Webb, Simmons Sign Each Other’s Books
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and Def Jam Records founder Russell Simmons signed each other’s books last weekend during BookExpo America in New York City. Webb published his autobiography, The Man, the Mayor and the Making of Modern Denver, in February. Simmons was promoting his latest book, Do You! 12 Laws to Access the Power in You to Achieve Happiness and Success. The two met each other previously when Webb was mayor. Photo is courtesy of Fulcrum Publishing.
Private Episcopal School Opens In September
St. Elizabeth’s School is a private, independent, Episcopal day school opening in September on the Clayton Foundation campus, on the corner of Martin Luther King Boulevard and Colorado Boulevard. The school is located in two buildings on the Clayton College campus and has a playground, a ball field, and access to a gymnasium and to the Clayton Theater. It is centrally located within the Curtis Park, Five Points, Capital Hill, Cheesman Park, Congress Park, Park Hill and Stapleton neighborhoods. The school is enrolling its first kindergarten class and will grow to kindergarten through eighth grades. The founding Head of School is Walter T. McCoy. Its mission is to provide opportunities for all of Denver’s urban children by offering an education that forms the whole person: academically, socially, spiritually, and artistically.
Editor’s note: To enroll your student or for more information, call 303-322-4209 or visit www.stelizabethsdenver.org.
Denver Is First Metropolitan Area To Make Collective Donation To MLK Memorial
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and leaders of The Denver Foundation announced that metro Denver residents continued Denver’s long history of honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by becoming the first metropolitan area to collectively donate to the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial. Local citizens contributed $32,619.88 – many in $2 increments – to the “Me too for Two” challenge issued at the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue in City Park in December 2006. Local residents were asked to give just $2 – or more – toward construction of the King memorial. Some “Me too for Two” donations were given anonymously, while others arrived with long letters detailing the inspirations for the gifts.
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The Importance And Need Of A+ Denver
A+ Denver is a non-profit independent civic organization formed to help Denver transform its public school district into the best in the country, and to make increased student achievement and public school reform a top priority in the Denver community. A+ Denver was founded in 2006 at the invitation of the Denver Public School District by former Denver Mayors Federico Peña and Wellington Webb, joined by Co-Chairs Richard Notebaert and Anne Bye Rowe. A+ Denver is comprised of approximately 100 citizens, including community and business leaders, parents and representatives from local foundations and universities. The health and economic success of our community, especially in a global economy, depends on the effectiveness of our public schools. The students they educate are the foundation of our future and they must be prepared to compete with their peers throughout the world. In addition, to win the best minds and talents in the global competition for human capital, a community must excel at public education and value it as highly as any other civic attribute.
$6.5 Million Initiative To Strengthen Services For Seniors
The Colorado Trust has committed $6.5 million to help senior-serving organizations prepare to serve the state’s growing aging population. The Colorado Department of Social Service, Division on Adult Aging, reports that by 2015 this population will grow by 47 percent to nearly 900,000 persons, and by 2030 one out of five people in the state will be 60 or older. The 20 senior-serving organizations named as grantees under The Colorado Trust’s Healthy Aging Initiative will receive annual grants averaging $240,000 over four years to improve information and referral services for seniors, increase access to senior support services, address senior residential needs, strengthen caregiver support services, and promote healthy lifestyles and overall wellness among seniors. The newly named 20 grantees include the Aurora Senior Center, Catholic Charities, Center for African American Health, Health Service, Empowerment, Transformation, Lutheran Social Services, and Rebuilding Together Metro Denver.
CCD President Johnson Leaves Post July 1
Dr. Christine Johnson, president of Community College of Denver (CCD), has left the presidency of the college on July 1. Serious procedural concerns were found by the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) review of 2006 of the audit and administrative and financial practices and controls of the 13 community colleges in the system. Because of these concerns, an outside auditor has been retained by CCCS to further review the initial findings of the standard audit, and Johnson’s July 1 contract was not renewed. System President Dr. Nancy McCallin has appointed state board chair Barbara McDonnell as interim president. McDonnell is currently the executive vice president and legal counsel for CCCS and has been at CCCS since 2001. CCCS will begin immediately to establish a search committee for a new president for CCD. The committee will be comprised of a group of diverse Denver community members.
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Food Security At Risk For Seniors
The Commodities Supplemental Food Program (CSFP) is a food service program, serving approximately 8,000 seniors, women and children, not including the Denver Metro area, which provides free food on a consistent basis. CSFP food boxes are distributed through the Food Bank of the Rockies, and over 65 percent of the people served are seniors. CSFP is an underused program that many people aren’t informed about. There are no loopholes to jump through to qualify. If CSFP doesn’t increase the number of food boxes distributed by 1,200 in the next three months, they will lose state funding. People can talk to a CSFP staff member about where seniors state-wide, and women with children in Metro Denver, can receive free food boxes. The program exists to assist those in need, but they need help in getting the word out to those who can take advantage.
Grants Awarded For Sexual Assault Prevention Programs
Nine grants totaling $236,000 have been awarded for 2007-2008 to new and established programs for the prevention of sexual violence in Colorado. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Sexual Assault Prevention Program administers the grant program with funds from the federal Rape Prevention Education Program. Grant recipients include: the Asian Pacific Development Center, Aurora, 303-365-2959, $20,000; Blue Sky Bridge, Boulder, 303-444-1388, $25,000; Denver Children’s Advocacy Center, 303-825-3850, $25,000; Our Sister’s Keeper Coalition, Durango, 970-259-4160, $25,000; Rape Assistance and Awareness Program (RAAP), Denver, 303-329-9922, $30,000; Sexual Assault Services Organization, Durango, 970-259-3074, $27,500; SHARE, Inc., Ft. Morgan, 970-867-4444, $28,500; Sisters of Color United for Education, Denver, 303-446-8800, $30,000; and Tu Casa, Inc., Alamosa, 719-589-2465, $25,000.
Art For AIDS Raises More Than $110,000 For CAP
Hundreds of art lovers turned out to support Colorado AIDS Project (CAP) and take part in the 20th Annual Art for AIDS Fine and Decorative Art Auction, presented by Pfizer. The auction featured over 300 pieces of art by professional and emerging artists. As CAP’s second largest fundraiser, Art for AIDS brought in more than $110,000 to support CAP’s mission of improving lives affected by HIV and AIDS and preventing HIV infection. The event featured an array of fine hanging artwork, glasswork, and sculpture from professional and emerging artists. In the past two decades, Art for AIDS has raised more than $1.5 million in order to assist people living with HIV and AIDS through CAP’s comprehensive service delivery system. These services include case management, housing, health counseling, and more. CAP is the oldest and largest non-profit, community-based HIV and AIDS service and education agency in Colorado.
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Smoking Ban Gets Small Exception
Colorado is celebrating the one-year anniversary of the Colorado Clean Indoor Air Act, which requires most indoor public places – including restaurants, bars and work places – to be smoke-free. The law was passed to provide a safer and healthier environment for workers, families, residents and visitors of Colorado’s restaurants, bars and other indoor establishments. One exception to the smoke-free law as it pertains to health-care facilities was clarified by the state Legislature in the 2007 session. House Bill 1196 created an exemption for areas of assisted living facilities, including nursing homes, which are designated for smoking by residents. These areas must be fully enclosed and ventilated, and access is restricted to the residents and their guests. Due to the common immobility of patients living in these facilities, the state legislature saw fit to provide an exception to the smoke-free law under these isolated circumstances.
Chipotle Food Drive Serves Up 208,000 Pounds Of Food
On June 5, all 63 Colorado Chipotle locations made an offer that it seems no one in Colorado refused: Bring in a non-perishable food donation and receive a free burrito, taco, salad or Bol. The offer generated an overwhelming response – 207,829 total pounds of food were donated to the five members of the Colorado Food Bank Association (CFBA). From the moment they opened for business, many restaurants had lines snaking inside the restaurants, out the door and down the block – in some cases, for blocks – all day long. When Chipotle first offered to help the CFBA in honor of Hunger Awareness Day, it was hoped that at least 60,000 pounds would be collected. The end result was three and a half times that amount. Chipotle holds the record for the largest one-day food drive by a Colorado business, and is second in size only to the National Association of Letter Carriers annual postal food drive in May.
City Launches Defined Selection Pool For SBEs
The Denver Office of Economic Development announced that Small Business Enterprises (SBE) have the opportunity to bid and compete as prime contractors on approximately $14 million in selected city construction and professional services contracts during the remainder of 2007. These new opportunities are made available through the city’s Construction Empowerment Initiative, which launched in late 2006. Through the new program, a portion of the city’s construction and professional services contracts are designated for exclusive bidding by SBEs. The defined selection pool applies to selected construction contracts valued under $750,000 and professional services contracts under $500,000. City entities that have reserved projects under the defined selection pool for 2007 include Public Works, Denver International Airport, Denver Justice Center, General Services, Parks and Recreation, Environmental Health and Denver Health.
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Comcast Named To BE’s 40 Best Companies For Diversity List
Comcast was named to Black Enterprise’s (BE) third annual list of the top 40 companies for diversity, and also was recognized as one of the 15 best companies for workforce diversity. BE’s corporate diversity survey focused primarily on activities related to the participation of African Americans and other ethnic minority groups in four key areas: supplier diversity, senior management, board involvement and employee base. In selecting the top 40, BE conducted a comprehensive outreach effort to the CEOs and diversity executives of the top-grossing 1,000 publicly traded companies and the 50 leading global companies with significant U.S. operations.
DIA Manager To Retire In 2008
DIA Manager of Aviation Turner West announced that he will retire in the spring of 2008. To identify the best possible candidates and ensure an ample transition period, the search process for a new manager will begin immediately. The City and County of Denver will hire an executive search firm, which will launch an international search over the summer. The goal is to have the new manager in place in early 2008, enabling him/her to work alongside West during the transition. A 41-year veteran of the aviation industry, West has spent 22 years working for the Denver airport system. West served as DIA’s Deputy Manager of Aviation for maintenance and engineering before Mayor Hickenlooper appointed him as a Co-Manager of Aviation in 2003, and later as Manager of Aviation in 2006.
CAAH Receives Grant To Develop Wellness Initiative For Seniors
A $240,000 grant from The Colorado Trust will enable the Center for African-American Health (CAAH) to establish a wellness program, which will promote healthy lifestyles and wellness among African-American seniors 65 and older. The Colorado Trust, a grant-making foundation, created the four-year (2007-2011), $6.5 million Healthy Aging Initiative to improve information referral services for seniors, increase access to senior support services, address senior residential needs, strengthen caregiver support services, and promote healthy lifestyles and overall wellness among seniors. The Center will use a community-based participatory planning process to help shape the program including members of the target population, key church leaders and community stake holders along with project partners.
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