Six years ago, I joined The Sopris Sun as a part-time employee, not knowing this place — and community — would become a lifeline and family during some of my darkest days. What began as a job soon became a calling, deeply woven with stories of resilience, strength and the transformative power of connection.
My journey didn’t begin in journalism. With a degree in environmental conservation, I started my career humbly as a park ranger/EMT at Rocky Mountain and Zion national parks. Later, I launched a website that led me to become “Cyber-Ranger Todd” on AOL and with The Denver Post, writing about the outdoors and becoming an early online personality. Eventually, I sold that website and business to National Geographic, which launched my second career in digital marketing. Though journalism wasn’t my original path, these past six years have shown me how local media can unite, inform and inspire in ways nothing else can.
Growing up as a young, very political gay man in the 1980s and ’90s, I saw firsthand how the media can shape a community by increasing visibility, promoting acceptance, fostering belonging and helping people feel seen. That experience fuels my passion for the work we do at The Sopris Sun week after week.
Besides wanting to make a difference, perhaps it is my entrepreneurial spirit that has fueled my passion for organizational growth, innovation and the drive to raise the resources needed to sustain it. I’ve witnessed the extraordinary impact of this work: Sol del Valle has amplified voices too often unheard; our Youth Journalism Program is giving young people a platform to share their stories, dreams and fears; our new speaker series, Mountain Perspectives, will shine a light on changemakers shaping our region; and through our Annual Giving Guide, we’ve helped raise over $2 million for more than 100 local nonprofits. This work matters deeply to me because it’s about helping people and building a community where every voice is valued, and every story — no matter how big or small — counts.
I’m profoundly grateful to our board, staff, freelancers, local media partners, donors and grantors — whose passion, dedication and hard work have made all of this possible. You inspire me every day.
But life, as we know, rarely follows a neat script. The very month I joined The Sopris Sun, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. This experience shook my world and taught me how fragile and precious life truly is. That moment, along with the heartbreak of a 22-year romantic relationship ending, revealed to me not only the importance of leaning into community, finding light even in darkness and always making space for hope, but also how profoundly our health affects the people who love us. Illness doesn’t just happen to one person, it happens to everyone around them. Often, it is in those raw, vulnerable moments that the bonds of compassion, understanding and connection grow strongest.
Now, just a week after my 55th birthday, I’ve been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. This news has been deeply emotional — a jarring reminder of life’s unpredictability — but also a wake-up call. Prostate cancer is often seen as a disease of older men, but my diagnosis is proof that it can strike earlier, too. I urge every man, regardless of age, to have an open conversation with their healthcare provider about prostate cancer screening. Early detection saves lives and offers more options for effective and perhaps less invasive treatments.
A few days after my diagnosis, four young artists from SoL Theatre Company who will perform in the local production of “Cabaret” later this month, stayed at my home. Their laughter echoed through the house, their music filled the air, their youthful spirit lit up my heart. They reminded me that, while illness can take many things, it can never steal creativity, empathy, love — or the dream of building a better community for us all.
As I listened to them sing, it struck me that life is its own unfolding song, or perhaps a musical. Life is a series of acts and interludes, some steeped in sorrow, others shimmering with beauty. Each moment carries its own melody, its own lesson, its own grace. Though I cannot rewrite the verses already sung or the acts already performed, I can choose how to lift my voice for the next refrain — or step into the next act — with courage, tenderness and an open heart.
The road ahead may be uncertain, but I do not walk it alone. Just as The Sopris Sun shines as a beacon for our community, all of you are beacons for me.
Thank you for your support, for inspiring me to keep dreaming and for reminding me that even in the darkest times, hope and resilience endure.