Personal Stories
2023 Award Winners
Diane VanderVelde
Diane is a kindergarten teacher at East Elementary school. Over the last almost thirty years, she has battled leukemia, bladder cancer and other diseases. Even with such an unbelievable story and tough road, she relentlessly pursues her dream of being a teacher. Diane is someone who makes everyone around her feel special. She loves working with young children and finding creative ways to teach them and help them grow. She has found her calling in the classroom and she is such a joy!
Kathy Gappinger
Kathy is a social studies teacher at Chaparral High School . She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. Her motto is "I am Strong" and she used it to motivate and uplift others. Her story and example has had a profound impact on everyone she teaches, works with and knows. Kathy is described as a bright light and someone who is "all in" for her students and colleagues. She lives and loves with her whole heart and has demonstrated remarkable resilience in the face of adversity.
Sophia Sena
Sophia is a Significant Needs Special Education Paraprofessional at Centennial Academy. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 2022. She is passionate about working with children with significant needs. Despite such a difficult and unexpected journey, Sophia continues to push forward with determination and quiet resilience. She is remarkable, brave and so very loved!
Leslie Gardner
Leslie teaches at Newton Middle School. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She faced many challenges with incredible courage and steadfastness. Leslie loves her students and they love her! She is an absolute treasure in her school community. Leslie focuses on honoring others who are also experiencing the fallout from cancer. She has overcome so much, yet she always puts other people first and leads with compassion and love.
Kendra DiPaola
Kendra is a teacher at Prairie Crossing Elementary and has been living with breast cancer since 2019. She has faced an incredibly difficult road in the last few years, but has never wavered in her commitment to others. Kendra is known for her compassion, empathy and understanding. She thinks outside the box and goes the extra mile for all of her first graders. One of her colleagues said "Kendra helps our students make sense of the world and their place in it. She is a true inspiration."
Nicole Cimbura
Nicole is an ESL teacher at Coyote Creek Elementary. She recently lost her husband to ALS and is now fighting breast cancer herself. Nicole is such an advocate for her students and their families. She really goes above and beyond to connect with them and appreciates the extraordinary challenge of learning in an unfamiliar language. She is an incredible person who cares deeply about kids and her school community and she never stops advocating on behalf of those who need it most.
Becky Fuller
Becky is a school nurse at Legend High School. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer yet continued to work through treatment as well as pursue a Master's degree in Public Health Nursing. She is amazing! She has a heart for others living with breast cancer and wants to support education and prevention efforts. School nurses are such a vital part of the community and Becky is beloved among her peers, the entire faculty, the students, and all of those who have been blessed to meet her.
Andrea Miller
Andrea is the health assistant at Castle View High School. In 2022 she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. She continues to work throughout brutal treatment to battle this disease and has faced it with unbelievable positivity and strength. She is as much of a gift to the students and her coworkers as they are to her. She is a difference-maker to so many people and she inspires others to never give up!
Barbara Coates
Barb is a kindergarten paraprofessional at Ford Elementary. She has been teaching young children for over twenty years. Barb recently lost her husband to pancreatic cancer. She has patience and compassion for early childhood education and is very dedicated to her students' growth. She believes in the potential of all learners, especially those with struggles and those who can be difficult to reach. Barb inspires creativity, innovation and imagination and is such a gift to all who know her.
Ashley Montijo
Ashley is an occupational therapist at Littleton High School. She works with kids who have developmental disabilities. Ashley was initially diagnosed with cancer in 2020 and has had to endure extensive treatment and intense chemotherapy in the last three years. Remarkably, Ashley continues to work through it all and always focuses on the needs of her students. She continues to bring joy and positivity and smiles to the kids' faces. She always gives 110% and is such a gift to her entire school community.
Theresa Olsen
Theresa is a reading interventionist and literacy coach at Parker Performing Arts school. She has been teaching for almost thirty years. Theresa is currently in treatment for breast cancer. She is a genuinely kind and caring person. She supports her fellow staff members both professionally and personally. She connects so deeply with her students and their families. She knows how important it is for her students to have someone who sees and knows them.
2022 Award Winners
Leanne Gossack is a 4th grade teacher at Littleton Academy. She lost her father to cancer after a long ten-year struggle. Leanne's father valued education and inspired her to become a teacher. She loves this vocation and has such a passion for helping kids learn and grow. She is a true friend and has the best sense of humor. Some of her best memories with her father were made in the garden. Leanne continues this legacy on her own today, making things beautiful in honor of him. She practices this same philosophy in the classroom.
Nancy Zizzo is a school psychologist at Peabody Elementary school. She is a breast cancer survivor and has lost many close members of her family to cancer. Nancy exemplifies what it means to pay it forward. She has a true passion for volunteering and giving back to the community, including making comfort gifts for mastectomy patients and projects for children in foster care. Nancy brings this passion, selflessness and generosity to her students and all who know her.
Tanya Friesen is a 4th grade teacher at Wilder Elementary. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2022. She is absolutely beloved in her school community and well beyond. She has taught 1000 students over the course of her almost thirty-year teaching career and has an incomparable love and generosity for her students and colleagues. Tanya makes life-long differences in their lives and is such an inspiration for those who know her.
Sara Tierney is a literacy coach at Ralph Moody Elementary. In 2021 she lost her mother-in-law to breast cancer and learned her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then, in August 2021, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to undergo months of chemotherapy and will continue treatment through 2022. Sara is an invaluable and beloved part of her school family and is such an inspiration to so many people in and beyond this community as she shares her journey and promotes awareness.
Dori Kellams is the front office/heath assistant at Arrowwood Elementary. She is a cancer survivor. She has such a love for her school and students. She has a great sense of humor and dresses up to entertain the kids, who adore Miss Dori. She fills in and steps up in all capacities all over the school, including teaching and coverage for anyone who needs it. Dori even started a Japanese club at her school and it has a waiting list to join. She's always the first to volunteer to help others despite her own struggles including months of chemotherapy and her mother's passing.
Debbie Barr is a 1st grade teacher at Cougar Run Elementary. She has a heart of gold and is truly selfless. She endured great loss in recent years, including the tragic loss of her son and the loss of her brother to cancer. Yet she perseveres and brings love and joy into her classroom and with everyone she meets. Debbie is a loyal and forever friend and such an example of courage under fire.
2021 Award Winners
Lisa Meyers is a 2nd grade teacher at Legacy Point Elementary. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020. She is a quiet warrior who is known for her compassion and kindness. She even continued to teach while going through cancer treatment, without complaint and never missing a beat. Lisa is a true inspiration.
Jennifer Tucker is an art teacher at Sedalia Elementary. Not only has cancer taken the lives of many of her family members, but Jennifer also battled brain cancer in her own life. With the help of several innovative but incredibly difficult treatments, she has remained cancer free since 2015! Jennifer has made an enormous and lasting impact in her school’s art program and beyond. She is a beautiful picture of perseverance and bravery.
Sara Deady is a 3rd grade teacher at Littleton Academy. In 2020, she lost her father to bile duct cancer. Sara is someone who always goes above and beyond. She is creative and passionate about learning and she especially loves reading with kids. Sara is a great mentor to student teachers and is someone who pays it forward in all areas of her life–not only to her students but to so many others.
Scott Zischke is a speech pathologist at Arrowwood Elementary. He was diagnosed with stage 4 papillary thyroid cancer in 2020. Scott is always willing and helpful, especially with students with significant needs. He intercedes on behalf of kids and provides a kind and calm presence. Scott is an example of tenacity and courage to all who know him, in and out of his school.
Lynn Lidahl is an educational assistance/affective needs teacher at Larkspur Elementary. Her mother was diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer at the end of 2020. Lynn is phenomenal with kids. She has the best spirit and is always laughing even despite facing the toughest of circumstances in her own life. Lynn’s story is a great reminder of unconditional love and loyalty and what it means to step up on behalf of others.
2020 Award Winners
Alma Flores has been the Building Engineer at Cougar Run Elementary for 25 years. She has felt the impact of cancer in inconceivable ways. Alma lost her 27-year-old son to brain cancer in December 2019. She lost a brother and her father to cancer. She currently supports two other brothers who are fighting cancer. Alma is a truly devoted person-with her family and at her school. She has a quiet calm that puts others at ease. She is kind, welcoming, and warm. Alma is genuinely beloved and she returns love in countless ways.
Brooke Basner is a 4th grade teacher at Wilder Elementary. She lost her father to pancreatic cancer. Brooke is someone who always gives 100% in all that she does. She has the kind of energy that takes everyone along with her. Brooke is loyal and committed to her students and spends time developing those 1:1 relationships. Brooke is someone who makes a positive impact wherever she is. She is loved within her school community and beyond.
Beth Fahlstedt has led the SACC program at Lois Lenski Elementary for over twenty years. She has been working with children since she was a teenager. After losing her daughter to a long-term illness, Beth was diagnosed with breast cancer. Through it all Beth never lost her determination and her generous heart. She is a rock for her family and for so many others. Beth is known for her generosity and her commitment and willingness to pay it forward to others. She is a treasure at her school and in the world.
Jamie Carroll is a 5th grade teacher at Franklin Elementary. She is a survivor of Stage 4 Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. She puts her heart and soul into teaching. She was described by one of her colleagues as “the bravest person you will ever meet” and another described her as “outside the box in the coolest way ever.” Jamie exemplifies grit and she is known for her kind heart. She is a true inspiration to everyone who knows her.
2019 Award Winners
Crystal Winter is a second grade teacher at Fox Creek Elementary. She has spent decades teaching elementary students in Douglas County. She is a two-time cancer survivor! When she was receiving chemotherapy treatments, she kept thinking about children having to receive the same kind of treatments. She put her compassion into action and created a club at her school called “Kids Caring for Kids with Cancer” as a way for her students to learn compassion for children fighting cancer. This club meets to create projects, make cards and give gifts for young cancer patients at the infusion center at a local hospital. It is the largest and most involved club in the history of Fox Creek Elementary. Crystal has an enormous heart for children–they are behind everything she does.
John Guiterrez is the principal of Cougar Run Elementary. He has been the principal for 15 years and in education for almost 30 years. John’s mother, who lost her battle to cancer, encouraged John to be a teacher. She was the most influential person in John’s life and he learned about perseverance, strength and dignity from watching his mom’s fight against cancer. His mom guided him to a career in which he could positively impact children and John still lives this out this kind of love today. John leads with compassion, kindness, and care. He is beloved and appreciated by staff, students and all who have had the privilege of knowing him.
Lisa McCormick is a reading recovery teacher at Soaring Hawk Elementary. She has been a teacher for seventeen years. She is a stage 3 breast cancer survivor and is currently fighting stage 4 ovarian cancer. She is as tough as they come, yet she is always smiling and lights up a room and never complains or grumbles. She is so grateful for the love and support of others, especially her Soaring Hawk community. She is a true inspiration to all who know her, especially her daughter. She says that cancer has taught her how precious life really is. She is a warrior!
Rae Dulmage is a kindergarten teacher at Roxborough Elementary. She is a breast cancer survivor and she absolutely blew her family and friends away with her courage and resolve in her battle against cancer. Her husband is a police officer and she has two young children and modeled unbelievable bravery to all of them (as well as everyone else) in her fight. She said that her cancer has taught her so much about her own strength and potential, as well as the love and commitment of others, even strangers. She is a treasure at her school and within her community. She is known for her sense of humor and her kindness–traits that never faded even during long chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
2018 Award Winners
Sara Burke is a second-grade teacher at Sand Creek Elementary in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. She has been an elementary school teacher for thirteen years. Sara’s sister, Laura, lost her five-year battle to cancer in November 2017. Sara has demonstrated that she intends to use this experience to bring positive change in her life and in the lives of her students, family, and friends. Sara exemplifies this award in the ways she cultivates selflessness, empathy, and compassion. She is a treasure to all who know her.
Kathy Smith is a special education teacher at Rock Ridge Elementary in Castle Rock, Colorado. She has taught in special education for twenty-eight years. She is a breast cancer survivor and has also suffered heartbreaking loss in her family because of cancer. Nevertheless, Kathy has not wavered in her lifelong dedication to others. She pays it forward with her love and generosity. Kathy is a loyal and cherished member of her school family and beyond.
Robin Vora has taught in elementary education for nineteen years and is currently a first-grade teacher at Eagle Ridge Elementary in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. She is a breast cancer survivor and the “happiest, kindest, most humble person you would ever know.” She is dedicated to serving others and is an advocate and cheerleader for other people facing cancer diagnoses. Robin is a cherished friend and teacher and her warrior spirit is a true inspiration.