Carolina and Tomas Quinonez, both Larimer County Human Services Department employees, are the recipients of the 2022 Ranger Brendan Unitt Community Service Award. Brendan Unitt was a Larimer County Natural Resources Ranger who gave back to our community in countless ways. He lost his life in August 2020 rescuing distressed swimmers during a storm at Horsetooth Reservoir in Larimer County. The Ranger Brendan Unitt Service Award is presented to a Larimer County employee in his memory who demonstrates a passion to serve their community through selfless acts of community service.
Larimer Co Brendan Unitt Award 2022
Both Carolina and Tomas serve our community in countless ways by getting information and resources out to those to reach and strengthen families who might have language barriers or not have the necessary access to these resources. Carolina is a Case Manager at the Larimer County Office on Aging, and Tomas is a Community Navigator in the Children, Youth, and Family Division, both within the Department of Human Services.
Carolina finds every opportunity both during her job and outside work to ensure that those in the Spanish-speaking community understand and have access to resources available to them. She also connects immigrant families who are being deported with agencies, churches, and nonprofits with needed resources.
During the Cameron Peak Fire and East Troublesome Fires, Tomas was on the scene reaching out to families who use Spanish as their primary language, sharing the resources and information to access the resources available to them during and when in recovery from both fires.