Colorado
Lakewood nonprofit that offers older Colorado residents free home repairs sees more and more requests
A Colorado nonprofit called Bright Leaf Inc. serves elderly populations in economically difficult circumstances by providing landscaping and home repairs free of charge.
At a retirement community in Lakewood this week, Bright Leaf volunteer Jenna Melliadis recently was making some new friends, one door knock at a time. She met Dennis Howard, a 77 year old who lives in the neighborhood. Howard spends most of his time outside these days after his longtime wife passed away in the last year. All kinds of things in the house remind him of her, down to the torn up linoleum on his kitchen floor from where her wheeled chairs would wear down the tile. They used to scrape by on two combined Social Security incomes, but after her passing, Howard has had to shoulder the costs of everything alone.
“It’s really hard to afford your rent, food and repairs and stuff,” he told CBS Colorado. “You have to put them on the back burner.”
The floor damage has been on the to do list for awhile, he explained, and he was afraid that one day he would slip on it and fall in his home.
“I couldn’t afford to have it done, so thank God these guys came by and are able to help me with it,” said Howard.
The knock on the door from Melliadis changed things.
Bright Leaf is primarily volunteer driven outside of Executive Director Steve Olguin and other senior staff that handle scheduling and coordination.
“Being able to provide services that help people survive safely and comfortably in their home is so important,” Melliadis said.
For her, it hits home in a particularly pronounced way. Her mother passed away three months ago and couldn’t spend some of her last days and weeks in the comfort of her home. Every walk into a home is a chance to give these seniors an opportunity to be happy, healthy and cared for.
“Because this is such a personal cause and mission to my heart it is unbelievably gratifying,” she said. “The impacts that we’re able to have on each individual, knowing that they’re happy, that they’re comfortable, that they’re safe is just such a huge blessing.”
Bright Leaf Inc. started out as a Facebook group where people would share resources and a way to help elderly individuals like grandparents or other family members. Over the next few years, more calls for service would come and Olguin decided to put his experience as a roofer and contractor to work. The group did receive grant funding but recent administrative changes within state and federal governments have forced them to look into other funding avenues. Nowadays, Olguin says, they operate primarily on community donations, volunteer time and good Samaritans that are willing to lend a hand, a lawn mower, or a power drill to help those in need.
Since 2022, Olguin said, calls have been more frequent and tips regularly come in regarding neighborhoods and people to help. But 2025 has been a particularly intense period of work.
“The beginning of 2025 is a time when we have seen the most requests come in,” he said.
Based on those calls and tips, the volunteers will fan out to areas like the Lakewood community they were in this week. Typically, the trips are two days in length. The first is to knock on doors, meet residents and see what they need help with. Olguin and his team divvy up responsibilities, what contractors need to be called and who can do what work and then the next morning, crews are out to fix what needs to be fixed. It can be anything from lawn mowing and weed whacking to bigger projects like replacing carpets or making showers ADA compliant for residents that are now using walking aids.
“To be able to help a senior do some repairs on their home that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford or they don’t have family support, it shows them that there are people out there that do care,” Olguin said.
“It’s a godsend,” Dennis said, his eyes beginning to well. “I had no idea that this help was out there. People need to know.”
After just one day, Dennis Howard has a friend in Jenna Melliadis. Soon, the rip in his floor will be gone. And Bright Leaf Inc. will be on to the next place, trying to provide some help and comfort to those that need it.
This Cyber Monday, sales are expected to surpass $14.2 billion online, according to Adobe Analytics. As you’re searching for those holiday deals for your loved ones or maybe a little something for yourself, you might be wondering where to look and what to look out for.
There are major deals for you on electronics and clothes:
• Amazon is offering 40% off select toys, 50% off on clothing
• Target is offering $200 off some Apple products
• Retailers like Abercrombie and Fitch are giving you 50% off everything
Before you click buy, watch out for scammers who want to steal your personal information and your money. So far this year, Americans have reported more than $7 billion of fraud.
Here are five of the most common types of scams to watch for this holiday season, according to Visa:
• Fake retail websites: Websites that appear authentic but have been constructed for the sole purpose of scamming customers are proliferating, according to Visa. These sites can closely mimic popular companies, duping shoppers into handing over credit card information. Trust if your gut instinct says something is awry. Check the web address for typos, like numbers swapped out for letters, or vice versa.
• Package delivery scams: Scam artists are sending consumers texts claiming there is a “delivery problem” with an online order they probably didn’t place. Criminals posing as package delivery services like UPS or FedEx tell consumers they must turn over their credit card information to receive a phony delivery. Criminals may sell and trade your personal information on the dark web or enroll you in recurring billing cycles you never signed up for. Some consumers might not catch these issues if they don’t pay close attention to their credit card statements, according to Visa.
• Paying for seasonal work: Fake job offers also crop up during the holidays, when many Americans are trying to earn extra cash to cover gift-giving and travel. Scammers take advantage of that financial pressure.
• Travel-related fraud: Scammers are also creating fake travel sites and sending phishing emails targeting people with holiday travel plans. Make sure to make reservations through trusted travel sites, and if a deal appears to be too good to be true, it probably is.
• Charity scams: The year-end giving season also attracts scammers who exploit people’s generosity by setting up phony charities. Fraudsters may build convincing websites or approach people in person with tap-to-donate schemes, Visa said. As with other scams, it’s wise to confirm a charity’s legitimacy before donating.
If you do get hit, call your bank or credit card company right away. Time is critical. Also, file a police report. That can sometimes help you recover your funds.
The final full weekend of the college football regular season delivered everything the sport promises in late November—rivalry drama, playoff-shifting results, and, for some programs, a harsh reminder of how far they still have to climb.
For the Colorado Buffaloes, the script remained painfully familiar. A snowy road loss to Kansas State capped a frustrating 3–9 campaign in year 3 under Deion Sanders. In contrast, Ohio State strengthened its claim as the nation’s best team with a massive win in The Big House. Meanwhile, Texas A&M squandered a golden chance at the SEC Championship.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 14 of the college football season.
Another Game, Another Loss — But a Few Signs of Hope
For the fifth straight week, the Colorado Buffaloes land on the wrong side of the ledger. Their 24–14 loss at Kansas State was a microcosm of the entire season: flashes of potential drowned out by inconsistency and key absences.
Colorado’s defense opened the game with resilience, holding K-State in check after an early touchdown drive and keeping the Buffs within striking distance well into the fourth quarter. But missing multiple starters — including All-American left tackle Jordan Seaton, who missed the final three games with a foot injury — placed even more pressure on the offense, which struggled to sustain momentum.
Kansas State’s Joe Jackson ultimately took over, erupting for 188 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats punched their bowl ticket. Colorado, meanwhile, finishes the year 3–9, a sharp decline from the program’s 2024 breakthrough that featured a bowl appearance, a near Big 12 title berth, and Travis Hunter becoming the first two-way Heisman winner in a generation.
But there is a silver lining.
This season wasn’t about hardware — it was about experience. Colorado’s young core, headlined by freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis, logged meaningful snaps against Big 12 competition. Those reps should make a big difference in how Lewis and the Buffs look next season. With “Coach Prime” expected to overhaul both the roster and coaching staff, the offseason becomes a crucial reset point — one that will shape whether Colorado’s growing foundation can finally translate potential into wins.
A Rivalry Win Sets the Stage for a Historic Matchup
When the pressure and the stakes are highest, the great teams rise to the occasion, and that’s exactly what the No. 1-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes did, delivering a clean, dominant performance against their bitter rivals, the Michigan Wolverines.
The Buckeyes walked into Ann Arbor and delivered one of their most complete performances of the year, beating rival Michigan 27-9 to remain undefeated and stake their claim as the nation’s top team.
In a rivalry often defined by razor-thin margins, Ohio State weathered Michigan’s early momentum by controlling the trenches and smothering Michigan’s run game, forcing the Wolverines’ freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood into mistake-filled moments, including a late fourth-quarter interception that sealed the win for the Buckeyes.
The win preserved Ohio State’s perfect record and sets up a historic Big Ten Championship matchup against No. 2 Indiana — the first time the conference’s title game will feature undefeated teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2. The winner will not only claim the Big Ten crown but the No. 1 seed in the expanded College Football Playoff.
MORE: What Colorado Quarterback Julian Lewis Said After Impressing In First College Start
MORE: Three Big Takeaways From the Colorado Buffaloes’ Loss to West Virginia
MORE: What Deion Sanders Said After Colorado Buffaloes’ Loss to West Virginia
A Rivalry Collapse — But a Playoff Lifeline Remains
The stage was set for Texas A&M to make a national statement.
Beat Texas in Austin, and the Aggies were headed to the SEC Championship Game. Instead, Arch Manning and the Longhorns flipped the script on the maroon and white. Manning’s late touchdown run sealed a 27–17 win over the No. 3 Aggies, handing coach Mike Elko and A&M a painful loss to close the regular season.
The defeat ended the Aggies’ hopes of playing for an SEC title — something the program hasn’t done in over a decade — and denied them the satisfaction of beating their archrival on the biggest stage since the rivalry was renewed.
Still, the Aggies are expected to reach the College Football Playoff thanks to their strong overall record and big road wins over Notre Dame, and Missouri. A&M star linebacker Taurean York put things bluntly after the loss:
“Hurts a lot,” York said after the game. “But you got to regroup and get ready for the playoffs.”
The Aggies may have lost the battle in Austin — but the war that matters most is just ahead.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Colorado Springs Police are urged drivers to be careful on the roads as snow fell across Southern Colorado on Sunday night.
Just before 8:00 p.m., police posted on social media that all lanes of westbound Fillmore at I-25 were closed due to multiple crashes. They asked drivers to be careful and avoid the area.
All of westbound Fillmore is closed at I25 due to multiple crashes. Please use alternate routes and avoid the area. And please drive safe! Roads are extremely slick right now with multiple crashes throughout the city.
— CSPD Communications (@CSPDComCenter) December 1, 2025
Copyright 2025 KKTV. All rights reserved.
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