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A Ray of Hope
Wendy Williams finds purpose through her calling as forensic nurse coordinator “We listen, we believe, we know that our
By Carie Canterbury The Daily Record
survivor is here because something is going
When she was a little girl, Wendy Williams had dreams of becoming either a nurse or a teacher.
on,” she said. “We take that and we go to the next level. We help them. We listen to them.
Ultimately, she fills both of those roles in her position as the forensic nurse coordinator for St. Thomas More Hospital and Kindred Kids Child Advocacy Center.
We examine them. We make sure that they are medically and physically safe.” Outside of work, Williams and her family
Williams grew up in Penrose and graduated from Florence High School in 1994.
foster medically fragile children. Since becoming
As a child, she would set up an imaginary classroom in her bedroom, teaching imaginary pupils. But after one year in college studying to become a teacher, Williams realized that wasn’t quite where she wanted to go in life.
licensed just three years ago, they have fostered
She instead pursued and earned an EMT certificate, an Associate’s of Applied Science for Medical Assistant and a Master of Science for Nursing with an emphasis on Nursing Education.
care for the babies.
She worked at doctors’ offices in Fremont County and Pueblo for several years before joining the ranks in June 2013 as an RN in the ICU at St. Thomas More Hospital.
a total of four children, and it’s something the family will continue to do. Her children, Madisyn, 17, and Bryce, 19, help
“I have amazing kids,” Williams said. “I am so Wendy Williams, center, is escorted at the FEW banquet by her children, Madisyn and Bryce, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
While working in the ICU one day, she noticed a pamphlet for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, but she immediately thought she would never want to do that.
In addition to conducting exams, Williams offers presentations for law enforcement and multi-disciplinary teams on strangulation, attends conferences so she can remain current in her field, and also offers training for other nurses.
“The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was weighing heavy on my heart,” Williams said.
Dealing with abuse and neglect on a daily basis isn’t always easy, but for Williams, it’s a calling.“
She applied for the Forensic Nurse Examiner position and soon after became the coordinator for the program.
very proud of my children and who they are and who they have become as young adults. They are wonderful, wonderful kids.”
Wendy Williams, right, poses for a photo with her daughter, Madisyn, and her son, Bryce. (Courtesy Wendy Williams)
That was about three years ago. “It’s been a learning process, but I really, really enjoy this position,” Williams said. “I love it. It is definitely where I am supposed to be.”
It was her children who escorted her during the Fremont’s Exceptional Women’s annual
The SANE nurses see victims of physical assault, child neglect, child abuse, domestic violence, intimate partner violence and strangulation.
banquet on Oct. 28. Williams was nominated for the Professional Achievement award, which she received the top honor in her division.
Depending on age and mandatory reporting, Williams and her two cohorts may work with law enforcement on certain cases.
“I can’t believe I was nominated and made the top three,” she said. “I never, ever would have thought I would be selected as the top nominee.” She wanted to thank her forensic nursing Wendy Williams, left, and her daughter, Madisyn Williams, pose for a photo after Wendy pinned Madisyn for her Certified Nurse Aide (CNA). (Courtesy Wendy Williams)
Wendy Williams, second from left, poses for a photo with her son, Bryce, her daughter, Madisyn, and her parents, Rick and Darlene McDermott. Not pictured are her brother Kirk McDermott and his wife Lisa McDermott who live in Tennessee. (Courtesy Wendy Williams)
It’s something that needs to be done and I enjoy it,” she said. “Turning it off doesn’t happen, but nursing as a whole, you can’t turn it off. The fact that I have the ability to testify or give them some sort of hope is the first step in the healing process for somebody who has been assaulted.” It’s natural for her to be a ray of hope for a person going through a dark time.
team for their support. Williams isn’t sure what she will do when she eventually becomes an empty nester, but one thing is certain, she won’t be leaving Fremont County. “I am a small-town person, I really enjoy this community,” she said. “I know so many people in this community. This is where I want to be, this is where God wants me to be.”
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023
Carrying on a family tradition Dr. Ashley Metcalfe’s passion is caring for animals in Fremont County
“Historically, if it’s bought out by a corporation, you
By Carie Canterbury The Daily Record
lose that small-town family feel,” she said. “I don’t want that for our clients.”
She’s following in her grandfather’s footsteps by taking over his decades-old veterinary practice, caring for the injured, sick, neglected and abused animals in Fremont County
Caring for injured and sick animals can be taxing, but knowing she can help by relieving pain and trying to help curb ailments is why she does what she does.
At the age of 30, Dr. Ashley Metcalfe purchased Fremont Veterinary Hospital from her grandfather, Dr. Ron Smith.
She likes that no two days are alike and that she’s constantly learning in her profession.
Metcalfe was one of the Top 3 honorees in the Professional Achievement category for this year’s Fremont’s Exceptional Women.
“It keeps you on your toes as far as learning new techniques or new medications, and really, learning new communication styles,” she said. “It’s amazing the
Born in Cañon City, Metcalfe was raised in Virginia and Pueblo West. She graduated from Centennial High School before going on to earn her doctorate in 2019. She moved back to Cañon City after graduation and purchased the hospital in September 2022.
different tips and tricks you pick up from colleagues or
Throughout her life, everybody knew she was going to be a veterinarian – except for her.
is the Veterinarian of Record for the Humane Society of
from continuing education, not only for medicine, but how to interact with people and animals in general.” In addition to caring for her own clientele, Metcalfe Fremont County.
She was planning on going into pharmacy until she was halfway through her undergraduate. “After working in a pharmacy for a couple of years, I realized that it’s not for me,” she said. “I wasn’t able to implement the change that I wanted. My biggest thing was my father passed away from an overdose of opioids, so it is something that is very near and dear to my heart about the whole crisis situation and the abuse throughout not only our community but throughout America.” Going into pharmacy, she thought she might be able to work toward decreasing the use of opioids and helping others.
“We can do so much for animals within our community,” she said. “We see so many animals coming in and out, and, unfortunately, I don’t think people realize and appreciate all (the Humane Society) does. Dr. Ashley Metcalfe, right, is escorted at the FEW banquet by her co-worker and nominator, Rachael Bishop, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record) Smith bought Fremont Veterinarian Hospital 30 years ago. Once he started contemplating retirement, Metcalfe said it was her goal to keep the private practice alive.
Yes, as a veterinarian, I am performing the surgeries, the diagnostic, et cetera, but the Humane Society allows me to.” Having custody of strays, the Humane Society of Fremont County ultimately is responsible for paying for their care and treatment. “People want to praise me for taking care of all of these animals, but it’s because they allow me
“I realized that as a pharmacist, that’s not going to happen,” Metcalfe said. “You really have no control over that.”
to,” she said. “They are the ones saying yes to these procedures, they are the ones saying yes to being able to run these diagnostics and not giving up on these
Her husband, Cody, who was her boyfriend at the time, told her she should go to vet school. She told him she had never thought about it.
animals.” Metcalfe is adamant about not having the spotlight on herself, but sharing it with her staff who
“At that time, I was already volunteering with the humane society, doing all of the things that you are supposed to do in order to get into vet school,” she said. “I just never put two and two together that that’s really where my passion lay.”
is more like a family. In fact, some of the staff were around when she was a young girl. “They saw me grow up and now we get to work side by side,” she said. Metcalfe and her husband have two children ages two and a half years and six weeks old. As a family, they enjoy taking road trips within the state, hiking and fishing. When she learned she had been nominated for the FEW, she thought it was quite silly because “I don’t do Dr. Ashley Metcalfe poses for a photo with her pet chicken, Dorthy. (Courtesy Photo) Most people have been practicing for 10 to 15 years before they buy a hospital, but for her, it was now or never.
Dr. Ashley Metcalfe treats a patient, Reptar, at Fremont Veterinary Hospital. (Courtesy Photo)
anything special or exceptional,” she said. But it was nice to trade her scrubs in for formalwear for the banquet. “I honestly believe that what makes me exceptional is the people around me, because, without them, nothing I do or nothing I want to accomplish
“Unfortunately, corporations are buying veterinary clinics left and right,” she said. “There are very few privately owned veterinary clinics left.”
would ever be possible,” she said. “I was raised and am
She aims to keep the small business mentality and not have an outside force dictate what they can and cannot do for their clients and for their animals.
and were able to do it all. Without them as inspiration,
still surrounded by very strong and dedicated women who have long had great careers and raised families it would be nothing.”
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Finding a bigger purpose Alexis Weaver has found fulfillment through teaching
By Olivia Johnson The Daily Record Alexis Weaver was one of the Fremont Exceptional Women’s Professional Development nominees. Weaver was born and raised in Florence and, after graduating from Florence High School in 2004, took a chance at exploring the wider scope of Colorado. “Like most kids, I grew up feeling that it [small towns] were stifling and I couldn’t wait to get out and I had all these big dreams,” she said. “But then I got out and realized that I missed my little community and feeling like I was part of something bigger.” She pursued an undergraduate degree in chemistry and a minor in Spanish at Colorado College with the dream of finding a job as a forensic scientist. She hoped to work in a crime investigative lab and work her way up the ladder. “I was hired on as a forensic chemist in a lab in South Carolina but it was 2008 and, the week before I was to start my job, that nationwide government freeze happened and I lost my position,” she recalled.
Alexis Weaver is escorted at the FEW banquet by her husband, Andrew Weaver, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
Devastated, and skint-broke because of traveling for the interview, Weaver was forced to examine alternate life pathways.
“I love working with the kids, I love watching them grow I love being there to help them when they feel like they couldn’t do something,” she said.
She moved back home with the hopes of completing her Master’s in Forensic Chemistry at UCCS and quickly found a job at the Holy Cross Abbey Winery. However, she quickly learned that she had a knack and love for educating as she learned to instruct people on what wines to pair with different dishes.
In addition to full-time teaching, she also is a National Honor Society advisor, which has increased inductees from eight to 58 in the recent years. She is also a high school girls’ soccer coach of 15 players. She enjoys reading and taking part in a variety of crafts.
She met her husband, Andrew, during that time and began substitute teaching in the local school districts when her son, Lincoln, was old enough to attend school. Not long after, she decided to become a teacher. She obtained her full-time teaching license in 2022 and quickly jumped into teaching a menagerie of classes at Florence Junior Senior High School including geometry, chemistry, and forensic science – the perfect marriage of her two passions.
Her family of four also keeps her quite busy but she likely wouldn’t have it any other way.
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023
Still More to Give
After nearly 40 Years giving back, Sheila Banker continues to give her time Kristina Post The Daily Record Helping others is something that comes naturally to Sheila Banker. Not only is she someone who is always ready with a warm smile and kind words, but for years, she has been heavily involved in Cañon City organizations where the main focus is doing kind things for others. Banker was born in Canada to British parents, who quickly relocated to the U.S. She grew up in Arlington, Texas, and moved to Houston to begin
nursing school. It was there that she met her husband, Mike, who at the time was in medical school. She spent time as an ICU nurse before she and Mike moved to Cañon City in 1985. When she and Mike arrived in Cañon City she began working as a nurse at St. Thomas More on and off, all while raising her and Mike’s three kids. Once all of her kids were grown, she worked for 15 more years at St. Thomas More before retiring in 2017. During her time there she worked in ICU, Med Surg, Infection Control and as an Occupational Health nurse.
“I always love to care for people,” she said. “I like to help people. I like to take care of people. And nursing is a very rewarding career” And although she’s retired, Banker hasn’t slowed down. In fact, she manages to fill her days with volunteering, making time for two of her grandkids who are being raised in Cañon City, and helping out friends and family wherever she can. She’s involved in Zonta and PEO, and an active member of the Vestry at Christ Episcopal Church. Now, after living in Cañon City for nearly 40 years, Banker said nothing beats living in a small town. And when it comes to the people and the beauty, Fremont County can’t be beat. “We lived in big cities, and we knew that wasn’t for us,” she said. “We love living in a small community. It’s beautiful. We’re close to skiing, hiking, fishing and camping. People are very caring here and we love that you get to know so many people in a small town. It’s warm and friendly and we feel comfortable here.” Those closest to Banker, and even those who have just met her, know that she is someone who is always there when her family, friends or community needs her. And it’s not just about volunteering. Banker can often be found downtown supporting local businesses, supporting friends and their events and organizations, and supporting local artists and artisans. And for Banker, it all comes from the heart. “I love my community,” she said. “And I want to support my friends, neighbors, local merchants and any causes that I feel passionate about.”
Sheila Banker is escorted at the FEW banquet by her husband, Dr. Michael Banker, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
And though much of Banker’s hard work is done behind the scenes, the Cañon City community benefits from all of the kindness and generosity that she has to offer.
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A warm, cozy person
Ann Goldman welcomes all to Yarned and Dangerous Kristina Post The Daily Record
Goldman’s longtime friend and Yarned and Dangerous volunteer Jerri Wright said it’s a place where everyone feels comfortable.
When you walk into Yarned and Dangerous on Third and Main streets, you are immediately greeted with an unmistakable warm, cozy feeling. It helps that you’re surrounded by yarns and fiber art materials of all kinds, but it’s so much more than that.
“I’m here as a volunteer because it makes me feel good,” Wright said. “It’s a feel-good place. People come in and say this is their happy place. That’s a word that’s used by a lot of people.”
The feeling comes directly from the environment that longtime Cañon City resident Ann Goldman has cultivated through her kindness, acceptance, and her love of being with good friends over fiber arts. Goldman was recently nominated for the Ruth Carter Award for Excellence in Character as part of Fremont’s Exceptional Women event. Yarned and Dangerous is a sanctuary for fiber artists -- a destination shop where people come from across the state to get highquality products and service, and even higher quality kindness from Goldman and the entire fiber arts community who hangs out there. Goldman grew up in Southern Illinois, and after years of moving around, she, her husband Steve, and their two daughters landed in Cañon City in 1993 when he began working at the Federal Penitentiary. In 2002, she and Steve were involved in a car accident that tragically took her husband’s life.
Wright said Goldman is responsible for that feel-good feeling people get when they enter the store. “Ann has a very unique ability to remember people. And when they walk in the door and she sees them, Ann Goldman, right, is escorted at the FEW banquet by her daughter, Rachel Goldman, a smile goes on her face. And she’s on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. happy to see them. We all love that (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record) feeling, that someone knows us,” I never would have before in my life,” Wright said. “Ann is happy, not that Goldman said. “They were all business you’ve come in to spend your money, and math classes and I found out I but she’s happy to see you. It’s Ann really liked them.” that’s made that possible, no one So, when a downtown yarn shop else. That’s what makes this place so and bookstore was closing, with her degrees in hand, Ann decided to unique and wonderful.” buy it. It was a place where many of And what started out as a way to Goldman’s friends in the fiber arts save her friends’ knitting hangout has community spent countless hours turned into true passion for Goldman. of camaraderie over their knitting needles. “I love the creativity here. We “I bought it just so my friends could keep their yarn shop,” Goldman said.
After ruminating on where life would take her, Goldman decided she Since then, Goldman has operated would stay. a place that is so much more than a “I could have gone anywhere,” yarn shop. Goldman said. “But I stayed here. “There’s no special club here,” she I love this community.” said. “People here are fun, and nice, Goldman decided to go back to and we laugh. We don’t care about school where she got her bachelor’s your politics or religion. I don’t try and master’s degrees in Business to put my beliefs on anyone else. Administration, as well as her master’s You should always be accepting in Library Science. and loving and kind and tolerant to everyone. Because you never know “I didn’t know what I wanted to what anyone else is going through.” do, but I decided to take classes that
help people here. We accept people as they are,” she said. “Sometimes people come in and they want to talk, sometimes they come in and they don’t want to talk, and that’s OK. We just accept them as they are. We are a well-kept secret on Main Street.” Those who decide to make Yarned and Dangerous their new happy place will be greeted with a warm smile, and, thanks to Ann Goldman, accepted as if you’ve been in on the secret all along.
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Always willing to lend a hand Phyllis Ibarra’s faith played role in her giving back
Olivia Johnson The Daily Record
between the states and Mexico before moving back to the U.S. in 2012.
Phyllis Ibarra was one of the top nominations for the Fremont Exceptional Women’s Excellence in Character Award.
She and Jesύs landed in Fremont County and Ibarra began working at Florence Junior Senior High School as a special education paraprofessional. She was a health technician for about four years before realizing she needed to return to special education.
Ibarra was born in Pueblo and, early in her life, learned the value of going to church and valuing the role her personal Savior plays in her everyday life. Her spiritual beliefs have played a large part in who she is today and have taken her to Mexico and back. After graduating from Falcon High School, she jumped into family life alongside her new husband, Jesύs, whom she married in 1984. The couple celebrated the arrival of six biological children over the years and also the introduction of two foster children, whom they permanently adopted, as the years went by.
Phyllis Ibarra, right, is escorted at the FEW banquet by her daughter, Kristal Wood, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
Her beloved children range in age from 17-40 and she also has several grandchildren.
“I have my kiddo with special needs and I just really have a heart for special needs,” she said about her love of special education. “They are just so, so special.”
Currently, she serves as a full-time, one-on-one Her love of Christ and children paraprofessional for one of four eventually led her and Jesύs to special needs children at the travel to Mexico as missionaries. high school. From 2008-2012, the couple, In addition to working with along with several of their children with special needs, children, worked at a Mexican she enjoys being a mother and orphanage where they spent grandmother, helps with her three-and-a-half days a week local youth group, and spends caring for 37 children. every other night tending her elderly parents. Despite her Ibarra expressed that they mother’s advanced age, Ibarra had “hope down there and we is currently learning the art of would work at this orphanage and, eventually, the directors of canning from her and enjoys the orphanage asked us to stay canning unusual items such as and help. We would take care of beans, milk and similar items for the future. “One was a teenager when we them, take them to school, do their laundry, just running it”. Regardless of what she’s adopted him and one we got doing, Ibarra does all she can to For four years, the couple when he was 11 weeks old,” she help others around her. said about her adopted children. bounced back and forth
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A Compassionate Spirit Lisa Tedesko known for her tremendous leadership
Carie Canterbury The Daily Record Lisa Tedesko has attended every banquet for Fremont’s Exceptional Women since its inception in support of her friends who had been nominated. This year, however, she was the one in the spotlight. Tedesko was one of the Top 3 honorees for the Excellence in Character category. She was nominated by her daughters, Lorin, 23, and Ali, 20. “They brought me a bouquet of flowers with a card that said, ‘Congratulations, Mom, you are a FEW finalist,’” she said. “I was shocked. I was Lisa Tedesko, right, is escorted at the FEW banquet by her daughters, Lorin and Ali, on completely surprised. The fact that it Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. came from my girls meant the world (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record) to me because they are my world. For them to think highly enough of me to Program, Professional and Internship Community Experience. That program even throw my name in the hat just meant so much to me.” has since expanded into Florence and Cotopaxi and is becoming a statewide Tedesko was nominated based internship standard. on her tremendous leadership throughout her adult life and the “All of the students at the (Cañon incredible influence she has on her City) high school are now required to family, friends and community. go through the PaICE program before She also was nominated for her they exit high school, it’s a graduation compassionate spirit and strong faith. requirement,” she said. “They do this in their junior or senior year, wherever “My faith is a huge part of who they can fit it in.” I am,” she said. “I just feel deeply for others.” Outside of work, there’s never a dull moment. Tedesko served on the Tedesko was raised in Cañon City and graduated from Cañon City High booster board at Mountain View Core School in 1993. She attended the Knowledge School all throughout University of Southern Colorado in her daughters’ years there and also Pueblo – now CSU-Pueblo – where volunteered with the Tiger Pride she earned a Bachelor’s degree Booster Club Board, where she in Social Work. She worked for currently serves as president. Development Opportunities – now She was a deaconess for E-Free Starpoint - as a case manager for a couple of years before transferring to Church for many years, she served on the board for Young Life and Gateway Youth and Family Services she and her husband volunteered where she was a case counselor for for the AWANA program at their several years. Most recently, she has church for 10 years when their girls worked for the Cañon City School were younger. Now, she volunteers District for 11 years. She started with the Sons of Italy and serves on out as the School to Work Alliance the Mercy Over Bondage Board of Program coordinator and seven Directors. years ago she created the PaICE
Tedesko and her husband, Mike, have been married for 25 years. They’ve never wanted to live anywhere other than their hometown. “I just love the small town feel, I love smaller communities,” Tedesko said. “I am not a big city girl. I love that people know each other and look out for each other.” She also works part-time at the Abbey Event Center, and her husband recently retired from the Department of Corrections. Moving forward, Tedesko likely will continue to attend the FEW banquets. She said the FEW is a great way to honor women in the community and celebrate their accomplishments. “I enjoy just going and being a part of it every year and learning about so many people I don’t even know personally and the amazing things that they do,” she said. “It was an honor to be in the same mix with so many of them, and that’s just a tiny percentage of the amazing people in our community – men and women alike.”
Lisa Tedesko and her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Lorin and Ali, during the FEW banquet on Oct. 28. (Courtesy Photo)
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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2023
Staying Determined
Fran Black has been an example of how to overcome adversity enough benefits to go around,”
Olivia Johnson The Daily Record
she commented. “We particularly
Fran Black was one of the nominees for the Fremont Exceptional Women’s Minnie Harding Award for Overcoming Adversity.
need to give back to our youth.” She closed the chapel to the public in 2013 but still uses the chapel area as a resting place for
Adversity presented itself in Black’s life when she was diagnosed with macular degeneration in her fifties but the loss of her sight hasn’t put even the slightest dent in her determination or wonderful personality. Black was born and raised in Pennsylvania and, early on, learned an appreciation for selflessness in the form of her childhood mentor Mrs. Mott. “She [Mrs. Mott] started a canteen for high school and junior high kids atop the police station…where we could play ping-pong and dance,” she said with a smile. “I said to Mrs. Mott, ‘When I get rich I’m going to do something for the youth like you’ve done something for us’.” She kept her promise. After getting married, having her two children and traveling to foreign countries, including Germany, Denmark, Australia, and Italy, alongside her family she decided it was time for a new adventure and moved to Denver in 1982. She spent years as the executive director at an alcohol recovery center and also spent time running her own business named ExecuTrack.
those who may need an extra boost of confidence or help. Black has spent time on the board of Fremont Center of the Arts and also volunteers with the Florence Senior Community Fran Black, right, is escorted at the FEW banquet by her friend, Mariana Cox, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
In the late 1980s, she bought an old mansion in Evergreen, which she converted into a lodge. She sold it in 2005 and, not long after, found herself in Florence, where her brother also lived. A lover of architecture, Black immediately fell in love with a defunct church on Second Street in Florence and Chelsea’s Chapel was born. The chapel was named after her eldest granddaughter and was used as a multipurpose venue – free of charge to the community. Her commitment to Mrs. Mott became a reality as weddings, church groups, and other social gatherings utilized Chelsea’s Chapel for many years. “There’s enough to go around in life. If I get a benefit, there are
Center. Despite her macular degeneration diagnosis, she still walks 10,000 steps a day and lives every day to make the lives of others just a little bit better. “As an individual, you live with yourself from the moment you’re born to the moment you die… and, you don’t get through it without the help and support of others,” she said. “I’m not exceptional without anybody else being involved.”
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Overcoming Adversity
Lindsey Aparicio doesn’t allow Periodic Paralysis to slow her down And she did that on Nov. 14, 2021.
Carie Canterbury The Daily Record
“Before I got sick, I never would have walked to Colorado Springs, which means I was going to be better than I was back then,” she said.
She loves big challenges. And when faced with adversity, Lindsey Aparicio says people have the choice to overcome or not overcome.
Since her diagnosis, Aparicio published a new book, “The ‘35’ Challenge,” which is available on Amazon. She also makes and sells monthly challenge bracelets which encourage and remind others to reach their goals and continues to share daily vlog posts on the ups and downs of her life.
“A lot of times, our adversity is hidden, but we always have the choice to work toward overcoming it or letting it overcome us,” she said. “I choose to work toward overcoming my adversity because with every step forward in doing that, I become a better person, and you can, too.” Aparicio was one of three women nominated for the Fremont Exceptional Women’s Overcoming Adversity Award this year. She was an active mom of two teenage boys who enjoyed exercising, walking and running several miles a day. Until she came home from work one day in September 2020 and her life was turned upside down. “I had worked a half day, I was super tired when I got home and fell asleep on the couch,” she said. “When I woke up, I couldn’t walk. That was the beginning of my experience with this disease Periodic Paralysis.” Periodic Paralysis causes sudden attacks of short-term muscle weakness, stiffness or paralysis. They may affect the whole body or just one or two limbs. “I couldn’t do all my mom duties anymore,” Aparicio said. “I couldn’t drive,
Lindsey Aparicio, left, is escorted at the FEW banquet by her mother, Patty Cameron, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
Before her condition got worse, she began sharing her symptoms in a vlog on her “Good Job Mom” Facebook page. Certain she would be “cured” in about a month, Aparicio was hoping her story of recovery would inspire others. But the cure never came. Thanksgiving Day in 2020 was the first time she became paralyzed from the chin down. “I couldn’t move anything except one eyelid and barely my mouth a little to talk,” Aparicio said. “I was in bed paralyzed for about 30 minutes. I couldn’t do anything.” She later shared a video of her lying in bed on Facebook and asked if anyone knew what was wrong with her, to please help. She shared all of her tests and lab results. “That was really the beginning of the daily posts I’ve been doing,” she said.
A portrait of Lindsey Aparicio. (Courtesy Anna Belle Z Photography)
couldn’t work, couldn’t cook, couldn’t grocery shop.” Missing her boys’ occasional soccer games was disheartening. At the beginning of this health journey, no one knew what was wrong with her and she wondered if she was dying.
She compiled a list of about 80 conditions that she shared with her neurologist in hopes of coming up with a final diagnosis through a process of elimination. It was a year and a half later when the diagnosis was confirmed. While bedbound, she thought about walking 35 miles from her home in Penrose to the heart of Colorado Springs, something that was impossible at that time, but she knew it would be possible once a period of weakness passed.
Aparicio was raised in Cascade and graduated from Manitou High School in 1993. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, WA. After living and working in the Tacoma area, she moved back to Colorado Springs where she continued working as an Occupational Therapist. So she could stay at home with her sons, Diego and Andre, she began working with her family’s real estate investment business. When the economy changed in 2008, Aparicio became known as “The Goat Cheese Lady” in Colorado Springs after she began offering goatcheese-making classes. In order to have more land and more goats, the Aparicio family moved to Penrose with hopes of raising the boys with a good work ethic out in the country. She continued teaching the goat-cheesemaking classes and had planned to build a cheese creamery, but her health and financial situation changed and the family closed the farm. “And our kids were definitely soccer players,” she said. “They weren’t goat farmers. We realized if we kept going down the creamery goal, we wouldn’t see any soccer games and we also would have no help.” She went back to work as an Occupational Therapist, a job she could help people and make a difference in their lives. Since her diagnosis, she has worked to keep up with her boys, encourage others and overcome her adversity. “I felt so honored and surprised to be counted among exceptional women in Fremont County,” she said.
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Keeping The Faith
Through challenges, Kendra Brady has relied on her deep faith in God to get her through Carie Canterbury The Daily Record
said. “I just never feel good; I never feel rested; I am always tired, low stamina. I’d say I still have most of the same symptoms, but they keep improving and getting to a lesser degree of the symptoms.”
Kendra Brady has had her share of hard knocks. Beginning at age 12, injury, illness and disease have taken a toll on her health and her body, but her deep faith in God has not only kept her going, it has deepened.
Rewinding to when she was 12, Brady was injured when she got bucked off of a horse. She fractured her spleen, but it eventually ruptured in her sleep and she required emergency surgery to have it removed, along with part of her pancreas.
As a missionary used to traveling the globe, Brady has learned to be content in continuing the work from home.
“That has affected my health a lot,” she said. “Having a spleen is great for your immune system, and things often hit me harder and longer than most people.”
Brady was one of the Top 3 nominees for this year’s Fremont’s Exceptional Women in the Overcoming Adversity division. A Cañon City native, Brady graduated from Cañon City High School in 2008. She then spent three months working at an orphanage in the Philippines before studying at the College of the Ozarks in Branson, Mo. She earned a degree in Philosophy and Religion with an emphasis on Missions, graduating in December 2012. After an internship, she spent five weeks working with a missionary in a village and then seven years in Tanzania. She joined Reach Global, the overseas mission branch of the Evangelical Free Church of America. Brady contracted Typhoid Fever during her first year in Tanzania, but she was able to be treated and recover there. She moved back to the U.S. in 2019 for furlough, but her visa had expired and she was denied a new one. In her last few years of missions, she started a self-defense ministry called Grit. It focuses on courage, resolve and strength of character. Each physical lesson had a Biblical lesson, focusing on who the participants are in Christ and their value and worth. Her goal was to train local African women to be able to teach the program in Yaoundé, Cameroon, but in March 2020, she got sick with COVID-19. “It gave me a heart condition and I was bedridden for about a year,” she said. “I kept thinking I’d get better a lot faster. We originally just pushed back the plans to go to France and then Cameroon, but we’d push it back six months and then we’d realize I still wasn’t well enough to be able go.” Instead of continually delaying her plans, and unsure if she would even get back to her prior health, she began to look at other opportunities within the Evangelical Free Church of America.
Later, when she was 16, Brady was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She remembers being mad at God when she first was injured. Kendra Brady is escorted at the FEW banquet by her father, Randy Brady, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury Daily Record)
She ended up landing with APEX Missions. “We come alongside the local church by mobilizing the next generation of gospel influencers,” she said. She helps recruit, train and send students on short-term trips where they work with Reach Global missionaries to get a taste of what long-term missions are like.
“First I was just angry, but then I think it really helped solidify my faith and helped me at a young age figure out what I believe and why I believe it,” she said. She wouldn’t go back and change anything, even if she could. “I feel like it’s a big part of who I am,” she said. “It has given me a lot of hardships but it also has made my relationship with God deeper, and I also think that the more you suffer, the more you can have compassion and understanding for others and the more you are able to comfort others.”
“Part of it is used as recruiting for long-term missions and also helping students to realize that God wants them to serve Him wherever they are,” she said. “I can do most of that remotely.” Brady is able to travel a little at a time, but as she gets better, she hopes to begin traveling to Africa again. That desire has never gone away, neither has her symptoms of COVID. Brady’s COVID-19 ended up being long COVID, which causes fatigue and lack of stamina. “It’s definitely improved, but it’s still nowhere near where I was before,” she said. She still gets brain fog, headaches and chest pain, but her breathlessness is better after going to pulmonary rehab. Also in 2020, her gallbladder stopped working and she had to have it removed. “My cardiologist said COVID is inflammatory for everything, so you just don’t know what is going to affect,” she
Kendra Brady with her sister, Emma, after a Madrigal performance in high school. (Courtesy Photo)
Through her trials, Brady has had strong familial and community support, including her church family. For that, she is grateful. “One of my favorite Bible verses is John 16:33, where it says ‘In this world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world,’” Brady said. “As a follower of Christ, it doesn’t mean that I won’t have troubles, but that Christ is with me and He has been with me through this. He can be your comfort and shelter.”
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‘I can’t change the world, but I can change where I live’
Countless volunteer positions help Della Rieger give back Kristina Post The Daily Record If you’ve been anywhere in Cañon City, there’s a good chance you’ve seen Della Rieger in one place or another. Not only does she spend countless hours volunteering, but she’s a realtor who at any given time has signs at properties all over town. Rieger was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta Canada, and ended up becoming an ICU nurse. That’s where she met her husband Eric, who was also working in the ICU at the time. Eventually, they moved to Kansas for many years, but both loved Colorado so decided to make the move west and settled in Cañon City. The Riegers have three grown sons, but when her boys were babies, she The Royal Gorge Association of Realtors presents a check for $500 to the Parents/Supporters of was a stay-at-home mom. As soon as County. Pictured are Hallie Kerr, Della Rieger, Andrea Webb, Shirley Troutman, her sons were all in school she worked Military-Fremont a member of the Parents/Supporters of Military-Fremont County, Ashley McDermott and as a school nurse at different schools Hutch Hitchinson. Rieger helps support the community through the realtors’ association. around the district. Once all of her sons One of the reasons Rieger loves for different community members had graduated high school, Rieger got sometimes multiple times a day. being a real estate agent is that her real estate license and has now it allows her to make her own And although she’s involved in been working as an agent for the more time for hours, which means many different organizations, last six years. volunteering. She is on the board at Rieger said her passion is the Loaves and Fishes, the board at CASA homeless population. and the board at Fremont Center “They are human beings, not just for the Arts. homeless. And everyone deserves a Rieger is a part of the Realtors’ second, third, fourth chance,” she said. Association on the education and Rieger’s passion for the unhoused public relations committees, and population is what drove her to be on an ambassador for the Royal Gorge the board at Loaves and Fishes. Chamber. She’s also a member of “We have such great leadership Zonta and PEO. there and so many people doing great “I love to be involved,” she said. “If things,” she said. there is something going on I love to Rieger is leaving a mark of kindness be there volunteering as a part of that.” all over Cañon City. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, And there’s a reason she does it all. Rieger decided to do what she “I wake up every day and think ‘how could for the community. So she can I give back to make my little part started delivering groceries and of the world a better place?’ I can’t medications to people who were immunocompromised and didn’t want change the world, but I can change where I live,” she said. to leave their homes. People would Della Rieger is escorted at the FEW banquet give her a list and she would go out And Rieger has most definitely by her husband, Dr. Erik Rieger, on Oct. 28 and get whatever they needed and changed Fremont County for at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury Daily Record) the better. place it in their garage. She did this
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An active voice for women’s equality Susie Bell honored posthumously for her philanthropy work Carie Canterbury The Daily Record If she knew she would be singled out as a nominee for the 2023 Fremont’s Exceptional Women, she probably wouldn’t have been happy to be in the spotlight. But since the event honors and uplifts local women, the late Susie Bell likely would have been pleased. Bell was honored posthumously as one of the Top 3 nominees for the Community Service category on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Events Center. There were at least two completely full tables of family and friends who wanted to honor her and her dedication to Fremont County. Bell died Nov. 22, 2022, at the age of 80. As a champion of women’s rights, Bell has been a major sponsor for the annual FEW event since its inception. Bell’s son and nominator, Jason Bell, wanted his mother to be recognized for her service to the community during the
40 years that she lived in Cañon City, her philanthropy and especially for her work with children. In the 1990s, Bell put on children’s plays in the park and led a weekly children’s reading group at the library, where she did more than just read to kids. She brought characters to life with her expressive reading and acting. Bell instilled into her children, Jason and Eban, the power and voice of women. Jason said one of the mantras his mom lived by was, “Women have to do twice as much to be considered half as good as men.” In high school, Bell wanted to play basketball, but at the time, girls weren’t allowed to play full-court basketball. “She was a really active voice for women’s equality in a time when it really wasn’t a thing,” Jason said. “I thought that there was so much to her that really hadn’t been noticed, which was fine with her, but I wanted people to know and understand just how involved she was and how important it was to her to move along women’s rights.” Bell always was willing to share advice, time or money to help people. Her giving usually was done anonymously. She supported local Fourth of July fireworks shows and the Art Center and drew inspiration from the children at Starpoint, leading to her involvement and support of the local chapter. Her deep belief in the importance of access to higher education empowered her support of the Fremont Campus of Pueblo Community College. “She never sought recognition or awards, she just did it because she loved to make people happy and that is what made her happy,” Jason said.
Jason Bell and his niece, Trinity Bell, accept a nomination for the late Susie Bell at the FEW banquet on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury Daily Record)
Bell was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming, where she grew up on her family’s ranches. She attended boarding school in Salt Lake before embarking on her post-secondary education at Lake Erie College as a Theater Arts major. She later went back to school where she received her Master’s degree in Library Science.
Bell met her future husband, Bruce Bell, and the couple was married in 1969. They lived in Cañon City for a short time, as well as in the Longmont and Denver areas, until they moved back to Cañon City permanently in 1983. She worked as a substitute teacher and at banks, but mostly she was happy being a stay-at-home mom and volunteering in the community. She was the second woman to serve on the Board of Directors for the Cañon City Area Parks and Recreation District where she was instrumental in staving off the dissolution of the district. She also helped connect the Arkansas Riverwalk through Cañon City with the underpass at Raynolds Avenue. Bell, along with her husband and a handful of other community members, formed a youth soccer team to take part in the Colorado Youth Soccer Association. The local Blitz organization still competes across the state today. One of the things that made her so special, Jason said, was that his mom saw the world through a child’s eye, even at 80. “I think that’s why she loved to interact with children so much and was so good at it,” he said. “She just kind of never grew up and if you asked her, she would say, ‘I don’t know what I want to be when I grow up.’”
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Using Her Gifts To Make A Positive Impact Ashlee Sack gives to the community in a variety of ways
Kristina Post The Daily Record If you’ve participated in a Fremont Adventure Recreation event during the last 10 years, chances are longtime Cañon City resident Ashlee Sack was responsible for part of the planning. As the coordinator of FAR since 2015, Sack has her hand in every aspect of what the highly involved organization does in Fremont County. And though she isn’t a Fremont County native, her investment and involvement in outdoor recreation here have made a huge impact on the way Cañon City residents enjoy the outdoors. Sack was nominated for Fremont’s Exceptional Women’s Cara Fisher Award for Community Service. Born in San Luis Obispo, Calif., Sack grew up in Atascadero, a small town on the central California coast. It was there that her love of the outdoors was born and continued to grow throughout her childhood and into early adulthood. For college, Sack went to Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo and though literature was her passion, she majored in business. “I did it because I thought it would make me money and make me successful,” she said. But instead of taking the math classes that were required to remain in the business program, Sack was opting for a plethora of electives. “The electives were firing me up, and making my brain happy,” Sack said. When the business department discovered Sack hadn’t taken her required math courses, they informed her she was being kicked out. As a last-ditch effort to keep from being booted from college, Sack took her essays and all of her previous work to the English Department to see if they would accept her into their program. “I told them, ‘I will make you proud if you let me into your department.’ and they let me in,” she said. Sack said this lesson has been an important one. Not only for her but
Ashlee Sack is escorted at the FEW banquet by her husband, Ben Sack, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
as a way to teach her two children about learning from failure and how important it is to follow your passions. “That helped me learn that if you don’t follow your passion you can probably get by, but if you follow your passions and find your gift, using them to be successful will be a lot easier,” she said. Sack moved to Cañon City in 2003 to be a raft guide for the summer. That’s when she met her husband, Ben, who was also a raft guide at the time. She went on to get her master’s degree but came back to Cañon City to get married and teach at CCMS, where she worked until she had her first son. While she was pregnant with her second son, she began volunteering for FAR. The first event she coordinated was the Rim-to-Rim Race. “Back then we only had two events per year,” she said. “Now we do the 1% for trails program, an event every month, outreach programs, give talks to kids in the community, coordinate with other agencies and host educational programs.” In addition to all of her work with FAR, Sack is a talented graphic designer, who has made graphics for the school district, the Fremont
County Health Department, and people and organizations all over town. “I do tech and graphic support whenever I can,” she said. “ I love it. I love doing it.” After nearly 20 years in the area, Sack’s love for Cañon City, and the area’s history runs deep. She works to improve many aspects of the community but also recognizes that she’s building on great things that have already been established. “My biggest lesson is recognizing and honoring the work that has come before me and making sure I’m respectful of what has already been done and cognizant of what has already been tried so I can be humble, effective and productive,” she said. Sack is a big believer in people finding their true gifts and their true passion. It’s what continues to draw her to a life of community engagement and service. “I just feel incredibly gratified when I use something that’s fun for me, my gift, and it makes a positive impact for someone else,” she said. “I love giving it away. Events that we organize are moments of collective joy. And in the current climate, there is nothing better than realizing that we are all human beings who basically want to be part of something bigger than ourselves.”
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Someone on the Rise
Monika Farkas has followed her passion to help children Olivia Johnson The Daily Record Monika Farkas was nominated as one of Fremont’s Exceptional Women’s Rising Star nominees. Though she was born in Salida, Farkas was raised in Cañon City, where she attended Harrison School and graduated from Cañon City High School in 2016. She was involved in athletics, such as volleyball, track and tennis and also partook in her local youth group.
“I had a lot of adversities growing up,” she said. “I remember talking to a social worker in fifth grade and she asked me what I wanted. That was so powerful because kids are so vulnerable – ever since that interaction, I’ve always had a passion for looking out for kiddos.” The director at Kindred Kids Child Advocacy Center, Lori Jenkins, served as a sort of mentor to Farkas and Farkas began volunteering at the center, which she did for six months before becoming a part-time employee.
Monika Farkas, right, is escorted at the FEW banquet by her mother, Candice Counts, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
After graduating, she launched into married life alongside her new husband, Stephen, who was in the U.S. Marines, and the couple moved to California. Despite her husband’s deployment, they welcomed their first daughter, Hailey, in 2017 when Farkas returned home to Cañon City to have her baby girl surrounded by friends and family.
During that time, Farkas also attended classes for her bachelor’s degree in social work at Colorado State University–Pueblo, which she obtained in 2022. She has been a full-time employee at the advocacy center for the past two years and has worked her way to become the lead family advocate – a vital position. As the lead advocate, she provides all the standard advocacy services, such as counseling and sending referrals while also incorporating direct services for the Cañon City Police Department.
Additionally, she’s working on They returned to Cañon City in 2018 developing a court prep program for and welcomed their second daughter, the center and was recently certified Aubrey, in 2020. as a forensic interviewer. As a forensic Farkas decided to follow her interviewer, she provides a sort of ‘one passion of becoming a social worker stop shop’ for children of alleged abuse and quickly obtained her associate’s to talk to adults in a calm, quiet setting degree from PCC. about their experience.
She’s also working diligently on the court prep program which will serve to provide coping skills, handle emotions, and coordinate a variety of services to children who must testify in a court setting. She hopes to get the program off the ground by January. “I have found a lot of passion in the mission of child advocacy centers so I really want to use my education to keep promoting the CAC,” she said. Currently, she’s pursuing her master’s degree in social work at CSUPueblo and plans to complete her education by becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker soon.
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A Bright Future
Christa Brunton sets sights on working in special education currently pursuing her associate’s degree in elementary education. Her ultimate desire is to become an elementary special education teacher.
Olivia Johnson The Daily Record Christa Brunton was nominated for the Fremont Exceptional Women’s Rising Star award.
“I have a love for special education students,” she said. “They are just so genuine and it’s easy for me to connect with them.”
From a young age, Brunton was encouraged to volunteer and that altruistic spirit has stayed with her as she’s grown up in Fremont County.
In September, she began her student teaching at Starpoint’s Spin Early Childhood Education Center in the toddler room.
“My mom and I volunteered for the Sons of Italy for the past 10 years … and now she’s on the board and I’m on the board,” she said. After graduating early from Cañon City High School in 2020, Brunton leaped into working in the local community and, simultaneously, worked at Farmers Insurance and Second-61 for several years. She also started working with both the Florence Chamber of Commerce and Royal Gorge Chamber Alliance to develop events around Fremont County, including the lauded Parade of Lights. In addition to her love of volunteering, she has also spent time as the coach for both the Harrison School softball team and the local swim team. Her relationship as a manager at the Florence Pool came in particularly handy when the Cañon City swimming pool closed earlier this year and her swimming kids had the opportunity to continue to swim. In August, Brunton left on a softball scholarship to Bethel College in Kansas. An injury to
Christa Brunton is escorted at the FEW banquet by her boyfriend, Jeffrey Kimmick, on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. (Carie Canterbury - Daily Record)
“They just soak up so much information and it’s so easy for them to learn things,” she said.
Although she hasn’t firmly decided on the next step in the meniscus in her knee required her journey, she knows that surgery and the unfortunate loss of elementary special education her scholarship. However, Brunton will be in her future and plans hasn’t let the downturns of life to pursue the corresponding keep her down for long. levels of education to accomplish She returned home to Fremont her goal. County and began classes at “I like to never have a dull Pueblo Community College and is moment,” she said with a smile.
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Always caring for others
Helping people in the community comes naturally to Maria lbarra Kristina Post The Daily Record Fremont County native Maria Ibarra knows a thing or two about the importance of family and community. Though she is only 26 years old, Ibarra has spent her life taking care of others. As the seventh of eight children in her family of tight-knit siblings, Ibarra was shown the value of caring for others by example. She was nominated for the Janet Gunkel Award for Rising Star (ages 16-27) for Fremont’s Exceptional Women.
Ibarra’s passion for her career along with her extremely close relationship with her family is what drives her each day. As a mother to one young son, with another on the way, Ibarra values the tight-knit family she has here in Fremont County. Out of eight siblings in Ibarra’s family, five still live in the area, with the other three in other parts of Colorado. “I am very well-grounded in my family,” Ibarra said.
And though Ibarra could be successful anywhere, she chose to Maria Ibarra is escorted at the FEW “My mom always had a servant’s stay in Fremont County, not just banquet by her fiancée, Dominick Vaughn, heart,” Ibarra said. “And that’s on Oct. 28 at the Abbey Event Center. because of her close family ties, (Carie Canterbury Daily Record) something she passed down.” but because of the community as adults who either lack the capacity a whole. Ibarra’s mom, Phyllis, was also to make their own decisions or one of the FEW nominees this “It takes a village to raise a year. have some sort of physical or village, not just one individual It’s no surprise then, that when mental deficit that would impair person,” she said. “This community it was time for Ibarra to choose them from protecting themselves,” has shown how much people her career path, she was naturally Ibarra said. here care about each other and drawn to helping others. it’s where I want my sons to learn Throughout her career, the “I have always had a strong how to care about others, too.” common theme from Ibarra’s life desire to help other people,” But despite the huge honor Ibarra said. remains constant- dedicating her of being nominated as one of Ibarra has a degree in Sociology time to help those around her. Fremont’s Exceptional Women at with a minor in Criminology She said seeing the changes in from CSU-Pueblo. For the last her clients’ lives is what keeps her such a young age, Ibarra says her several years, she has worked favorite part of the whole thing passionate about her career. at the Department of Human was going through it with her “When you can see the Services as an Adult Protective mom. Services Caseworker. She will soon improvement in someone’s life “I cried to see my mom be transitioning to the role of from the first time you walk nominated. It was really Generalist, where she will work as into their door to the last time wonderful. She doesn’t get a lot a caseworker for both adults and you walk into their door,” she of thanks for everything she does children. said. “Whether they know of or and she has so many thankless “Our main goal is to advocate acknowledge the changes, you jobs,” she said. “That was my and maintain safety, as well as favorite part.” investigate abuse and neglect for can see it.”
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