COURTESY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE

others of friendly, well-intentioned, ers were more than neighbors. ey became my personal community, a virtual extended family. Growing up without one, I used to wonder about

Stankiewicz, a crazy uncle, and Mrs.

In that era, paperboys, as they had trusted them to get them the news. I’m proud to have been one and to be in the lineage of that rich tradition. It’s sad seeing that era having come to a close. It was an opportunity for a kiddo to begin learning about the world beyond his ken and transitioning from childhood dependency to an independent adult. But there was more, a necessary component for a boy: It was fun.

It was fun largely because I knew I was growing up and had responsibilities beyond my home. And it set the tenor for my approach to every job I would have thereon: take it seriously but have fun while doing it.

Of all the wondrous aspects of being a paperboy, it was getting to know people and dogs up close and personal that made it the most fun. Which makes me wonder: How many postal workers today can still make that claim?

BY CORINNE WESTEMAN CWESTEMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Every April, hundreds of people gather at the Je erson County Government Center and walk to the little garden on the south side of the complex. Along the walkway, among the owers and trees, are the names of those the community has lost to crime.

Many of their family members and friends make the Courage Walk annually as a reminder that they are not alone and that their loved ones are not forgotten.

On April 29, hundreds of those impacted by crime — survivors, victims’ family members and friends, and their communities — gathered for the 30th annual Courage Walk.

Local victim advocacy organizations host Je erson County’s event, which always coincides with National Crime Victims’ Rights Week.