Teresa Samaniego, Vice President of Diversity & Community Relations at ABC7, has been in the community engagement space at ABC7 for 43 years. Her original life plan was to be a Kindergarten teacher, as her passion has always been helping children. Instead, she's found ways to help the less fortunate through her role with ABC7.

"Two years after I came to ABC I was given the opportunity to open up the community affairs department and my life has never been the same since," Samaniego said.

Samaniego is retiring at the end of this year, so the Rams decided to honor her as a "pLAymaker." She has supported countless charities and played a key role in starting the Spark of Love initiative. She is also a co-founder of the nonprofit organization Kollab Youth. She was gifted a $5,000 check to her foundation with the honor.

ABC7 and Southern California Firefighters are celebrating the 32nd Annual Spark of Love Toy Drive this year, and is the largest community toy drive in the nation. People could donate money or buy sponsored t-shirts, and all proceeds will go to buying toys or sports equipment for the children and teens in need.

"I do this because it's my passion," Samaniego said, "but to have an organization like the Rams acknowledge this work and acknowledge this opportunity to give back to the community, to the children we have here today, it's very humbling and at the same time extremely rewarding.

"My heart is filled with joy and it's just such a blessing to be able to bring these entities together to create this experience for the youth that you see here today."

At ABC7, Samaniego has helped create campaigns that are "very impactful." They donate books, collect toys, collect food for the underserved communities and more with the resources of the station. Samaniego said "it's like a microphone that we can amplify a need for someone."

"Being of service is extremely important for me," Samaniego said. "I live in a state of gratitude because I work in the media, I see a lot of the stuff that's going on in our world and we all need to be kinder, gentler, compassionate, and if I can be part of that change, I am very fortunate and I feel extremely blessed and thankful for having that opportunity."

Her nonprofit, Kollab Youth, helps under-resourced high school students explore career opportunities in a number of fields, providing mentorship from industry experts, according to the website. They also receive paid work experience through internships and apprenticeships to catapult them into the working world.

"When people think about change or giving back, they always think about money," Samaniego said. "... It's not about the money, it's about being kind, it's about being respectful, it's about reaching out to someone who maybe needs a kind word and you start one step at a time, one day at a time and then the opportunity to be of service and to be kind, we have it every single day, every single moment.

"It could be a stranger in the street and you could just be kind and show a smile and make that person feel like they were acknowledged. I think people just want to feel acknowledged and be respected and treated with dignity."