng: He has been in 22 places in two years when I had him and he's been here for six years. Sometimes the same day he got kicked out (at other foster homes). He was too much.

Dianne Derby: What is too much?

Desmond Boateng:Too much means the behavior, anger, trauma, whatever he's been through. You don't know the story, we only know what is on the file. So with that, the first day he got here, he threw a tablet that I gave him to play with, to hit my wife and blood was oozing.

Dianne Derby: So how did you handle that as the dad?

Desmond Boateng: I took him out, we go for a walk because I know everything happens for a reason. I find out that everybody thinks he is a bad kid because of behaviors that is out of the system doesn't want him and mom just can't handle it. So then this means you have to double your love.

Doubling your love even when an attack becomes personal.

Desmond Boateng: I had a kid who came over here refused to come to my house because black people kill? Yes.

Dianne Derby: A foster kid?

Desmond Boateng: How do you love that kid?

Dianne Derby: But you did.

Desmond: It took three hours before he can understand. I don't kill.

The couple says Emelia's work with the elderly and Desmond's previous work at psychiatric hospitals has helped them to have compassion for every child who shows up to their home.

"When they find someone who really love and care for them, you see them turn around," said Mr. Boateng. "I give love, even though medication is there to help the kids, but I think love is the best therapy.

That love, that determination to help foster children in Colorado is why Emelia and Desmond Boateng are the latest winners of the News 5 Jefferson Award for community service.

Foster families do receive money from the state to help care for the children. The state tells me it varies based on the level of need of the child and also by age. To learn more about fostering click here.

To nominate someone to receive the News 5 Jefferson Award click here.

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Every week a group of about a dozen senior citizens begins their meeting in downtown Colorado Springs with the Depression and Support Alliance Colorado Springs with a friendly reminder that this space is a place to feel safe and supported.

They are part of the senior support group that meets every Wednesday. This local chapter of the national non-profit was founded by Karen Fallahi 30 years ago. The idea began within days of her son's death in 1993. She quickly called a public meeting to draw attention to his illness.

"To draw attention to manic depressive illness, to tell the story of this young man, and to make it so that information would be accessible to those in our community who don't know where to turn or what to do," said Fallahi.

Her son, Erik, died at just 25 years old. He had been diagnosed five years earlier with bipolar two disorder, formerly known as manic depression. She says the first signs started in high school.

"He was a senior in high school when I begin to see him in withdrawal, little periods of depression, that sort of thing," Fallahi said. "There were indicators that something was going on. I told his dad, 'I really think it's good idea to take him in and to see a doctor see a therapist.'"

Two days before he died she says she had a feeling his depression was worsening.

"I was out on a Saturday and I was with a good friend, her name was Charlotte, and I said, 'Charlotte, I'm losing him. I said if his pain is so great, and it's necessary, I'm willing to give him back to God.' He died that weekend."

Fallahi and her husband found their son lying on his side on the floor of his home.

"My first words were, 'Well, sweet son, you're on your way.'"

Fallahi says the coroner's report said Erik's cause of death was undetermined.

"(The report showed) nothing in his system that would have taken him," said Fallahi. "The way I look at it is, we're all here for a reason, some of us leave sooner, some of us later, and apparently, his assignment (was) he'd done what he had to do, and then left this world. And this was the gift he gave us."

That gift she says has been the network of 11 support groups she's created with DBSA Colorado Springs.

Bill Wallace is part of one of those groups, the senior support group.

"Here's where I can release, I can cry here, and I know that everybody knows how I feel they've been there," Wallace said.

Wallace says he would be lost without this support group.

"I don't have anybody but this group that I can trust 100% with my true secrets, and what's really hurting me," Wallace said. "Only here."

Forty-year-old J.D. Venable met Fallahi when he was a 17-year-old patient at Cedar Springs hospital in Colorado Springs.

"I live with bipolar one disorder and I was just diagnosed and still didn't believe all that was going on, but Karen came and introduced me to the support groups," Venable said. "I thought, 'Talk to some people that are going through similar things.'"

DBSA volunteers often showed up in person at behavioral health hospitals to help patients know there was support when they got out.

Venable says he spent several months in the groups and stopped coming. He later tried to take his life.

"Then Karen came again and I remember that was a good thing," said Venable. "So I got involved, I started volunteering. They were so kind, they even made a paid position for me and I got up on my feet. Now I'm supporting myself and have a wife and a baby on the way. So it's completely changed my life."

A life-changing support system created by a mom determined to help others like her son struggling to find hope.

"I think our purpose is to be here and serve our fellow human being," Fallahi said.

That's exactly why Karen Fallahi is the winner of the News 5 Jefferson Award.

If you or someone you know is deserving of the News 5 Jefferson Award we want to know about it. Click here to submit your nomination.

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The big green boxes outside Kevin and Mitzy Howard's home on East 5th Street in Pueblo will soon house a community garden for anyone who needs a little help to enjoy. It's thanks in part to a donating from Southern Colorado Services, recycling LLC.

"These two middle boxes are going to be the starter of our 100 fruit tree project where we hand out 100 fruit trees to the community," said Kevin Howard.

It's an idea born from Kevin's time in group homes for more than ten years as a child.

"They had a gardening project where they taught the children how to grow plants and vegetables," he recalled.

A lesson that somehow stayed with him through a life filled with abuse, gangs, addiction, homelessness, and time in prison, twice.

"I made a lot of poor choices in my life and I'm not proud of those choices, but because of those choices I'm able to see exactly what's needed to help the people that went through what I went through," he said.

Along with his wife, Mitzy, they run a non-profit out of their home called Pueblo United. Their goal is to help provide basic necessities to anyone struggling to get by.

"Kevin is my go-to guy for everything, "said Mitzy. "He's my emotional support human."

It's a mission born out of knowing exactly what people in need, actually need. Twelve years ago Mitzy was a single mom of two struggling to find help.

"It was Christmas, I had nothing," she said. "I reached out to a local charity for help and she reassured me that I would get help and nothing ever came."

Now Mitzy refuses to allow that to happen to anyone else. Every Wednesday night the Howards, along with their volunteers of friends and family, feed a home-cooked meal to anyone who shows up.

"Tonight we're having meatloaf," said Pueblo United Vice President Stephanie Thompson. "I make it in little cupcake liners. We made mashed potatoes. They have cookies and apples to give out, as well, and bottled water."

Every Wednesday night Pueblo United offers free clothing and haircuts, too. Three other days of the week they hand out care packages with food and hygiene supplies. On Saturdays, they give away furniture at their storage unit for free.

The Howard's 16-year-old daughter, Elyssia, plays a major role, too, running a free pet pantry out of their home.

"My (biological) mom passed me and my brothers around for a while when my dad was in prison," said Elyssia. "I saw how this struggle is so my dad started this up and it made me feel happy to be able to help the homeless."

It's a full-time job for the family determined to never have to say "no" to someone in need.

"Even on their days off they're doing stuff that's Pueblo United related," said Thompson.

Thompson is now the Vice President of Pueblo United. The single mom of three daughters asked for help from Pueblo United when she moved to Colorado from Florida a few years ago.

"I've always wanted to live in the mountains, so I packed everything with my kids and we came to Pueblo because it was the cheapest place in Colorado," said Thompson.

Now Thompson volunteers to cook the weekly hot meals.

"I love to cook," Thompson said. "It's my love language."

Thompson helps serve the more than 75 people who show up outside the Howard's home every Wednesday night.

"A hot meal is everything when you don't have anything," said Thompson.

It's work that's multiplying good across their community and that's exactly why we chose Kevin and Mitzi Howard to receive the News 5 Jefferson Award. To learn more about Pueblo United call (719) 696-8586 or click here.

The Jefferson Awards were started more than 50 years ago with the help of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. To learn more and nominate someone you know click here.

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Stop by Trinity Community Park in Monument and you'll see plenty of children having fun. But unlike most playgrounds around town, this one is designed to be accessible to anyone with special needs.

"It's about everybody being able to play together," said Trinity Community Park Executive Director Tamara Schwarz. "It's about no matter what body type you're in that you can all be together."

Schwarz's mission in creating the park was to bring the community together so people like 21-year-old Alex Faber have a place where they can be themselves.

"He really didn't have growing up a park where he could come to with his other buds that had special needs and be safe," said Faber's mom Suzanne. "This for young kids with special needs is a godsend."

Schwarz came up with the idea for the park during the pandemic. Her church, Trinty Lutheran church in Monument, had plans to demolish the old church playground.

"My husband and I were getting those COVID relief checks from the government," Schwarz said. "We thought we need to pay that forward because there are so many other people that need this money not us."

So the idea was born to build a playground for the community to enjoy. The church donated the land off Knollwood Drive and the congregation quickly jumped in to help.

"Within about 3 weeks we had about $50,000," said Schwarz. "I thought I was going to build the Taj Mahal. I thought, 'That's a lot of money!'"

That $50,000 covered the cost of a new playground.

"When we started to research equipment, all of a sudden, all of the other equipment started to pop up and it was equipment for people with special needs," she said.

That sparked an interest in learning more. She called three of her friends with special needs children and found out they did not have any playgrounds nearby they could enjoy.

"My one friend said they would get a sitter for their special needs kid and take their other three kids to a park and have a picnic as a family," Schwarz said. "I came back to our team volunteers of 10 and said 'I gotta tell you these stories.' I told him the stories and it was absolutely unanimous. They said, 'We have to go for Phase 2'."

With the help of many businesses and other donors, Schwarz and her team raised $300,000 more to build an adaptive playground for all. When build day finally came, more than 75 volunteers, including the town's mayor, showed up to help.

"I helped build the teeter-totter along with 12 other guys, and this big apparatus over my shoulder here," said Mayor Mitch LaKind.

"Tamara is just the most amazing combination of passion and love and determination and leadership," said volunteer Sue Ross. "What she made happen in two years is absolutely phenomenal."

It's selfless work that's multiplying good for so many.

"The fact that Tamara has spearheaded this, and the church is really come behind her with this, to have a place where kids were special needs whether physical or cognitive, can come and play together, is absolutely huge, just huge," said Faber.

That's why Tamara Schwarz is the latest winner of the News 5 Jefferson Award for community service.

"It's very fun here at this park and we love you being here at this church," said Alex Faber.

Schwarz is always planning more phases for the park. Right now she's hoping to finish off the trail with gravel. They are looking for gravel donations or even a trucking company to haul the gravel to the park. If you can help or know someone who can, you can reach out to Schwarz and her team directly. Click here for more information.

Know a person multiplying good in our community? Nominate them for the KOAA News 5 Jefferson Award here.

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Daryl Griffin is a volunteer high school football coach...

"Coach Griffin is a good person," said Mesa Ridge High School senior Avant Wright. "He's definitely a players coach for sure."

A member of the U.S. Space Force...

"If anything is going on I know Sgt. Griffin is going to be the one I go to, people can call on for anything and everything," said Space Force 1st Lt. Alesha Webb-Turner.

A volunteer wildland firefighter...

"It was my dream job as a kid," Griffin said.

And a husband and a brand-new father. No matter which role he's in, it's clear Daryl Griffin is someone people around him respect and admire.

"He makes everyone else rise up to his level," said Mesa Ridge assistant football coach Jason Marthaller.

"He really embodies what it means to be a service member both inside the military and outside the military," said Webb-Turner.

At Mesa Ridge High School in Widefield School District 3, Griffin serves as the assistant defensive back coach and recruiting coordinator.

"He had a big year it's his first year of coaching with us," Marthaller said.

Whether he's on the field or off...

"I have a lot of dream jobs so football is another dream job," said Griffin.

Griffin helps to make sure students like Avant Wright make it to signing day to continue their athletic careers.

"He definitely helped me a lot in the recruiting process in terms of how I should talk to coaches and getting in contact with coaches in general," said Wright. "I honestly don't know where I'd be in my recruiting process without Coach Griffin."

The 25-year-old says his passion for playing football as a young boy helped shape the man he is today.

"It taught me how to communicate well, I think my wife appreciates that a lot, it taught me how to depend on the people to the right and left of me," said Wright. "In the military, I have to depend on my brothers and sisters in service so I think football played a big role in my upbringing."

That upbringing, Griffin says, was not always easy.

"So I just try to be the person I needed in different situations," said Griffin.

Setting an example, serving selflessly. That's why we chose Daryl Griffin to receive the News 5 Jefferson Award.

The Jefferson Awards were started more than 50 years ago with the help of Jacqueline Kennedy O'Nassis. Local winners go on to qualify for a National Jefferson Award and an all-expense paid trip to New York City. Remember if you or someone you know is deserving of the News 5 Jefferson Award, we want to know about it.

Click here to nominate someone you know.

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