Gratitude fuels giving across communities
Several stories explore gratitude as something expressed through care and community support. Pikes Peak United Way’s Adopt-a-School program gives children at a low-income Colorado Springs elementary school two requested gifts, with volunteers buying and wrapping presents for students. Gina Kell Spehn, after losing her husband to cancer, founded New Day Foundation for Families with her second husband to help families facing cancer, drawing on the hope she found amid grief. The Sanders siblings connect gratitude with hard work and giving back, including Estate Properties’ longstanding support for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Author Annie F. Downs describes gratitude as recognizing that life remains unfinished and full of choices, while allowing appreciation for small joys to coexist with sadness and uncertainty.







