COLORADO SPRINGS. It was 1956 when Divine Redeemer Catholic School opened its doors. Colorado Springs had just been chosen as the site for the United States Air Force Academy. The popular Christmas-themed amusement park, Santa’s Workshop, had just opened in the Manitou bluffs, and Elvis Presley’s “Love Me Tender” topped the pop charts. This small town reflected the bustling optimism of post-war America and a surge in families and family size – the soon-to-be-transformative baby boom – was well underway.

COLORADO SPRINGS. The college student discount was too sweet to pass up — five lessons for five bucks. So, tucked between his studies at California’s Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) in 1976, Leo Raab learned ballroom dances. 

COLORADO SPRINGS. In the origin story of most ministries, inspiration precedes the capital requirements.  Someone heeds the call to initiate a food pantry, or a program for unwed mothers, or a retreat center for teens, and then they go looking for magnanimous donors willing to provide financial support.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Pia Flynn and her brother, Davey, attend the same Denver Catholic grade school.  They ride in the same carpool, they both name P.E. as the favorite part of their day, and when they pass each other in the hall they share a hug.  Pia has Down syndrome; Davey does not. They attend the same school due in part to the FIRE Foundation, an institution that provides Catholic schools funding for teacher training, specialized instructors, and adaptive technologies pertinent to students with special educational needs.