A Phi A and Zion Donate School Supplies, Launch Tutoring Program
On Sept. 21, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity and the Zion United Community Credit Union kicked off this year’s math tutoring program at Hallett Academy, 29th and Jasmine Streets. This is the third year the Alpha Phi Alpha members provided weekly tutoring classes at Hallett. The Zion United Community Credit Union helped by making sure all students in the program received the right school supplies to ensure each student had the necessary notebooks, tablets, compasses, protractors and other much needed school supplies.

Denver Selected To Host Nation’s Heroes
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society, comprised of our nation’s most honored heroes, selected Denver as the host for its September 2008 annual convention, a first in the city’s history. The joint announcement was made by the Denver Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce. Of the 3,442 recipients ever awarded the Medal of Honor since 1863, only 111 are alive today. These esteemed honorees represent all races, social classes, educational and economic strata and are emblematic of America’s ideals of courage, sacrifice, and patriotism. At least five living recipients have Colorado ties. Presented in the name of Congress, usually by The President, the Medal of Honor is without equal. It stands above all others in prestige and reverence.
www.denver.org

SCFD Distributes $1.6 Million To Denver County Cultural Groups
The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD) Board of Directors approved the distribution of $1,631,844 for Denver County cultural organizations at their meeting on Sept. 21. 97 cultural groups receiving funding will provide a variety of cultural services to Denver County. A reception with Denver City Council, County Cultural Council members, and grant recipients was held on Oct. 17 at Four Mile Historic Park, 715 South Forest Street in Denver. Among this year’s awards are Art Students League of Denver $38,800; City Park Jazz $6,814; Bug Performance and Media Art Center $14,700; Chicano Humanities and Arts Council $9,999; Curious Theatre Company $34,920; Denver Urban Gardens $33,950; James P. Beckwourth Mountain Club $28,982; Museo de Las Americas $34,920; PHAMALy $22,310; and Very Special Arts of Colorado $22,212.
www.scfd.org

Blue Ribbon Commission On Health Care Launched
Affordable, quality health care coverage continues to be the top concern for the majority of Coloradans. This is the reason for a new law authored by State Representatives Anne McGihon, D-Denver, Tom Massey, R-Poncha Springs, and Senator Brandon Shaffer, D-Longmont. Senate Bill 208 creates a blue ribbon commission to expand health care coverage and lower costs for all Coloradans. The appointments have been finalized and the commission is ready to get to work. The commission is charged with: examining health coverage and reform models designed to ensure access to affordable coverage for all Colorado residents; soliciting comprehensive reform proposals from interested parties; selecting between three and five proposals for in-depth technical assessment by an independent contractor; holding meetings around the state to solicit public input; and completing a final report with recommendations to the General Assembly by Nov. 30, 2007.

Foundation, Business, Education Leaders Gathered To Launch Program Aimed At Improving Education
The Pepsi Center in downtown Denver played host to nearly 150 educators and business professionals who were on hand for the launch of Denver Public Schools' (DPS) School Partners Program (SPP). Launched by the DPS Foundation and sponsored by the Daniels Fund and Qwest, the program is a major new initiative to help improve and enhance educational opportunities for students throughout DPS. The School Partners Program is designed to cultivate, nurture, and sustain partnerships between local businesses and schools, and the 20 businesses present have already agreed to provide financial and non-financial resources to the initial 20 DPS schools and the students they serve.

2006 One Book, One Denver Title Unveiled
Mayor John Hickenlooper and the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs announced that The Milagro Beanfield War by John Nichols is the 2006 One Book, One Denver selection, sponsored in part by the Denver Urban Spectrum. The choice was unveiled at a news conference at the Denver Public Library’s Central Branch. A series of community events are scheduled through December. One Book, One Denver cultivates a culture of reading and discussion throughout the greater Denver metro area. Criteria for book selection include that the book be a work of fiction, available in paperback, and engaging for both high school and adult readers. In addition, the book must be written by a living author who is willing to participate in community activities.
www.denvergov.org/onebook.

CU-Boulder Increases Minority Faculty Hires For 2006-07
Twenty-two percent of the 77 new faculty members hired over the past year at the University of Colorado at Boulder are ethnic minorities, which is expected to raise total numbers of minority faculty on the Boulder campus after faculty numbers are tallied in late October. Tenure-track and instructor-level minority faculty in fall 2005 totaled 194 out of 1,417, or 14 percent. Of the 77 new hires, 60 are tenure-track faculty and of that group, 25 percent are Asian, Hispanic, American Indian, African American or multiracial. The increase in minority faculty hires mirrors the increased minority enrollment on the Boulder campus this fall. Campus minority enrollment is up 98 over fall 2005 for undergraduates and is up 118 overall.
www.colorado.edu/pba/facstaff

Denver Office Of Economic Development Launches Podcasts
The Denver Office of Economic Development (OED) has launched a new series of podcasts on its Web site, www.milehigh.com. The podcasts feature Mayor John Hickenlooper and a group of business leaders who share their perspectives on Denver as an ideal location for conducting business. Users can listen to the podcasts directly on their computer or subscribe to them through an RSS feed. The podcasts also will be available for free subscription through Apple’s iTunes. In addition to podcasts, the OED Web site offers a wide variety of economic and demographic information, including OED news and events and links to Denver Maps and neighborhood plans.
www.milehigh.com

Small Business Drives The U.S. Economy
Small business continues to drive the United States economy, according to a report issued by the Office of Advocacy of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Newly released data show that in 2005, small businesses represented 99.7 percent of all the nation’s employer businesses. Data also show that they employed 57.4 million Americans or 50.6 percent of the non-farm private sector workforce. The Small Business Profiles for the States and Territories uses the latest federal government statistics to detail small business’ contribution to the economy of the states, District of Columbia, the nation, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. territories. It is the source for small business statistics presented in user-friendly formats and it funds research into small business issues. 
www.sba.gov/advo

Southern Area Links Raise Major Funds For Black Colleges And Universities
The legendary Nancy Wilson sang from her heart to an audience of 1,500-plus fans in September at the North Carolina Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. Wilson performed for “In Concert With Education” to assist The Southern Area of The Links, Inc. in endowing 51 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in N. Carolina, S. Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the Republic of South Africa. All profits from the event will be used to underwrite scholarship endowments at each of the historically Black colleges and universities in the Southern Area. Established in 1946, The Links, Inc., an international not-for-profit organization, is one of the nation’s oldest and largest volunteer service organizations of women who are committed to enriching, sustaining and ensuring the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other persons of African decent.