Our stories. Our neighbors. Our community.

Stop. Take a look around you. This is Fort Collins.

You walk by hundreds, if not thousands, of people every day. You probably don't give most a second thought. Few of us do.

And let's be honest: If we do, we likely make a quick assumption based on outward appearance.

After all, that's our basic human instinct. We don't even mean to do it. But what would happen if we took the time to move beyond those first impressions and learn the story behind each face?

This summer, Coloradoan Social Issues Reporter Sarah Jane Kyle and Photographer Morgan Spiehs are on a mission to meet as many people as possible and share their stories with you.

We invite you to join them.

By reading about their hopes and challenges, and by taking time to look — really look — at each of their faces, we hope you gain a new perspective.

One resident, Chanelle Leslie, said during the time we spent with her: "The best part of being human is that we have community and that we have access to each other for help."

Come back and visit us here every week to discover something new. Sign up for entertainment alerts to be notified first when we have new stories to share.

"Something that I could work on is that I think I can do everything myself. I'm very independent, and I've raised two kids. I don't ask for a lot of help."

--Tisha McRae-Dwyer, 50, is a Fort Collins native and graduate of Fort Collins High School. She's worked for city of Fort Collins since 2000, starting as a parking enforcement officer for 5 years. She's been the parking enforcement supervisor for about 10 years.

"I don't want to get left out anymore. … You should treat other people the way you want them to treat you."

--Jair Solano, 9, participates in programs at La Familia/The Family Center in Fort Collins. In his free, time he likes to play catch with his dad. Jair wants to be an engineer when he grows up so he can "create stuff for the new world."

"One of my favorite things that someone told me was that I'm not defined by my GPA. … You're way more than your GPA. You're way more than just a number. Keep that in mind."

--Avery Rowlison, 24, finished her first year as a veterinary student at Colorado State University in May. She moved to Fort Collins last August.

"In recent years, missing my dad's funeral because I had a blood clot in my leg and could hardly walk. … He was probably the most influential person in my life, closely followed by my mom. I just got back from cleaning out her house, so I'm just full of fun. That's why I had to come here and see something that's alive."

-Dahms, when asked, "What's the hardest thing you've ever had to do?"

--David Dahms, 57, is a former electrical engineer and current nature photographer and book publisher. He lost his father to prostate cancer two years ago.

"We were crossing the English channel on the freighter in 1952. My father took us to the edge of the freighter and said 'Now this is the first breath of freedom you will feel. It's something I will never forget."

--Dorlies von Kaphengst Meissner-Rasmussen, 72, was born in Klein Pobloth, Pomerania, Germany, in 1943, during World War II. Her mother fled with Dorlies and her two siblings to the western part of Germany in 1945.

"I've had more machine guns pointed in my face than any woman ought to," she said.

The family was later reunited with Dorlies' father, who had been forced to serve in the military. She immigrated to Colorado in 1952. Dorlies has lived in Fort Collins since 1970 and is in the process of writing a five book series, "Aristocracy to Ashes," based on her family's story.

" We're talking about being with people in the deepest, darkest, most intimate moments of their lives. ... There's a real healing tool in being able to share your baby with your family and your friends. You should be proud of your baby, no matter how old they were when they passed."

--Betsy Strafach, 55, is the executive director and one of three founders of Fort Collins-based nonprofit 3Hopeful Hearts, which works with bereaved parents, and is the area coordinator for Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a nonprofit group of photographers that take portraits of families with stillborn babies or babies that will die at the hospital following after their birth.

She has worked with more than 60 families since joining Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, offering them priceless memories they may not otherwise have of their children. It's not easy, but she said she knows her photographs are an important piece of the healing process.

"People say, 'How could you do this?'" she said. "How could you not? If you have the talent, how could you not do it?"In her work with 3Hopeful Hearts, Strafach is able to reconnect with many of the families she photographs and offer additional healing through support groups and other grief counseling services. She recently retired from professional photography to allow more time for her nonprofit passions. Strafach calls her work with grieving parents a "labor of passion."

"I think having integrity and being honest with people is the most important thing in the world. ... It's just how I was brought up. If you say you're going to be there, be there – and hopefully five minutes early."

--Bob Vangermeersch, 73, has lived in Fort Collins for 26 years. Now retired, he has worn many hats during his "free" time, including taking an active role in anti-stadium efforts with Save Our Stadium Hughes, coordinating the CROP Walk for Hunger and volunteering with Habitat for Humanity.

Bob said family drives him. He's the father of three children who are "sensitive, well brought up, educated and are concerned about other people." He's also a proud grandfather.

"(Family) is part of your inheritance that you're leaving to the world," he said.

"I give everything for her. Everything is for her now. Her time is my time. … Everything is providing to her now, but I want to improve myself, too. It's not just me anymore. My dream is her dream now."

--Manita Andrews, 37, was a nurse in Thailand before moving to Fort Collins four years ago to get an American nursing degree. She put her schooling on hold to have her daughter, Annika, who is now 2.

--Brady Hood, 17, just finished his junior year at Rocky Mountain High School. Since he was a baby, he's been attending Respite Care, Inc., which serves children with developmental disabilities.

"I have people in my church who don't know where tomorrow's check is coming from. They need to be reassured that God can sustain. Our experience in how God is the God of liberation is maybe different than the person who is just telling you to 'be good and go to heaven.' I have to encourage somebody to get up tomorrow and get through the day."

-- Pastor David Williams, 58, is the founder and pastor of Abyssinian Christian Church in Fort Collins. He moved to Fort Collins 27 years ago and founded the church, which now has about 250 members, 25 years ago. The church's membership is about 80 percent people of color.

"How often do you think about how long you're going to live? You don't. You just keep going and going, then all of a sudden you're 80 years old. Your kids are 60. And it just happens."

"She lived until the 8th of April. I'm still here. ... Her given name was Muriel, which she hated. She was named for a cigar. She was always known as Louie, but I called her Lulu. She was born and raised in New York City. She had never been west of the Hudson River until we came out here. She never forgave me for taking her away from New York and the seashore. ... She loved to dance. She loved to take trips. We just had a great life."

-- Court Boxwell, 91, is on hospice care through Pathways Hospice in Fort Collins. Court believes hospice is "a much better way to go," and said he feels much better since going off treatment for cancer. He and his wife, Lulu, were married for 70 years and entered hospice care together in April 2014. He cared for Lulu while she was on hospice until her death on April 8, 2015. Court said he's lived "a great life" that's he's proud of, and that he loved working as a dentist until the age of 85. In the 1970s, Court became the United States' Olympic dentist, traveling to the Olympic Games in Germany, Japan and Colombia.

Pictured below: (Left) A photo of Court Boxwell and his wife Lulu the day they met in New Jersey on July 4, 1944, hangs on the wall of his room in Ridgen Farms. The couple also had their first date on the same day and Lulu's father accompanied them. (Right) A photo of Court Boxwell and his wife Lulu the day they were married in New York City on July 17, 1945, hangs on the wall of his room in Ridgen Farms.

"I got my first horse when I was six. But my mom rode horses while she was pregnant with me, so I've been riding since before I was born. … (My mom) is like my biggest inspiration. I could be having the worst day and she knows how to turn it around. She likes the same things I do, and she's pretty much my idol."

-- Annie Emerson, 13, loves riding and training horses, included Achilles (pictured).

"When Rob found out he had Huntington's, we were actually separated. We had been struggling in our marriage for several years. I just didn't understand why he was doing the things he was doing. He was forgetful. He was emotionally volatile. He couldn't complete simple things I was asking him to do. I was really convinced that he didn't care and that he didn't love me anymore. ... It was actually a relief to find out. We could understand why he was doing the things he was doing. It wasn't something he had control over."

--Sami and Rob Peterson have been married 31 years. Rob, a Fort Collins native and Vietnam veteran, was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease about 20 years ago and has been at Fort Collins Health Care Center for the past two years. Sami, along with other advocates, helped form the local nonprofit Hope Conquering Huntington's to provide support for local families facing the disease.

"I've been free from drugs for about 11 years, and I haven't had a drink in almost seven. ... I was looking at spending time in lockup (before I got clean). The judge told me that I was a terrorist on my community, and I had to stop and take a look at that. ... (Substance abuse) destroys and wrecks lives. It doesn't just affect the lives of users, but of everyone they touch. I just don't want to see anyone take the hard road I took, because it's bad."

-- Daniel "Yogi" Herrera, 43, is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who has worked as a tattoo artist at Covenant Tattoo & Piercing for three years. He's a member of a clean and sober motorcycle riding club, speaks at rehab facilities and volunteers with Colorado Meth Project, speaking to students about drug use and gang violence.

"The worst thing about being homeless is the way people avert their eyes and treat you like a monster when you're just innocently sitting there. ... I was homeless. It's a scary place to be because a private school upbringing in a place like Australia doesn't prepare you to be somewhere there is no safety net. ... The night before the interview for the job I ended up getting, I had gone sleeping and hiking near Horsetooth. I woke up, dipped in Horsetooth and went to the interview."

--Chanelle Leslie, 23, moved to Colorado from Australia 18 months ago. Soon after, she was laid off from a Denver business magazine and became homeless. She lived out of her car for eight weeks before finding a job at F + W Media and moving to Fort Collins six months ago.

"I grew up in Ethiopia. I have had all the hardship. I grew up with 16 brothers and sisters in a military house. Nothing is going to challenge me. ... Coming to the United States and learning the culture, juggling between two to three jobs and raising three daughters made me a strong woman."

--Etage (pronounced: Ee-tog) Asrat is the owner and chef at Nyala Ethiopian Cuisine. Her family moved to Fort Collins from Ethiopia in 1991 so her husband could attend Colorado State University. She opened Nyala in 2004.

"I have some mixed emotions about my time in the service. When I first joined, I got my uniform and was home on leave. I took my girlfriend to the high school prom. That was really neat until we got to the door and they weren't going to let me in because I was in uniform. Fort Collins was very anti-military at that time. ... It was kind of scary and very sad. ... We were heroes overseas, and when we came back home we were what you wanted to wipe your feet on. It broke my heart. It really did."

--Harry Campbell served in the U.S. Navy for 20 years. He graduated from Fort Collins High School "when it was still the only high school in town." He joined the Navy shortly after.