River Bridge Regional Center honors Sheriff Vallario – Garfield County, Colorado
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Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario speaks after being honored at the River Bridge Regional Center.

River Bridge Regional Center honors Sheriff Vallario

Vallario was instrumental in helping create and sustain the valued child advocacy center

GCSO PRESS RELEASE
April 19, 2026

During the River Bridge Regional Center annual benefit, Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario was honored for his instrumental role in creating and sustaining the program, delivering remarks that reflected both gratitude and the center’s origins.

In his acceptance speech, Sheriff Vallario emphasized that the recognition extended far beyond himself.

“This doesn’t belong to me,” he told attendees. “There are so many people, from the very beginning to everyone in this room tonight, who made this possible.”

He reflected on the early conversations that led to River Bridge, recalling late-night patrol shifts with Terry Wilson, then a fellow officer and later Glenwood Springs Chief of Police, where the two discussed the need for a local child advocacy center. Those conversations were shaped by difficult cases, including one involving a young victim who had to be transported nearly 90 miles to Grand Junction for care.

“We kept asking, how do we do better for these kids?” he said.

That question led to the creation of River Bridge in 2006, alongside then Assistant District Attorney Jeff Cheney, Chief of Police Terry Wilson, and numerous community partners.

Despite its early success, the program faced financial uncertainty that threatened its future. During the event, River Bridge’s Executive Director Blythe Chapman emphasized the importance of Sheriff Vallario’s leadership during that time.

“We would have shut down, I’m absolutely positive of that,” Chapman said. “When I brought the concerns to Lou and Terry, he (Sheriff Lou Vallario) did not waiver for one second, it was 100 percent we are doing this and this center is too important to let go. … And we’re here today because of Lou.”

Sheriff Vallario also reflected on the broader impact of the program, calling it one of the most meaningful efforts of his career.

“Of everything I’ve been part of, two stand out, the School Resource Officer program, because we can reach kids before they make life-changing decisions, and River Bridge, because it helps them after something unthinkable has already happened,” he said.

He closed by returning to the collective effort behind the center’s success.

“We’ve come a long way, he said. “But this has always been about the kids and the people who made sure we never gave up on them.”

River Bridge continues to serve as a critical resource for children and families providing a coordinated and compassionate response to abuse cases across the region.