A holiday meal and a quiet act of kindness
The cafeteria had long since closed when the night security team arrived for their shift on Thanksgiving Day at UCHealth Parkview Pueblo West Hospital. Most would have assumed they missed out on the holiday meal. But waiting for them, neatly packaged and labeled, were full Thanksgiving dinners set aside by someone who did not want them forgotten.
That someone was Shawn Lawson.
Lawson works in maintenance and facilities, not food service or security, but he saw a need and stepped in.
“I knew they would miss it,” Lawson said. “The night shift for security comes in at 10 p.m., but the last meals were handed out at 7 p.m. I was able to get my meal early, so I asked if I could pick up meals for them too.”
Lawson taped each food container shut, wrote the names of the intended recipients and set them aside until the security team arrived later that night. For him, it was a small act of consideration. For the people receiving the meals, it meant sitting down to a warm plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and cookies when they least expected it.
“It was a traditional Thanksgiving dinner,” Lawson said. “I just did not want them to miss out.”
UCHealth Parkview security officer Connor Sanders praised Lawson’s compassion and initiative.
“Shawn showed what true teamwork looks like,” he said. “Acts like his improve workplace culture and remind us that excellence is not just about performance, but about character.”
When asked why he felt compelled to help, Lawson emphasized the tight-knit nature of night-shift work.
“We work closely together on the overnight shifts,” he said. “If security needs help, they call me. If something happens up front, I go. It is a way to look out for each other. On nights, maintenance is usually just one person, so we form our own support system.”
Lawson’s path to Parkview Pueblo West spans two regions, several facilities and a family story. He began his facilities career in 2007 at Memorial Hospital and eventually worked day, swing and graveyard shifts, later becoming a lead and then supporting off-site facilities across Colorado. Years later, he returned to Pueblo to help care for his mother during cancer treatment.
“I wanted to be close,” he said. “She needed care, and I wanted to be there for her.” With UCHealth acquiring Parkview during that time, his transition back into the system felt natural. Today, Lawson lives five minutes from the hospital, instead of commuting two hours a day.
His Celebrating You nomination describes him as a quiet leader whose generosity strengthens teams across departments.
Lawson sums it up more simply. “We just look out for each other,” he said.
His Thanksgiving gesture showed that excellence is not only about skill or performance. It lives in the way we support one another.