Vacations for Warriors looks to give families a holiday

Casino night on May 20

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Army veteran Robert DeMonbrun was looking for a way to help fellow soldiers and came up with something simple. He’d help them get some quality time in with their families.

“Life is tough for them and I wanted to give them a time to relax and decompress and just be together as a family and strengthen their family bonds,” said DeMonbrun.

So, he created Vacations for Warriors, which reaches out to service members who have su ered from physical or invisible traumatic injuries. On May 20, the group will hold what’s dubbed “Casino Night,” helping fund Vacations for Warriors.

e event runs from 5:30-10 p.m., Saturday, May 20, at Littleton Elks Lodge #1650, 5749 S Curtice St. DeMonbrun, who served during the Vietnam era, felt compelled to help veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He started his nonprofit in 2014. Funds are raised to send wounded soldiers and their families on vacations to places like Hawaii, Disney World and New York.

“Although those wars are over, these guys still face many challenges,” said DeMonbrun.

Injured troops can spend weeks, months, even years in rehabilitation and even after that, some wounds linger. Post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries are challenges that may last a lifetime.

“When they transition to family life when they get out of rehabilitation, they needed to reconnect with their spouse, their parents, their children and our vacations are for them to help them transition back to family life,” said DeMonbrun. e night will also include a cash bar and a silent auction. Among items being sold will be golf course foursomes, sports memorabilia and purses.

Vacations for Warriors has so far sent 45 warriors and their families on vacations, including several from out of state. is upcoming event will be raising funds for Army Sgt. Christian Valle, Marine Pvt. First Class Kevin Hanrahan and Army Sgt. Ezquiel Rodriguez and their families. Previous vacation recipients will be at the event.

A $50 donation includes a light dinner and casino chips as there will be poker, black jack, craps and roulette.

Tickets can be bought on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite. com/e/charity-casino-nightvacations-4-warriors-tickets-611419441007?a =erelexpmlt

“We’re real excited about it,” said DeMonbrun. “Anyone who cares about the military and our wounded warriors are welcome to come and meet them and have fun.”

For more: contact Bob DeMonbrun at 720 373 0479 or bobdemonbrun@ gmail.com but only 25 percent of the shift is explained by increased allocations to the Chinese RMB. Much of this was driven by Russia which holds one third of all RMB reserves.

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BY LUKE ZARZECKI LZARZECKI@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

On most Tuesdays and ursdays and some Saturdays, a team of bikers meets to explore Colorado’s network of trails.

e group connects at a co ee shop in downtown Denver. When the weather isn’t too hot, it’s after work around 4 or 5 p.m. In the dead of summer, it’s usually in the morning.

ey sip on espresso and decide where they want to ride that day. It could be on the bike lanes of Denver, the 36 Bikeway to Boulder, the Platte River Trail to Brighton or other suburbs. Most of the time, it involves a stop along the way.

“We would go down the Platte River Trail to the C 470 trail and then Krispy Kremes along there. We call it the Krispy 50. It’s a 50-mile loop,” said Ted Schultz, one of the riders in the group.

e group started after Schultz and two colleagues in his o ce space decided to start riding together after work. Schultz rode with a few others and combined the two groups.

After the ride, they go to a brewery to catch up with one another and relax after the ride.

Colorado’s network of trails

Part of the reason the group exists is due to Colorado’s extensive bike trail infrastructure. Schultz said it’s only improved in the past two decades.

“When you add up the miles of really good trails, it’s just mind-boggling,” he said.

Schultz, who grew up in Colorado, said understanding for cyclists sharing the road and building more infrastructure has vastly grown. In the 70s and 80s, he could almost count on angry driver backlash during his rides. Now, not so much. e Denver Regional Council of Governments built a map that shows all the trails and bike lanes across the region. ey stretch all the way from Boulder to Clear Creek to Castle Rock.

Much of that may be due to more focus on improving trails and streets.

And more may be coming. e Greenhouse Gas Planning Standard, a new rule adopted by the Transportation Commission of Colorado in December 2021, requires agencies to measure greenhouse gas emissions from transit projects, with limits on how high those emissions go.

Bike Path

With bike infrastructure providing the option for drivers to ditch their cars and bike, it can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Jacob Riger, multimodal transportation planning manager for the Denver Regional Council of Governments, said his group has already modi ed its 2050 Metro Vision Regional Transportation Plan based on the rule.

Emily Lindsey, active and emerging mobility program manager for DRCOG, said people are ready.

Of the 15 million daily trips in the region, 43% are less than three miles and 19% are less than one mile.

“So, super bikeable, even more so with e-bikes,” she said.

Chris Chen, one of the riders in the group, noted that some improvements are needed. Chen, who lives in Littleton, said there aren’t many bike lanes.

He said either more need to be added or there need to be wider shoulders. He also said more education about how to share the road with bikers needs to be implemented, citing the death of Gwen Inglis in 2021.

Inglis was a national champion who was struck and killed by a driver in Lakewood.

“It’s been so long since I took the driver’s test, but I don’t know if they have incorporated anything into that,” Chen said.

He explained that it’s scary when vehicles go by fast, especially semi-trucks. e trucks, going fast enough, will push air to the side, which pushes the cyclist, but then will suck the air back in, bringing the cyclist in with it.

“If it’s really close, it’s really scary, not only the sounds of it and in the nearness of that fastmoving object, but the air actually pulling you in,” Chen said.

Compared to other places, Anthony Harvey, another member of the group, said the bike infrastructure ranks higher than the places he’s seen, including Texas, Califor- nia and Chicago.

Benefits of riding e group ranges in age. Chen is one of the younger ones in his 40s with some of the older riders in their 60s. Meaning, biking is an activity for all abilities and ages.

Chen said he used to be a swimmer. But he didn’t like the fact he had to drive to the pool before 5 a.m. to be at practice in time. at was too early for him, so he stopped swimming and started cycling more. Not only did it satisfy as a workout, but also was more convenient.

“I can combine commuting and exercise all together,” Chen said. en he joined the group and it became a lot more fun. It was a way for him to make new friends, destress and get a workout. It also reminds him of his childhood.

“It’s the feeling of when you’re a little kid and you’re going fast and you’re like ‘this is awesome.’” Chen said. “It still feels like that. at sense of freedom.”

Harvey said he got into biking after he was injured from MMA competitions and decided to switch sports. He participates in various races.

“I was able to actually race with bikes and can also stay t,” he said.

Benefi

Ts Of Friendship

While the biking brings the group together, the camaraderie keeps them pedaling. Schultz, Chen and Harvey all talked about the importance of keeping up with each other, not just on the trail.

Each friend rides on their own and sees the bene ts of being alone. But with the group, they push each other to go faster and further and gives a chance to connect over a topic each is passionate about.

After each ride, they stop at a brewpub or a bar, with Chen’s recommendation for one with a food truck.

“ at’s when we can catch up on trips and things happening with the family and what new gadgets people have,” Chen said. “ at kind of stu .”