They clustered under trees near the University of Denver’s Nelson Hall on Friday afternoon, seeking shelter from a scorching sun. Working in teams of 15 to 20, they stuffed deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes, wet wipes, combs, body lotion, shaving cream and razors into sandwich bags.
The makeshift personal hygiene kits were bound for homeless people – folks most of us think of as “them.”
Not the roughly 200 teenagers under the trees. As they produced 5,000 tiny care packages, the vast majority recalled that they needed some form of public or volunteer aid in their lives.
“I’ve been judged plenty of times,” said 17-year-old Jason Toms of Aurora.
When she was a little girl, Natalie Sotelo shared a bittersweet Eddie Murphy routine with her siblings as the ice cream truck rolled through their neighborhood:
“You don’t get no ice cream ’cause you’re on the welfare.”
Poised over a table full of donated toiletries, Sotelo, now 18 and living in Rye, wasn’t about to judge anyone. Neither was the rest of the latest class of Daniels Scholars. They are all about to go to college compliments of a man who struggled with alcoholism while amassing a fortune in the cable-television business.
Bill Daniels’ battle with the bottle was no secret to his young beneficiaries stuffing the plastic bags. The fight to overcome adversity bound them to their late benefactor. Like him, they believe that starting in the back of the pack is never an excuse for not finishing the race. They realize that falling down is never as important as getting back up. They know that if you remain honest, compassionate and good-natured, your odds of doing both improve.
As Miranda Blauvelt of Broomfield said in a quintessential description of the philosophy that both provided her a scholarship and brought her to DU last week, “Bill Daniels was big on second chances.”
The progeny of his philanthropy say they’ll be big on second chances too.
“Look how long it took Bill Daniels to succeed,” said 17-year-old Maureen Baca of Albuquerque.
Daniels Scholars come from Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. They usually come from minority and/or low-income backgrounds. Bill Daniels’ legacy lets them go to any college they can get into. For instance, those who once looked down on Toms may look him up next year at Georgetown University.
But only because he promises to remember where he came from.
That’s the part of a Daniels scholarship that gets driven home filling hygiene kits in the hot sun.
“Bill Daniels trusted people,” said University of Wyoming-bound Stephen Castle of Guernsey, Wyo. “He expected a lot out of them.”
Expectations make a difference, Colorado State University-bound Sarah Johnston of Pueblo said. “So many times I had to depend on other people. I want people to be able to depend on me.”
You earn your keep with public service, not lip service, explained Danisha Egans. The 20-year-old from Hobbs, N.M., goes to Texas Christian University. She worked as a mentor to the latest Daniels Scholars class during last week’s orientation at DU.
“This program teaches that it’s OK to want to do good for yourself,” Egans said. “But it’s OK to do good for others.”
Actually, the program affirms that self-help and philanthropy are inextricably intertwined. That is why Luis Azcona of Denver volunteered with Colorado’s I Have a Dream Foundation and Katie Li of Grand Junction worked with the American Cancer Society before they got Daniels scholarships. It is also why Sotelo says she will use her college years to train for work as a missionary.
Still, if what the kids call “Bill Daniels’ Values” stick, acting holier than thou will not be part of Sotelo’s mission. Nor will it be part of the life journeys of those she stood around Friday.
As Cornell University-bound Desiree Barron of Pueblo summed it up:
“If the Daniels Fund takes a chance on you, you’re willing to take a chance on someone else.”
Jim Spencer’s column appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He can be reached at 303-820-1771 or jspencer@denverpost.com.
