Good enough to eat

Before moving to the hallway to hang the public art tasty treats, Marcus told the class that when artists finish a project, they take a moment to reflect.

“I want you to reflect on the gift you have given to the community,” she said. “Others will feel joy when they are at school because school is hard work, and they need joy to balance the hard work. Do you know how powerful you are to bring this to the entire community?”

Third grader Calvin Peters explained the process to create the gigantic doughnuts: The students used paper towels and glue to cover the inner tubes, adding several layers to make them look more doughnut-like.

Then students painted the doughnuts light brown and the icings pink, green and brown. The sprinkles are made of wet toilet paper squeezed tightly and painted in bright colors, Calvin said.

The students were proud of their work, and they hung around the hallway to see how others would respond, enjoying their looks of awe and smiles.

Third grader Grey Gillenwater said he felt happy the students were able to express themselves and to share it with others at the school.

Third grader Annika Owen added: “I’ll feel joyful when I pass by (the doughnuts).”

Foothills Professional Park is the ‘BusinessFriendly’ Place For O ce and Storage Space

By Jo Ann M. Colton Foothills

Professional Park (FPP) at 26055 Columbine Trail in Kittredge, near the corner of Bear Creek and Meyers Gulch Road, is fast becoming the business-friendly place for contractors & small business owners who require an o ce, a secured garage, and/or outdoor storage facilities for vehicles, equipment & materials.

“In July 2022 we bought the former Babcock’s Garden & Feed, Inc. property and updated the premises to become a fully amenitized for-rent location for the community,” said FPP owner Frank Compagnino, a nancier and construction trade professional who owns other local commercial property along with his full-service investment company, Evergreen Equity Management, LLC (“EEM”). EEM is a vertically integrated real estate investment company specializing in construction, management, and leasing administration.

FPP, a spacious and safe mixed-use property, features security-gate access and secured perimeter fencing. O ering all-inclusive amenities, FPP showcases onsite o ce spaces (with windows), climate-controlled garage units, and/ or outdoor storage for trucks, trailers, machinery/materials, all with electrical power and video surveillance. Security cameras overlook the entire property enabling the management company and tenants to keep an eye over the property at all times. e facility’s CCTV soware can be linked to tenants’ mobile devices as part of the rental package.

Tenants can get on the building’s WiFi that projects all the way out to the outdoor space. Tenants can give their employees/customers property-entry access codes and they would receive text messages whenever their codes are used.

“Because the business success of our clients is also our success, Foothills Professional Park is designed to provide tenants with full transparency over their business operation as if they actually owned the property,” said Frank Compagnino.

“We take pride in providing our customers with onsite safety/security, utilities (plumbing/electricity/heat), bathroom facilities, conference room, printer use (clients supply their paper), and high-speed internet,” stated Compagnino who personally meets with interested parties before they become tenants.

All-inclusive rental prices include 24/7 building entry-access and all onsite amenities. Small o ces (about 140-square feet or roughly a 10’x11’ size room) rent for $350/month and outdoor storage spaces with electric and cameras (20’x60’) rent for $450 a month.

Explore the advantages of being part of the FPP business community and taking your business operation to its next level of success. For o ce, garage, and/or storage space at the “business-friendly place,” Foothills Professional Park; contact Leasing Director, Marla Stevens at (720) 776-8667 or email admin@foothillspropark.com.

Warm Hearts Warm Babies serves hospitals, agencies across Colorado

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Surrounded by colorful fabric patterns, handmade baby items and frequent laughter, volunteers of the Warm Hearts Warm Babies nonpro t went to work on a Friday morning to put together layettes for organizations who need them.

e nonpro t has a list of roughly 40 agencies it delivers items to throughout Colorado, said Kathleen Williams, the nonpro t’s grant coordinator. e list includes the Children’s Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Platte Valley Medical Center and Denver Medical Center.

“Warm Hearts is totally made up of volunteers,” said Sandi Powis, president of the board of directors. “Everyone’s volunteering with their heart and skills to make things for newborn (babies), preemies to help them get a good start in this world.”

Volunteers sew, knit, crochet and quilt items such as bibs, burp pads, jackets, hats and blankets. e items are assembled into a layette, which is a collection of clothing and accessories for newborn infants.

Each layette contains a quilt, two receiving blankets, bibs, burp pads, clothing and a goodie bag containing items such as a bottle, some diapers and a small toy. ese items are delivered in a handmade tote bag.

“All these items are made with love,” Powis said. “We don’t connect to the individuals personally. We deliver the layettes to hospitals, birthing centers, food banks — anyone that can help us help the newborn.” e nonpro t also o ers items for the neonatal intensive care units at hospitals in Colorado, such as positioning roles that are used to help support the infants.

A number of the mothers who receive these items are experiencing homelessness, sometimes living in shelters or in their cars, Williams said.

“We also provide clothing for babies that don’t survive, from tiny little babies to full-term babies,” Williams said. “We have clothing for them that we hand out at the hospitals.”

Included in those burial layettes is a cloth-made envelope intended for the parents to hold important items and memories, Powis said.

“It’s sad, but it’s so important,” Powis said. “And to know that a mom wouldn’t have to go out, or send her mom or her sister to go out and nd things for her precious one that has passed — that it can be given to them and that’s not a worry for them.”

How it began

e nonpro t’s origin dates back to 1996, when a woman named Victoria Swain gave birth to a stillborn infant, according to the nonpro t’s website. e hospital she was at could not provide a blanket or clothes for her infant, prompt- ing Swain to look into how she could help donate these types of items.

After recruiting some volunteers and spending a few years working through a di erent organization called Newborns in Need, in 2000, Swain and the other board members decided to create their own nonpro t: Warm Hearts Warm Babies.

Powis estimated the nonpro t currently has about 200 volunteers and 12 work groups throughout the state including in Arvada, Brighton, Littleton and ornton.

Powis is part of the work group in Conifer, where she lives. She joined the organization roughly six years ago.

“I’ve been doing things for babies for many years, donating to other groups, but they were all missing something. ere was no social connection with anyone else making things,” Powis said. “I found that they had a local organization up here in Conifer and it was like, that’s it — that’s one I can link up with. I can meet people right here in our community.”

Williams learned about the nonpro t through a quilt show, as representatives of the organization had a table at the event. Living in Aurora at the time, she initially joined the Aurora group. Since then, she has moved to Colorado Springs

SEE IN NEED, P13