My name is Danny and many people know me as the Leprechano, because of my Mexican-Irish decent. Most know me for my cultural practices. I have been an Aztec dancer in the Denver metro area for about 30 years. I’m also known as ‘Light Runner’, a native name I got very young. My family have been in Colorado for over 150 years, and several of us are involved with the Indigenous Native American cultural practices, such as Dance, Music, Religious ceremony and Lifestyle education.

My path of Recovery began almost 20 years ago when I left the federal prison system after being transferred to El Paso TX. from a Mexican prison in Juarez, MX in 2004. I had been caught smuggling marijuana near the border in 2002. But alcohol was my biggest threat. It killed my father in 1992 and ravages many of my family members still today. I was abstinent for 9 years and it has to be a pretty big occasion if you can get me to take a shot of tequila.

My greatest support is my wife Desiree of 25 years. We have six wonderful children, and we know that our cultural heritage has given them a solid foundation. We constantly remind ourselves how blessed we have been to see their growth and success.

I first met AFRC in 2017 when I received Peer Specialist training as an employee of SOCUE -Sisters of Color United for Education. They are Colorado’s oldest Promotor@ de Salud model and working in a women-of-color led organization was one of the best challenges I’ve owned. My position here as the Cultural Program Director is also enhanced by my past year working at Fort Logan Mental Health Institute as a Peer Specialist. I am bi-lingual in Spanish and bi-cultural in Nahuatl, Lakota and Nde-Dne practices.

I approach this work with humility and hope to build upon the success that AFRC has already achieved.