After a child loses a parent during their military or public safety service, Angels of America’s Fallen works to help them find solace and perhaps a lifelong passion.

The son of a fallen firefighter Cooper Dean, 11, expects to show off the culinary skills he developed through the nonprofit’s sponsorship during an annual gala, finishing off a cheesecake on stage. 

 Before discovering his love of the kitchen, the young Georgia resident tried out football, soccer, and science, technology, engineering and math camps through the nonprofit, said Shelli Lewis, the nonprofit’s program director.

The nonprofit encourages its “angels” to try different activities as they grow up and their interests change, she said.

“We feel like it’s important to stand beside them until they reach adulthood,” she said. The Colorado Springs-based nonprofit works with children until they turn 19.

The organization, founded in 2012, sponsors about 600 children nationwide, with about 70 in Colorado, she said. The nonprofit has about 800 additional children on its waiting list that it could serve with additional funding, Lewis said. But in the tough fundraising environment, the nonprofit is not sponsoring any new children.

The need for the nonprofit’s sponsorship is also expected to grow if the nation continues to lose military service members to the conflict in the Middle East, Lewis said.

Members of the community can support Angel’s of America’s Fallen by attending the annual gala, on April 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hotel Polaris.

The event will feature Rachael Flick, who lost her husband, El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy Micah Flick in 2018. Both of her children participate in the program. 

Tickets to the gala can be purchased at aoafallen.org. Attendees will also have a chance to taste Cooper’s creation. The cheesecake he plans to make with help from a sous chef at the hotel also will go up for auction at the event.