Colorado teacher helps wildlife officers receive donated N95 masks

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KRDO) -- When Martie Kelley learned that Colorado wildlife officers were having trouble getting N95 masks, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife's Northeast Region explained the touching saga in series of tweets Thursday.

Kelley, a social studies teacher at a youth detention center in Centennial, took it upon herself to look for a source of the masks. She contacted Project C.U.R.E., a philanthropic organization dedicated to delivering life-saving medical equipment.

Volunteers at Project C.U.R.E. ultimately made a generous donation of N95 and surgical masks, said CPW. It's now allowing wildlife officers in northeast Colorado to continue to work while staying healthy.

Officer Nicholson with CPW offered his heartfelt thanks to Kelley and the volunteers.

"Community partnerships and support are part of what makes CPW's wildlife management work successful, and our wildlife officers are humbled by this donation. Colorado's kids are lucky to have Ms. Kelley as a teacher," said Nicholson in a prepared statement. "Colorado's first responders are lucky to have Project C.U.R.E.'s volunteers giving their time and resources to support our work."

Martie Kelley, social studies teacher at the Marvin W. Foote Youth services center, recently found out that wildlife officers in Area 1 & Area 5 were having difficulty obtaining N95 masks to protect themselves while working to protect Colorado's wildlife and the public. pic.twitter.com/iDJWsvq5rK

— CPW NE Region (@CPW_NE) May 14, 2020