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7Everyday Hero: Father, son volunteer team help teen moms

Hope House of Colorado
Posted at 8:37 AM, Oct 22, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-22 10:37:57-04

DATELINE — There is a nonprofit in Colorado that helps hundreds of new teen moms become self-sufficient. 

"Hope House of Colorado is a nonprofit serving parenting teenage moms, said Lisa Steven, the executive director and founder of the nonprofit. "And many of those moms are facing issues like homelessness. They are couch surfing, they're just staying with friends. They are really kind of a forgotten part of our population that there are not services for. But here at Hope House, we serve about 200 teenaged moms every year." 

The Hope House relies heavily on volunteers, like 7Everyday Heroes Duane and Kevin Bruno. 
This father and son team delivers homecooked meals and donuts just about every week. 

Hope House is filled with teen moms busy taking career, college, GED, finance, and parenting classes. And when the Brunos walk in, they are met with hugs of appreciation. 

"Whether we're doing meals, whether we're tutoring — they are all so appreciative it just makes you want to volunteer," Duane said. 

Anjelica Lucero, a client at the Hope House, said Duane made time to meet with her to ensure she could master Excel enough to get through her studies in school.  

When Denver7 asked Hope House clients how they felt about the nonprofit and its volunteers like the Brunos, they praised them both. 

"I honestly don't know where I would be without Hope House," said client Tearsa Sandoval. "I would probably be stuck in a gutter, honesty."

Lucero added that she wouldn't be where she is today with the duo. 

The Brunos help build the women's self-esteem by sharing their time and own life experiences. 

"One of my favorite stories of Duane and Kevin is when they came to teach the special teens mom class, because Kevin has Down Syndrome and some of our moms have children have Down Syndrome," Steven said. 

Duane said he and his son talked to them about what it's like to have a child with Down Syndrome and how wonderful it is. 

"Bottom line: They just find joy here and they bring joy to our girls," Steven said. 

Kevin was featured in a Denver7 story in February of 2018. He was playing for the Pomona High School basketball team, and sunk a basket with just 30 seconds left in a game. His team won the game that night. 

To learn more about Hope House of Colorado, visit the website www.hopehouseofcolorado.org.

Mitch Jelniker anchors Denver7 in the mornings from 4:30-7 a.m. He also features a different 7Everyday Hero each week on Denver7. Follow Mitch on Facebook here and Twitter here. Nominate a 7Everyday Hero here.