DENVER — Nothing stacks up to the mission of Arc Thrift Stores quite like Ed King.
"When you’re talking to Ed you know you’re talking to someone who’s genuine and whose integrity is strong," said Erick Martinez, Arc Thrift Stores VP of Retail Operations.
Ed has a passion for helping people. For the past 15 years, he's been the "go-to guy" at Arc. He works tirelessly to make sure the thrift stores are stocked for customers, but it's the relationships he's formed with the stores' ambassadors that truly set him apart.
"Ed really has bonded with our ambassadors. Ambassadors are employees here at our thrift stores who have a disability," Martinez said.
"We’ve been dedicated for over 50 years to serving people with disabilities and if you think about it, there are many people that wouldn’t necessarily even have a job or get the direction, coaching or support just to make them effective contributors to our community, if it weren’t for us," King said.
It's where Ed's true hero work starts. When he's not working at Arc, you'll find him with its ambassadors. Pictures show Ed on St. Patrick's Day celebrating with two Arc ambassadors and sharing his passion of running.
"Some of those individuals, the ambassadors need this for their employment, some are just like really really special friends that mean so much to me," Kind said.
Fostering relationships that help Arc ambassadors thrive, it's why American Financing and Denver7 are honoring Ed King as a Denver7 Everyday Hero.
Molly Hendrickson anchors Denver7 in the mornings from 4:30-7 a.m. She also features a different 7Everyday Hero each week on Denver7. Follow Molly on Facebook here and Twitter here. To nominate a hero in your life, click here.
