About Us
The People Behind Challenged Champions and Heroes
Robin Lococo
President & Founder
The Founder and President of Challenged Champions and Heros and The creator of the Challenged Champions National Awareness Day. Dr. Lococo has been very ambitious in life, after overcoming many challenges and obstacles in her life. Her size as a 4”11 woman and losing her mother at an early age has struck a fire within her to achieve and Oh my, has she achieved in her life. She is a two-time Presidential award winner, the former President of Ethiopia Girma Wolde Gorgis excellence service award in 2016 the 2019 United States lifetime achievement award, a bipartisan award given to an individual with 4000 volunteer service hours to the United States of America. She is also the 2020 Special Needs Civility Icon of the year Global Award winner for the honor culture she has created for special needs around the world. Dr. Lococo, had taken her voice to a higher level with the Challenged Champions National Awareness day. She is a voice for recognition for top achievers in the special needs community and their caregivers. Her life mission is to create equity and empowerment for the special-needs communities of the world. “ The world is truly a better place because of champions like Dr. Lococo for standing tall and creating the path for the differently-abled communities to be recognized for excellence,” says HRH Clyde Rivers. Please stand with Dr. Robin Lococo for this noble cause.
Penny Heflebower
Vice President of Communications and Development
Penny's passion is to bring honor to those who have physical & mental disabilities and to recognize & honor the caregivers. The challenges and experience of growing up with a sister that had brain damage due to excess radiation opened the door to Penny’s passion of wanting to help those who can’t help themselves, love those who are hurting, and bring them honor. Penny has had the opportunity of working as a Paraeducator with High School Special Education Students ages 18-21 for almost 19 years, where her main focus was to train them on how to survive in the Real World after they graduated, or not.
In 1999, Penny and her husband founded the Victor Valley Rescue Mission, which is a Christian-based program that has several homes for men who want to get clean and sober, and who will commit to a 90-day transition program.
"I believe that when God changes the heart, the person will be transformed."