The 10th Manni Awards will take place Thursday, March 31. At this time, organizers are planning a small potluck in City Hall’s Memorial Hall with limited attendance.
Register at evite.me/JzrkWUxAXW to attend; festivities start at 6 p.m. Bring a dish to share, along with your own utensils and plates.
Starting at 6:35 p.m., live streaming will be available at youtu.be/TJhEPJmA960 for anyone who can’t attend the in-person ceremony.
Sara and Ray Ferguson are honored to be able to do what they love: help cats and the people who love them live their best lives. They keep working to make Happy Cats Haven and its grounds a happy, fun place to be, for cats and people alike. They love that the location of the new shelter contributes to revitalizing Manitou and beautifies a previously unattractive corner.
Alex Trefry is the city’s public information officer and has been an incredible asset since he started in 2020. He works around the clock to ensure accurate information is relayed to our community. Alex is professional and cares deeply for his colleagues. He is always willing to step up to the plate, no matter the time of night, in his spiffy suit ready to talk to the media and be the face of Manitou.
Justin Armour has helped Manitou in so many ways. Coaching school football and girls basketball, he has impacted so many kids. He volunteered with the city to be a youth coach. He helped start Partners for Healthy Choices. As an owner of the Crystal Park Cantina, he has volunteered for years on the Chamber of Commerce board. The Cantina has been very generous over the years donating to community organizations and activities.
David Ball has been a Manitou resident for almost 24 years. The Colorado native moved to Manitou to join the Business of Art Center as a studio artist. He is a graphic designer and teacher, and has worked with organizations like Concrete Couch, Imagination Celebration, Poetry Heals and the Millibo Art Theatre. He assisted C.H. Rockey with his “Love Songs of Middle Time” book and is helping to establish the Rockey Art Museum.
Melody Daugherty is a Tsalagi elder, professional gardener and community activist, and her tireless stewardship weaves heartfelt environmentalism and pollinator protection into all her projects. She was a founding member of the Climate Action Work Group driving the organic land management practices of the 2019 Manitou Springs Environmental Resolution. She founded and serves as executive director of the Manitou Pollinators, guiding partnerships with government, nonprofits, businesses, schools and residents.
Chris Nason, a native New Englander, moved to Colorado after spending 16 years in South Florida. An ordained minister and founding pastor of Souls Church of Manitou Springs, he is passionate about helping people discover their God-given call. Chris has earned degrees at Colorado Christian University in Organizational Management and a master’s at Gateway Seminary. As a faith leader in Manitou, he also has helped School District 14’s Partners for Healthy Choices program.
Sallie Knox Hall and her family moved here six years ago, and she has stamped her presence with colorful, vibrant commissioned pieces while working on local art activities. Her Carnegie Library painting became a focal point of the MACH campaign. She was selected to produce street murals for the storm-drain project and has designed T-shirts for the Coffin Races. Sallie facilitated community art projects and is involved with Westside CARES and the Manitou Women’s Club.
Dr. Rob Danin is a longtime Manitou Springs resident and educator, but much of his work has taken him to other countries as an English foreign language fellow/specialist. In Manitou, Rob has served on the D14 school board, Save the Flats and Manitou Springs Library Board of Trustees. Rob has been recognized for his efforts to save and modernize the Carnegie Library as a member of the Preserve and Renew Our Carnegie Library Task Force.
Marc Benning has been building a career in music for more than 25 years, from Pittsburgh to New York and San Francisco, finding his way to Colorado. In 2013, he partnered with Ivywild School in Colorado Springs, attracting small and medium-sized touring bands to perform, which led to creating Lulu’s Downstairs. The space is warm and welcoming with a deep sense of history and the aesthetic and nostalgia of a 1970s Pittsburgh-style bar.