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KENS 5's Best of 2020 | Here are the year's most inspiring stories

From the Spurs fulfilling our Fiesta jersey dreams to our first virtual EXCEL award, these are the stories that defined San Antonio in 2020.

SAN ANTONIO — The year 2020 has been interesting, to say the least. But even with the hardships, we've seen a lot of the good that San Antonians have to offer, and we want to share that with you.

We've compiled some of KENS 5's best stories of 2020. From heartwarming stories of neighbors helping neighbors to the community coming together to help local businesses in need, there are some great ones in the books:

Author and minister Max Lucado sits down for a one-on-one about the issues facing our county

As the country went into lockdown in April, Oak Hills Minister Max Lucado started something new: Eight to ten minute videos of hopeful messages on MaxLucado.com.

New exhibit features 'Women and Activism on the Westside'

A new exhibit telling the stories of 'Women and Activism on San Antonio's Westside' aims to offer an inclusive, holistic picture of the roles women have played in supporting their communities and promoting dignity in a variety of ways.

'Thank you': Marine overwhelmed with support after moving truck stolen

Marine Joshua Nobles told KENS 5 that his vehicle with his father's ashes was found. This comes one day after his moving truck was found completely empty of many of the family's possessions.

Customers pay it forward at east-side coffee shop as business owners continue mission of charity

When the pandemic shut down the shop in March, Tatu and Emilie Herrera took it upon themselves to start feeding seniors in the community. In the last nine months, they've delivered 60,0000 meals to people in need.

Inside SA's newest interactive art museum — Hopscotch

Nominated for "USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2020" in the category of "Best New Attraction," San Antonio's Hopscotch art gallery has proven it's one-of-a-kind. We stepped inside to see what the excitement is all about.

First wave of students begins free training program at new Port SA training center | Commerce Street

We first told you about Port San Antonio’s plan to transform a former Air Force fitness center into a training hub in August. In this update episode of Commerce Street, a business podcast from KENS 5, we heard from the organizations making the dream a reality and some of the students working toward a better future.

'I know what it's like to not have a Bible': Meet the man selling T-shirts to bring faith to inmates

After serving 36 months in federal prison, Hector Ginez completely restructured his life, helping inmates find faith. His non-profit is selling T-shirts with Bible verses and messages. He said a monthly part of his profit will buy Bibles for inmates.

Ice cream truck? Southside ISD figures out a way to feed the district

At the start of the year, bus drivers would drive through neighborhoods delivering meals. The problem? No one showed to pick them up.

"We were not getting good participation," Ramirez said. "So we started thinking, what can we do?" 

How can you get a bunch of kids out of their house? Easy. Make pretend you're an ice cream truck.

'Runway Course' helps students navigate the path to college during the pandemic

With countless high school seniors losing access to in-person meetings with their school counselors this year due to coronavirus and remote learning, a free online class has been launched to help seniors pick colleges, apply for financial aid, and even write essays.

Delia's opens first San Antonio location outside Rio Grande Valley

The best tamales in Texas?! Yes, it is a bold statement. But it has been said about Delia's, an iconic business specializing in tamales with six locations in the Rio Grande Valley. 

The restaurant opened its first location outside RGV right here in the Alamo City. So, of course, we had to check it out for ourselves.

San Antonio reacts as Spurs release Fiesta jerseys

After years of Spurs fans begging the team to release Fiesta-themed jerseys, those calls were answered. The organization even acknowledged some of the more mild-mannered requests for teal, pink and orange in the video launch, and San Antonio took the fiesta to social media.

'COVID-19 really can’t stop love' | Critically ill San Antonio man weds fiancee at hospital

A San Antonio man struggling to recover from coronavirus was able to say “I do” to his fiancee with the help of Methodist Hospital staff. When Grace shared with his nurse that they had missed their wedding while Muniz was ill, the nurse came up with the idea of hosting the wedding at the hospital. 

The couple accepted the offer, and nurses said they noticed a “positive change” in Muniz.

Janna Clements wins KENS 5 Credit Human EXCEL Award for Boerne ISD

After decades of recognizing and honoring our area teachers, our EXCEL Awards reached a new milestone. For the first time in the program’s 22 year history, our EXCEL presentation was held virtually because of the pandemic.

Our first KENS 5 Credit Human EXCEL recipient for the start of the fall semester was Boerne ISD’s Janna Clements from Voss Middle School.

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More about this series from KENS 5's Erica Zucco and Deborah Knapp:

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