Colorado coffee shop owner who was attacked for police support honored at Fox Nation Patriot Awards

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Patriot Awards 2020: Wesley Crespi receives 'Everyday Patriot' award

Colorado coffee shop owner offers gift card allowing first responders and other local heroes to score free coffee, pastries

Small business owner Wesley Crespi has been a staple in his suburban Denver community for decades.

For the last 15 years, he has owned and operated the Coffee Cabin in the town of Parker, Colo., outside Centennial, and is well-known in the area for his steadfast support of the military and law enforcement.

That support made him a target earlier this year in the heat of the anti-police rhetoric that often translated into violence in America's cities. At the Fox Nation Patriot Awards Friday, Crespi was given the Everyday Patriot honor.

FOX NATION TO PRESENT SECOND ANNUAL PATRIOT AWARDS TO HONOR AMERICAN HEROES

Crespi's father is a Navy veteran, his brother a former NYPD detective, while another brother served in the 82nd Airborne Division -- and that is among many reasons he has chosen to give back to America's finest, he told Fox News earlier this year.

Crespi allows customers to load money onto a coffee shop gift card which he offers to first responders as a way to pay for their purchase. In July, six Thin Blue Line flags that used to fly in front of the Coffee Cabin to show support for police officers were stolen and expletives were written over stickers that adorned the drive-through window.

“When I saw that it hit to the core, you know, and I was like, wow, it really hurt,” Crespi told Fox News at the time.

CO SMALL BUSINESS OWNER FIGHTS BACK AGAINST VANDALS WITH PRO-POLICE RALLY

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At 1:57 in the morning that day, he received a call letting him know that his shop was vandalized.

In the aftermath, he organized a prayer and peace rally that drew unexpectedly large crowds.

"They all -- every single one of them -- I live in the most amazing community. And, they all started coming in and just handing me $100 bills, $50 bills, telling me to fix the cabin, get security cameras, buy flags -- do whatever I want with the money," he said. "And, I didn't want to take it but they kept forcing it on me...So, by the end of the day, I just decided, 'You know what? I've got to give back..."

Crespi decided to donate the money to The Brotherhood for the Fallen Aurora -- a non-profit organization that aims to honorably attend memorials for fallen officers nationwide -- and the Fallen Officer Fund of Douglas County Foundation.

Fox Nation presented Friday the second annual Patriot Awards as the on-demand, subscription-based streaming service approaches its two-year anniversary.

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The virtual red carpet event, hosted by "Fox & Friends Weekend" co-host and military veteran Pete Hegseth, showcases America’s heroes who have shown steadfast dedication to their country. 

Dubbed the "Golden Globes of conservative media" in 2019, the event featured Fox News and Fox Nation's top personalities including primetime hosts Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham; "Fox & Friends" co-hosts Ainsley Earhardt, Brian Kilmeade & Steve Doocy; "The Daily Briefing" host Dana Perino; "Moms" host Rachel Campos-Duffy; "PARK’D" host Abby Hornacek; and The Pursuit’s John Rich, as well as FNC contributors Johnny Joey Jones, Dan Bongino, Tammy Bruce and Tomi Lahren.

Throughout the evening, select patriots were honored in a number of categories including: The Everyday Patriot, Most Valuable Patriot (MVP), Patriot Award for Service to Veterans, Patriot Award for the Unsung Hero, Patriot Award for Courage, The Young Patriot, Patriot Award for Heroism and The Patriot Award for the Modern Warrior.

Additionally, musical acts including the presentation of the national anthem and “God Bless the U.S.A” were performed by country music stars Lee Greenwood, Jessie James Decker, Phil Vassar, Easton Corbin, Tyler Farr, Clint Black, Natalie Grant and duo Thompson Square, among others.

Watch the The Fox Nation Patriot Awards, streaming on-demand at Fox Nation. 

Fox News' Yael Halon and Krystina Alarcon contributed to this report.