Denver Catholic

33 DENVER CATHOLIC | DECEMBER 2020 M I C H E L L E P E T E R S Each year, the Archdiocese of Denver hosts two regional youth conferences attended by thousands of kids and young adults: Mountain Madness and Steubenville of the Rockies. Anybody who's been to either knows how much of a blast they are; far fewer understand the sheer amount of logistics and organization it takes to pull them off. For that, Michelle Peters is the one to thank. Peters is the Director of Youth, Young Adult and Campus Ministries for the archdiocese, a role she's been in for over 17 years. She quietly works behind the scenes with an army of committed volunteers and staff to allow the Lord to encounter the youth at these conferences and kindle a flame deep inside their hearts. "Michelle pours her entire heart into her work," said Scott Elmer, Executive Director of Evangelization and Family Life Ministries for the Archdiocese of Denver. "She's incredibly dedicated, reliable and cares deeply about providing places for our youth to encounter Christ and his Church." While the pandemic forced the cancellation of both conferences this year, Peters is neck-deep in planning a virtual Mountain Madness conference for 2021. Despite the challenges of the job, Peters cherishes the relationships she's built with her volunteers, but it's the youth that bring her the most joy, and ultimately what keeps her around. "It's really just that love of serving our young people and seeing our young people start to get it," Peters said, "and seeing that moment when kids have that encounter." G I OVA N N A C A R R I E R O - CO N T R E R AS Giovanna Carriero didn't know she had been nominated to receive the 2020 Bill Daniels Ethical Leader of the Year, but when the Cure d'Ars parishioner and businesswoman found out, she joyfully received it as a sign from God telling her she was on the right path. "This award is the most meaningful to me because ethics is something that speaks to the person you are and the values you have," she said. And in fact, her faith is not alien to Cesco Linguistic Services, the business she founded. "The advantage being an owner of a new business is that you are the one who creates the culture," she said. This has been an opportunity for Carriero to practice her faith by emphasizing integrity, respect, clarity and transparency. "We always think of our work as a service," she said. While she employs people of different backgrounds and religions, her employees know the strong role that her faith plays in her life, so much that they now say they have the "God Factor," which comes into play whenever they needed a miracle. "I started talking with clients about God," she said. "I don't want to lecture anyone. I just want to show others that God exists and that he does provide." Kevin Davies was asked on several occasions to become a safe environment trainer, but he immediately rejected the offer. It would take a few years and a clear need in his parish for him to give a reluctant "yes." Thirteen years later, he's trained close to 1,000 people on how to protect children from abuse and neglect. Even the pandemic has not stopped him from communicating this important knowledge to people. His passion becomes evident in-person and during his recent virtual classes: "Each of you here have the power to change a child's future, you can stop abuse from happening," he tells the participants. Although the fruits of his labor may not always be tangible, he has encountered people who have confided much in him and the work he does is of the utmost importance in ensuring that the Church remains a welcoming and safe environment for everybody, and especially for our children. "The Church has done so much to stop the abuse and neglect of children," he said. "I believe that if we really looked at the statistics, we'd say we're having a huge effect." K E V I N DAV I E S

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