BEST OF THE BEST VOTING STARTS

Supporting local groups

BY NINA JOSS NJOSS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Arapahoe County has awarded over $2 million to nonpro t organizations in the region to support their work in serving the county’s at-risk and underserved populations.

After recommendations from county sta based on submitted applications, the Board of County Commissioners selected 12 organizations out of over 50 applicants for the competitive portion of program. In addition, they funded ten agencies through the safety net portion of the program, which annually supports organizations that supplement the county’s existing safety net services.

is year’s grants range from $8,000 to $400,000, according to the county’s website.

e grants aim to support work in several focus areas including transportation, food assistance, case management, substance abuse treatment, mental and behavioral health treatment, shelter, domestic violence support, a ordable housing and employment skills training, according to the website.

vocate on sta and work to address social determinants of health, which is a subset cause of mental health issues.

“Receiving this grant helps to keep Doctors Care as an access point for Littleton and Arapahoe County,” she said. “It’s helping us to address the mental health crisis.” rough the safety net program, Gateway Domestic Violence Services received $300,000. e money supports all of the organization’s work, including emergency shelter services for those leaving abusive situations, an extended stay program, a court advocacy program and counseling and emotional support services, executive director Karmen Carter said.

Other competitive grant recipients included Ability Connection, Integrated Family Community Services, Second Chance Center, Inc., Justice and Mercy Legal Aid Center and more.

“Without (Aid to Agencies) funding, we would really have to look at signi cantly cutting back on our programming,” she said. “ ey really allow us to be able to continue to look each year at what we can do continue to keep our all of our programs active and moving in important ways in the community.”

“ e big thing about Aid to Agencies is it’s these (agencies) help with the quick response on things because that’s what they’re built to do in those categories,” county spokesperson Anders Nelson said.

It is challenging for a county to quickly respond to all community challenges on its own, so funding nonpro ts helps the county team up with organizations that are more specialized to respond to community needs, he added.

Doctors Care, a Littleton-based healthcare nonpro t organization, received $14,888 through the competitive grant program.

“Doctors Care is very excited to once again be a recipient of the Aid to Agencies grant,” Elizabeth Hockaday, development and marketing director, said. “For us, it shows true partnership in the community to receive the grant.”

She said the grant money will go towards a new behavioral health ad-

Other large grant recipients in safety net portion of the program included STRIDE Senior Dental Services with $400,000 and Aurora Mental Health Center — Detox with $280,000.

“ ere is no way the county can fund every organization to the level of their need every year, but we do try to spread our resources throughout the county on a variety of e orts in such a way that the greatest number of Arapahoe County citizens receives assistance,” District 3 Commissioner Je Baker wrote in an email statement.

Nelson said the funds for the program come from a designated portion of the county’s budget each year. is year, the budget included $2.6 million for the Aid to Agencies program and the county used $2,079,500 for grants. e money the county did not use for grants will be shifted to other areas of need, Nelson said.

Thu 2/09

Cooking with Elle @ 5pm Feb 9th - Mar 2nd

Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora

ARTS: Valentine Tea @ Southwest @ 6pm Denver Parks and Recreation (SOU), 9200 W Saratoga Pl., Denver. 720-913-0654

Featured

Vanimal Kingdom Duo at Lincoln Station @ 6pm

Lincoln Station Coffee/Pizza/Mu‐sic, 9360 Station St, Lone Tree

Larry & Joe: WORKSHOP: Venezuelan Strings @ 6pm

Swallow Hill Music, 71 E Yale Ave, Denver

Outta Nowhere

@ 7pm Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Joe Troop: Swallow Hill Music

Association - Larry & Joe @ 8pm

Swallow Hill Music Association, 71 E Yale Ave, Denver

Fri 2/10

Dead On A Sunday @ 7pm

Moe's Original BBQ, 3295 S Broadway, Englewood

Sat 2/11

The Atomic Drifters: 105 WEST BREWING COMPANY WILL RO-C-K @ 6:30pm 105 West Brewing Company, 1043 Park St, Castle Rock

Rubblebucket @ 8pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Englewood

Spaceface @ 9pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Rubblebucket @ 9pm

Gothic Theatre, 3263 S Broadway, Engle‐wood

Sun 2/12

Parker Parks and Recreation

Love 'em or Leave 'em

Valentine's Day 5K/10K @ 10am / $40-$50

11920 Motsenbocker Rd, Parker

Halfway There Bon Jovi

Tribute: **MegaShow Alert** Bon Jovi and Journey Tributes Take Over Wild Goose Saloon @ 7pm Wild Goose Saloon, Parker

Super Sunday Fun Run 5K @ 10am / $20

6745 S Santa Fe Dr, 6745 South Santa Fe Drive, Littleton. SarahN@ ssprd.org, 303-483-7034

RAZA COSTENA @ 9pm

Stampede, 2430 S Havana St, Aurora

Gran Baile Costeno @ 9:30pm / $55

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

Tue 2/14

Stop Motion AnimationMackintosh Spring 2023 @ 3:45pm / $200

Feb 14th - Apr 25th

Mackintosh Academy, 7018 S Prince St, Littleton. 720-996-0894

Fitness: HIGH Fitness Valentine's Party (13+ yrs) Feb. 14 @ 11:15pm

The King Stan Band in Paradise @ 7pm

Paradise Tavern, 9239 Park Mead‐ows Dr, Lone Tree

Amor y Cumbia

@ 8:30pm / $49

Stampede, 2430 South Havana, Aurora

ARTS: DIY Valentine Card Making @ Harvey Park @ 11:30pm

Harvey Park Recreation Center, 2120 S. Tennyson Way, Denver. 720-913-0654

Cory Michael @ 2pm

Wide Open Saloon, 5607 US-85, Sedalia

Kids Cooking Valentine Surprises @ 4pm PACE Center, 20000 Pikes Peak Avenue, Parker

YS: 3-4 Sports Experience @ Southwest @ 5:30pm

Feb 11th - Mar 4th

Southwest Recreation Center, 9200 W. Saratoga Pl., Denver. 720-913-0654

Halfway There @ 7:30pm

Wild Goose Saloon, 11160 S. Pikes Peak Drive, Parker 0xxKBxx0: KBS FRIENDS TOUR: SINGLES VALENTINES @ 8pm Old Chicago, 16990 E Iliff Ave, Aurora

Parker Recreation Center, 17301 E Lincoln Ave., Parker

Wed 2/15

Casino - Bally's @ 2:45pm Heather Gardens Clubhouse, 2888 S. Heather Gardens Way, Aurora

Thu 2/16

ARTS: Mini Picasso @ Harvard Gulch @ 5pm

Feb 16th - Mar 16th

Harvard Gulch Recreation Center, 550 E. Iliff Ave., Denver. 720-913-0654