The High Country Unitarian Universalist Fellowship recently presented Diane Luellen with a Community Service Award, honoring her for her work as founder of the Summit Colorado Interfaith Council.

Luellen, a member of the Lord of the Mountains Lutheran Church in Dillon, started the interfaith council in 2015 along with Terese Kiel, a member of St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Breckenridge. She served as president of the group until earlier this year, when she handed over the reins to longtime member Pat McShane.

Under Luellen’s leadership, the Interfaith Council has developed a number of countywide programs, including the group’s Summer Sunday Film Series, the Thanksgiving To Go food drive, ongoing People’s Supper events and the creation of the local Hate Has No Home Here campaign. Luellen also helped to organize a number of gatherings to respond to incidences of gun violence around the country and abroad. More recently, she and the council partnered with Good Bridge Community to help establish the Local Overnight Safe Parking Permit program.