DENVER — The nonprofit group “Citizens Appreciate Police” honored several officers Wednesday, with the help of Denver Mayor Michael Hancock and the Nuggets.

“You go above and beyond the call of duty every day,” Hancock said. “These are the stories that are not told. This is an unsung element of policing. You may think in your difficult, complex job you do every day, the public is not aware of the 90 percent of the things you do for the good of our community, like we are honoring here today.”

Stories like that of Officer Adam Foisy.

While on patrol last year, he responded to a call of a young boy running through traffic, flagging down cars at Colfax Avenue and Broadway. Foisy picked up 11-year-old D’artagnan and took him home.

“We were going through a little bit of tough time,” his mother said. “There were times when he would leave, I had no idea where he was.

When Foisy came along, it was a big change and it helped out a lot.”

On the ride home, Foisy learned D’Artangnan wanted to be a professional basketball player when he grew up. He also learned the boy did not even have a basketball.

So Foisy bought him one. And on top of that, he collected money to send D’artagan to basketball camp. Additional money was donated to the camp in D’artagnan’s name. He has continued to be a positive role model in D’Artagnan’s life, interacting with him on a regular basis.

“You have made all of us extremely proud,” Chief Robert White said. “You went way out of your way to do this. And this is a classic example of doing the right thing for the right reason.”

Said Foisy: “It’s one step at a time. We’ve had good times and bad times, but I see improvement in him. I’m proud of him — the steps he has taken — and I try to help him out as much as I can. Kids will be kids, there’s always going to be speed bumps and things that will come up. I hope to be there for him, hope he sees me as someone he can trust … help him along the way.”

When FOX31 Denver’s Sports Director Nick Griffith heard about Foisy’s story, he reached out to the Nuggets, who stepped up in a big way, sending former player and current team community ambassador Mark Randall to the ceremony.

He brought a gift bag filled with Nuggets goodies for Foisy and D’Artagnan.

“I get to see the work Denver’s finest does all the time and I get to thank you for your service,” Randall said. “To hear you stand up here and be so humble about what you do and everything you’re involved in, I say thank you. You are obviously making a difference in one man’s life.”

Just one example of a Denver officer making a positive difference in the community.