The power of one is anything

It takes just the power of one to make a difference. That sounds cliché. Yet, in reality it is more than true.

This is what the work of a CASA volunteer (Court Appointed Special Advocate) does every day. CASAs advocate for children who have suffered abuse and neglect and who are now in our court system by no fault of their own. These children must try to understand fear, trauma, anger, anticipation, disappointment and the unknown — alone. And, sometimes at the tender age of 4 or 8 or 14.

People say children are resilient. That’s true. Yet, they still harbor these experiences over a lifetime. It’s imperative we, as a community and society, change that. We must ensure these children have the coping skills and resources to address these challenges and to rise above. We owe that to them and ourselves. It really does take a village, to coin another cliché.

These are the children who will grow up to work in and run busi- nesses, become community leaders and sometimes fall to the wayside. It’s that last part that has inspired me to be a CASA to 16 children over the past 14 years.

As the 2022-2023 Colorado CASA Advocate of the Year, I’ve had the honor to advocate for children from newborn to young adult. Children who have seen and experienced violence that should never have been a part of anyone’s life, much less a child’s. Sexual abuse. Physical abuse. Emotional abuse. Domestic violence. Addiction. Crime. Poverty. CASAs help ensure a child’s safety, best interests and well-being. They are a voice for the child and the eyes and ears for the court. They interact with attorneys, caseworkers, educators and therapists to ensure resources are available so the child can thrive through their situation. We know that youth with a CASA:

• Have significantly fewer placements and are less likely to re-enter the child welfare system.

• Have higher academic performance.

• Have improved behavior and self-control.

• Have improved overall wellbeing.

• Are less likely to turn to delinquency and crime.

In Colorado, nearly 5,000 children were served through the 18 CASA programs by nearly 2,000 CASA advocates. Even with these numbers, there are many children navigating these situations without a CASA volunteer. There are five metro area CASA organizations that provide services in Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Gilpin, Jefferson and Lincoln counties. These organizations provide a number of additional donated resources like school supplies, insurance. ese days you don’t really run to your bank and can click to manage transactions on your phone. It is not recommended to keep large deposits in any one institution, just as you would not put all of your investments in one individual stock. Work with your wealth advisor to determine the right amount to leave in the bank, which is usually designed for transactions or emergency reserves, not large sums that could be working harder for you elsewhere.

Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life” was able to instill trust in his customers to survive a run on his bank during the Great Depression. In real life during that time, the Emergency Banking Act of 1933 formed the Federal Deposit Insurance known as FDIC.

Patricia Kummer has been a Certi ed Financial Planner professional and a duciary for over 35 years and is managing director for Mariner Wealth Advisors.

BYOP, bring your own peace. Wow, could this be the most prolific of all BYO’s? In the agitated world that finds us reading news about road rage, random violence, wars, school or community shootings, or any other topic that drives a wedge between humanity, peace is the most desired of human emotions right now. We live in a world of violence on TV, in the movies, in video games, and it’s all tolerated or worse, accepted as the norm of the world in which we live. BYOP, bring your own peace, this means we can own how we react or respond to each and every news feed or situation we find ourselves in with peace.

You get the point, right? BYO isn’t restricted to restauranteurs, BYO means we can bring our own anything to each and every situation we face. We all face seasons of life that bring us heartache and anguish, seasons of joy and celebration, and well, just seasons of life. No matter what we face, we, and only we, can determine what we bring to the game or situation. Will it be kindness, strength, peace, hope, grace, love, awesomeness, courage, or hope?

The choice is yours; the choice is ours. It doesn’t matter what other BYO might be, we get to select our own BYO. What’s yours? If your BYO is kindness, please live it. If it’s strength, please own it. And if it’s peace, please keep it. And if holiday gifts, tickets for outings, and gift cards for groceries, retail and restaurants.

It’s time to invest in our communities’ future with a collective power of one. You can be the one. You can: it is any other quality or trait that can have a positive impact on our world, please share it. I would love to hear your story at gotonorton@gmail.com and when we can decide which BYO to live, it really will be a better than good life.

• Give your time and be a voice for these children.

• Be a champion and cheerleader — we all need one at some point, especially a child.

• Build their confidence and selfworth.

• Be a role model.

You can make a difference in the future of our community by lifting these children up, guiding them on their journey and being the one stable influence in their lives at a critical time of need.

We cannot underestimate the power one person can have, especially for our most vulnerable children. That’s essential and anything but cliché.

Jane Dvorak is the 2022-2023 Colorado CASA of the Year.

Michael Norton is an author, a personal and professional coach, consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator of individuals and businesses, working with organizations and associations across multiple industries.

BY OLIVIA JEWELL LOVE OLOVE@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

In a state that has over 400 breweries and almost 100 distilleries, approaching the topic of sobriety can be a hard conversation for many people to have.

But with low-key, no-fuss non-alcoholic options at many establishments across the metro, it doesn’t have to be a big deal if you don’t want to drink, whatever your reasons.

Mocktails that you wouldn’t even know were NA

Golden Moon Speakeasy in Golden uses all its own distilled spirits and creates unique craft cocktails at’s all the more reason that general manager Kayla Veatch sees to o er quality, non-alcoholic options.

“My overall philosophy when I changed the menu was to have the same options as the alcohol menu,” Veatch said.

So no, you won’t have to order a water if you’re the designated driver. e mocktails at Golden Moon use highly steeped teas to replace alcohol and utilize many of the same syrups and NA ingredients the cocktails use.

Mocktails are a great option for people ready to slow down on alcohol for the night, people taking certain medications, pregnant people and people exploring sobriety, Veatch said. e speakeasy even serves mocktails to children before 9 p.m.

Having an inclusive menu makes an establishment like this a gathering place for groups, Veatch explained.

“People can still come together….if I didn’t have mocktails, I wonder if they would still be excited to come,” she said about group members who don’t consume alcohol.

Some of the mocktails Veatch makes include the Cloud City, which features an earl grey tea base, ginger, lemon and elder ower, or the Cheshire Cat, which features a butter y pea ower tea base, passionfruit juice and lime. Veatch even makes a copycat smoked whiskey.

Golden Moon Speakeasy is located at 1111 Miner’s Alley in Golden.

An alcohol alternative

For those looking for another NA drink option, perhaps with health bene ts, kombucha has been a popular choice.

Kombucha has been added as an option at many breweries, bars and co ee shops around Colorado; but Marc Gaudreault owns one of only two kombucha tap rooms on the front range.

Before the pandemic, the Trubucha tap room in Lone Tree had space for people to sit inside and enjoy a glass of kombucha. According to Gaudreault, Trubucha actually grew during the pandemic, and the demand for his product is so great he needs most of his shop space for fermenting the kombucha in huge vats.

Still, Trubucha boasts 31 taps in the store and has a spacious patio for people to enjoy kombucha, lemonade, ginger beer or cold brew.

So, what is kombucha? Put simply, Gaudreault explained, it’s lightly fermented tea. But the health bene ts are much more lengthy, he said. Most notably, the drink has an abundance of natural probiotics,