Like many others, it was the breathtaking views and abundance of wildlife that brought Dan Kelliher to Castle Pines.

In 2019, about two years after moving here from a rural area outside of Kiowa, he and his wife, Kimberly, spotted a herd of elk and wanted to take a photo. But as Kelliher lined up the shot, he noticed something amiss: the elk were sharing the space with trash and debris. Kelliher didn’t bother snapping a picture because he figured it would be a bad representation of the area for anyone who saw it.

Instead of calling or writing to the city or property owners to complain, Dan and Kimberly decided to do something about it. Over the span of 2-3 weekends, they collected between 25 and 30 bags of garbage. The City of Castle Pines was supportive of the effort, providing trash bags and even picking them up once they were filled. That impromptu cleanup led to more litter collection days with more people, a good number of them former colleagues of Kelliher’s.

Kelliher spent time in Minnesota and Kentucky as a horse trainer and breeder, then went to school to learn about technology and business, and later enjoyed success providing IT support at horse racing tracks around the country. He and Kimberly are members of thoroughbred ownership groups, and recently acquired a new horse named Beautiful Danielle.

“We just bought a mare, and this mare is going to give me my Derby horse,” he said, referring to the celebrated first leg of the Triple Crown.

Kelliher landed a number of private consulting jobs in the sports betting world, and represented prominent entities throughout the U.S., South America and Europe. Opportunities in horse racing and off-track betting brought him to Colorado, and he later worked with casinos in Black Hawk and Central City to help roll out their sports betting operations. The company for which he worked, Momentum Sports and Entertainment, was acquired by Sporttrade, a company that melds sports betting and stock trading.

Kelliher, who is in the process of helping Kroger get into the gaming business, recruits former co-workers for his community-oriented projects.

“The team was one we had hired, and it’s a younger group of people that helps organize others,” he said. “When you have a gaming license, it’s a privilege to be licensed in that state, and I feel like you have a responsibility to do community givebacks.”

The grassroots group participates in 3-5 projects per year, including helping out at the Denver Rescue Mission during holidays, but concentrates mostly on community cleanups. Giving back was a big part of Kelliher’s upbringing.

“I learned from my grandparents and parents to help others and serve the world around you,” said Kelliher, who has two sons, ages 26 and 28.

Kelliher said his group is willing to take on additional projects as needed in Castle Pines. His plan is to organize an annual community cleanup day starting next year. Kelliher encourages interested residents to reach out to him at dpkell2000@yahoo.com.

By Chris Michlewicz; photos courtesy of the Daniel Kelliher