25 minute read
LOCAL
The adoption program moves quickly to fi nd the kids homes
BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
More than thirty kids wishes came true and found permanent families through the annual Nov. 19 “Adoption Day” that was established by the Weld County Board of Commissioners, according to a Weld County press release.
“Every child deserves a safe, loving, and permanent family,” said Perry Buck, Commissioner Coordinator for the Department of Human Services (DHS). “It’s important that people know our adoptive families are valued tremendously for all that they do and support. There is an ongoing need for foster and adoptive families.”
Weld County Department of Human Services DHS celebrated the fi nalized adoptions virtually with the kids and their new families at the Weld County Courthouse on November 20th. The adoption red tape process was from January through October 19th, according to offi cials.
“It’s a true team effort — starting with our intake caseworkers who deal with the initial investigation, to our permanency caseworkers who work with families to strive for reunifi cation, and if that is not possible, we then work towards permanency with the adoption caseworkers. After adoptions are fi nalized, our post-adoption caseworkers work hard to support our adoption families along the way,” said Jamie Ulrich, Weld County DHS Director.
Weld County is looking for families to sign up to adopt over 60 youths that need homes.
There are about 105 active foster homes in Weld County as of November 2021. Since then, some of the foster homes have closed because the kids are adopted. The DHS team conducted an evaluation and needs about 25 more active foster care homes for the youths in Weld County, according to DHS.
According to offi cials, the children and teens in the Welfare system the foster family adopts them. Weld County DHS will be holding a foster care orientation on Wednesday, Dec. 1st from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Weld County Humans Services building A, Greeley, CO.
For more information on the Weld County Foster Care program visit https://www.weldgov.com/ Government/Departments/Human-Services/Foster-Care.
Also, for information on The Family, Forever Program postadoption services, call 970-400-6707 or email us at hs-postadoptionsupport@weldgov.com.
Veteran news leader named Colorado Community Media editor
Lisa Schlichtman will oversee CCM’s 8-county news operation
STAFF REPORT
The next editor-in-chief of Colorado Community Media is Lisa Schlichtman, an experienced, award-winning news executive and an industry leader.
CCM Publisher Linda Shapley made the announcement Nov. 29.
“I’ve been familiar with Lisa’s award-winning leadership for a number of years, and to have someone with her passion and talent guiding our journalists at Colorado Community Media will mean great things as we look to grow our brand,” she said.
Schlichtman, until recently the editor of the Steamboat Pilot & Today newspaper, joins CCM on Jan. 3.
“I am thrilled to join Colorado Community Media and take on the new role of editor-in-chief,” Schlichtman said. “I look forward to sharing my years of experience in the newspaper industry with CCM’s talented team of reporters and editors with the goal of connecting the communities we serve through engaging, locally-focused content and impactful journalism.”
Schlichtman will lead the news teams of CCM’s two dozen Colorado newspapers and websites as well as other publications. CCM was sold earlier this year by Jerry and Ann Healey to The Colorado News Conservancy, a partnership of The Colorado Sun and the National Trust for Local News dedicated to fostering community journalism.
CCM newspapers serve Adams, Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Jefferson and Weld counties.
“Our publications have tremendous potential and reach, and it is exciting to be part of the newly established Colorado News Conservancy,” Schlichtman said.
Schlichtman succeeds Mark Harden, who retired as CCM editor last fall but has been serving on an interim basis since July while the search was underway for a permanent editor. Harden steps down Dec. 16.
“Lisa is just the sort of dynamic, innovative, experienced news leader who can help CCM reach its greatest potential,” Harden said. “I am so pleased she has agreed to join us and I wish her great success.”
Since July 2013, Schlichtman has been editor of the Pilot & Today, a daily newspaper founded in 1885 and serving Steamboat Springs and Routt County.
Schlichtman and her staff received the Colorado Press Association’s 2020 News Leader of the Year award for a multiplatform, in-depth reporting series, “Indivisible,” which focused on issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in Routt County and efforts to bridge divides. CPA named the Pilot & Today the state’s best newspaper in its size class for 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019. And the newspaper under Schlichtman also received the 2019 Presidential Award from the Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance for its eight-week “In Our Shoes” series on sexual assault.
Schlichtman previously was an editor, co-publisher and coowner of various publications in Missouri, including the Monnett Times, Cassville Democrat and Wheaton Journal newspapers as well as Ozarks Outdoors and Connection magazines. She began her career as a reporter and assistant editor at the Cassville newspaper.
In addition to her professional career, Schlichtman has been active in helping to support journalism and the news industry.
She is a past president of the Colorado Press Association, the statewide news-media trade group, and is a board member of the Colorado News Collaborative, or COLab, a Denver-based organization that serves as a local media resource hub. Previously she was a vice president and secretary of the Ozarks Press Association.
Schlichtman also has been engaged in community roles. She is a graduate of the 2014 Leadership Steamboat class, a past chairperson of the Cassville Planning and Zoning Commission, and a past board member of the Cassville and Monett Area Chambers of Commerce.
A St. Louis native, Schlichtman holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She and her late husband, Mike, have two grown sons who live on the Front Range.
CCM publications include the Arvada Press, Brighton Standard Blade, Canyon Courier, Castle Pines News-Press, Castle Rock News-Press, Centennial Citizen, Clear Creek Courant, Commerce City Sentinel Express, Denver Herald, Douglas County News-Press, Elbert County News, Englewood Herald, Evergreen Lifestyles, Fort Lupton Press, Golden Transcript, Highlands Ranch Herald, Jeffco Transcript, Life on Capitol Hill, Littleton Independent, Lone Tree Voice, Northglenn/Thornton Sentinel, Parker Chronicle, South Platte Independent, Washington Park Profi le and Westminster Window, plus two shoppers, the AdCo Advertiser and 285 Hustler.
Schlichtman
rado newspapers and websites as well as other publications. CCM was sold earlier this year by Jerry and Ann Healey to The Colorado News Conservancy, a partnership of The Colorado Sun and
Front Range-focused Canvas Credit Union plans merger
BY MARK HARDEN MHARDEN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Canvas Credit Union, a Front Range-focused fi nancial company based in Lone Tree, announced Nov. 15 that its merger with a Western Slope credit union has been approved by regulators and the two organizations’ boards.
Canvas currently has about 30 branches across metro Denver and in the Fort Collins-Greeley-Loveland area, so the merger with Grand Junction-based Western Rockies Federal Credit Union marks an expansion into western Colorado.
Under the deal, Canvas will add more than 40 employees of Western Rockies FCU to its workforce, and Western Rockies FCU’s Grand Junction, Rifl e and Fruita branches will remain open, Canvas said in a statement. Western Rockies member accounts will transition to Canvas. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Canvas also plans to explore opportunities to open more branches along the Western Slope,” the statement said.
Grand Junction-based Western Rockies FCU has $150 million in assets and 14,000 members.
The statement said the combination had been approved by the state of Colorado and the National Credit Union Administration, the industry’s federal regulator.
“Our team has been dreaming about how we can expand our impact well beyond the Front Range,” Todd Marksberry, Canvas’ CEO and president, said in the statement. “The opportunity to welcome the Western Rockies Federal Credit Union members and team to our Canvas family opens the door to manifest even more positive change for people across Colorado.”
Kristi Porter, Western Rockies FCU’s CEO and president, “will play a crucial role to Canvas’ collaboration with the Western Slope community,” Marksberry said.
Canvas — formerly known as Public Service Credit Union — is metro Denver’s third-largest credit union based on total assets as of Dec. 31, 2020, according to the Denver Business Journal. Canvas says it currently has assets of $3.47 billion and 263,700 members.
It is the descendant of a credit union founded in 1938 to serve employees of Public Service Company of Colorado, now part of Xcel Energy. In recent years it has acquired several other credit unions.
Marksberry
Western Rockies FCU’s Grand Junction, Rifl e and Fruita branches will remain open, Canvas said in a statement. Western Rockies member accounts will transition to Canvas.
Several artists come out to show works of art
BY BELEN WARD BWARD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
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ENGAGING,
CONNECTING, AND EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES ENGAGING, CONECTING AND EMPOWERING ,
COMMUNITIES
The range of local creativity that was on display at the Fort Lupton Public & School Library’s 3rd annual Community Art show is now moving online.
The library hosted the show Nov. 5-9. Now, all of the art pieces entered in the show can be virtually viewed at https://www.fortluptonco. gov/971/3rd-Annual-CommunityArt-Show.
Displays ranged from the work of a historian who sculpts found art, a furniture refurbisher’s creative outlet, a photographer who integrates science into art, a nature painter who strives to bring the viewer into the scene and a high school student who started drawing as a child.
Holly Sheldon, a Fort Lupton High School Science teacher since 2007 and runs the school planetarium, incorporates her photography with science.
“Science was always a family thing, my mom was a science gal, and she taught all of us kids to love it,” said Sheldon.
Sheldon has been taking pictures her whole life.
“I convinced my mom and grandma to buy me the early 35-millimeter camera when I was a sophomore in High School- it was my senior gift. I carried it with me everywhere and used that camera until I wore it out. Then I carried the little one shot,” said Sheldon.
Her photo is a picture of the Milky Way that she took in central Wyoming at Casper Alcova reservoir on Labor Day.
“I had some friends that were the architects of the big fi rework show that they put on the island and the lake. I wanted to try to photograph it,” said Sheldon. “It was dark and I just drove around the edge of the lake until I ran out a road and got out and started taking pictures.”
Marilyn Wratislaw is a Fort Lupton High School senior and has been drawing since she was a little girl. It was when her mom knew that she had a talent for art.
“I took the art classes at Ames Community College, and I take the advance art classes at the high school learning graphic design and doing some independent studies relating to art with Ms. Uttich, an artist in the community, “ said Wratislaw.
Wratislaw learned how to work with graphite in her Ames Community College class when her teacher gave her a box of graphic pencils.
“I didn’t know the page dimensions and it was supposed to be smaller. I was listening to Billie Eilish and it inspired me so, I started drawing a huge giant portrait of Eilish. It had to be black and white,” said Wratislaw.
She also created another piece of art with dots called felt pen stippling to create the image. Wratislaw will be graduating this year and is currently applying for colleges to study computer science.
“I want to get a good job in animation and the game industry and do my other art as a hobby,” Wratislaw said.
Historian Jacquelyn Smith presents historical insights at the Fort Lupton Library and the Senior Center in Brighton about the Victorian era death rituals, and tombstone symbolism.
“I love doing history,” said Smith.
When Smith is not studying, researching, analyzing, and interpreting history, she has a passion for creating found art. She created a sculpture out of a maple syrup bottle. It took her two years to fi nd and pick out particular pieces to build the sculpture to make it look like it was found in the sea.
“I used coins that have a starfi sh and I used fl akes of mica to represent silver or gold. Of course, the skeletons took me the longest to fi nd the right size to fi t on the jar. Then she added broken jewelry, keys, seashells and I put corn in it. There are all kinds of things in the bottle, “ Smith said.
Smith taught art at the Fort Lupton Library but now teaches art at the Senior Center in Fort Lupton.
Fun learning
Karla Ash is an administrator working remotely for Goal Academy. It is one of the largest online high schools.
“I work on a spreadsheet with three monitors all day long, so I needed a creative outlet. So I started painting furniture fi rst.
When COVID hit, it was diffi cult for Ash to fi nd used furniture, and nobody was buying or selling it.
“So I started doing alcohol ink honesty- I never considered myself an artist and never had any formal training. I am having fun learning- I’m going to keep exploring alcohol ink,” said Ash.
Ash’s technique when painting, she uses a drop of ink and then adds some alcohol. Then she uses a hairdryer wand to move the ink around to create the desired design. Ash has already sold one of her pieces from the art show. She is also going to continue to paint and restore furniture with unique designs.
Observing nature
Terri Kopfman has been interested in visual arts since childhood through 4-H, middle and high school.
“My work this year is based on observing nature and its delicate changes. I enjoy creating artwork that asks the viewer to look deeper into the surface. I fi nd it important while developing my conceptual idea to push technique while always considering the Elements of Art and Principals of Design, “ said Kopfman.
Fort Lupton High School teacher Holly Sheldon incorporates photography and sci-
ence with her Milky Way photo. PHOTOS BY BELEN WARD
Historian Jacquelyn Smith creates found art sculptures out of pieces that she fi nds and collects.
BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Frederick football player River Lakey just fi nished his junior football season for the Warriors.
In 10 games, he gained 664 yards and scored a half-dozen touchdowns. He caught three passes for 54 more yards as the Warriors advanced to the quarterfi nals of the state 3A football tournament.
How he wound up in Frederick is a rather roundabout story. He’s from the African country of Rwanda.
“I got found in a drainage ditch during a storm (in 2004),” Lakey said. “I was brought to an orphanage In Kigali, Rwanda, just being a couple months old. For the next 3 1/2 years, I would spend time in that orphanage until my dad (Jimmy Lakey) saw a picture of me when they were looking to adopt a child.”
The fi rst meeting between father, mother and potential new son was in May 2007. In August 2008, his father returned to Rwanda. The adoption was fi nalized Sept. 4, and Lakey joined his new family in America Sept. 10.
“’I just knew you were my boy the fi rst time I saw you,’ my dad says to me when he tells me my story every (single) day,” Lakey said. “The adoption process in Rwanda was really delayed, so it took a lot of trips for mom and dad to fi nally take me home.
“I had no idea where I was going, but I knew that I was in good hands,” Lakey added. “I fi rst lived in California while my mom and dad both had good careers in the radio industry. Then a couple of years later, I moved to Colorado Springs, when I was around 4 years old.”
Lakey and his family didn’t stay in the Springs for long.
“I had no idea our next move was Frederick. I had just got out of second grade, and that’s when my parents told me that we are moving again,” Lakey said. “I didn’t really think much of it all. I was just sad that I had to leave my friends. When I got up here, I knew that I wanted to take up a sport, and my new friends talked about how they played football.”
Lakey missed the thirdgrade season of football “... and was bummed when I asked my dad. I wanted to play, but they allowed me to play next season, and I said I wanted to play tackle without the fact or idea of playing fl ag football,” Lakey said.
Football became more important in middle school.
“I started to work more outside of practice on my craft and other stuff. I’ve always had that dream of playing college football since I was in fi rst grade, and now I can fi nally say I am one step away from my goals,” Lakey said. “During college, I want to pursue my goal of playing football for an (NCAA) D-1 school and learn about biomedical sports medicine. After college, I want to try and see where the sport of football takes me and with that also learn about sports med.”
Lakey and his family are involved with a group called Rivers Promise (www.riverspromise.org), an organization that provides education funds and basic human needs, such as food, homes and bedding) for Rwandan children since 2008.
“During a visit in the orphanage, my parents met my friends and made a promise to do everything possible to assure that my earliest friends could also know the hope of a brighter tomorrow,” Lakey said. “And that’s why Riverspromise. com is a big part of my life. It’s a nonprofi t organization that helps the people of Rwanda in need of help for a better life.”
As he sets sights on college and his life after college, Lakey spends time thinking about his past.
“When I’m successful someday, I feel like I have to go back and give to the place where I started,” he continued. “I always try to go back to my homeland, and something tells me there is so much more I need to learn about my past.
“I always think about how grateful I am at this chance that I got and others didn’t get in life,” he said. “I could’ve still been in Africa if my dad and I never crossed paths. I would’ve never had the life I have right now, and that’s why I live every day as a learning opportunity and try to make every day the best I can.”
Frederick’s River Lakey looks for some extra yards in his team’s
playo win over Pueblo County. PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH
Adams County Museum’s 23rd Annual Holiday B aar
A fundraiser to benefi t the Adams County Historical Society & Museum
Adams County Museum Craft Shows
Saturday, December 4
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Admission $3; children 14 & under free Cash only for door admission At the Riverdale Regional Park & Fairgrounds,
9755 Henderson Road in Brighton, inside the Exhibit Hall and Dome buildings. Featuring only handmade crafts with more than 260 booths! Food vendors will be on site! Food vendors will be on site!
FREE PARKING
In the spirit of the season of giving and receiving
Here we are in another season of giving and receiving. The truth is that we are always in a season of giving and receiving,
WINNING this time of year
WORDS just amplifi es the spirit of both. And we have all heard that it is far better to give than it is to receive. This may be true, but there are times when it is equally awesome
Michael Norton to receive. Giving comes in many ways. We can give in the form of money, resources and time. We can give gifts and presents. We can give back to a cause or community, or maybe we can give back to a person or family who had helped us out when we needed it. We can give through charities and organizations. Many companies, houses of worship, and other organizations have “Giving Trees” where we can choose to help people and families in need. And we can do all our giving, no matter what it may be, silently and anonymously.
What’s it like to be on the receiving end of gifting? For many of us, no matter where we fi nd ourselves today, we have been in a position of need. We may have had a diffi cult season of life. We may have endured a tragedy or hardship. There may have been a time when unexpectedly we found ourselves out of work. Or we may have had an illness or injury that left us unable to care for ourselves or a loved one. Many of us who can relate to any of these situations, when someone stepped up to help, know just how humbling receiving can feel.
Think of the greatest gift that we have ever received. Maybe it’s the nicest and most expensive, but something tells me it’s not. More than likely, if we give it some deeper thought, we will remember the time our in-laws loaned us a few dollars to cover our mortgage. Or our neighbors stepped up and purchased our groceries. Maybe it was a time when each friend cooked a meal for us as we balanced being with our spouse in the hospital and taking care of our children. The gift could have been an introduction to an executive who had a job opening at a time when we needed work. The gift could have simply been a hug, a night out with a close friend, some overdue laughs over coffee or a beer.
Being on the receiving end of a gift is humbling. Sometimes, if we let it, it could be embarrassing. This is where I hope to change our thinking about that as there is no shame in accepting any form of help. You see, in the last paragraph where I listed the types of gifts we could receive, each one of those is an example of a gift I have received in my own life. A gift that came at just the right time. Some came from family, some came from friends, and some came from strangers. And all were received with humble gratitude.
This holiday season, I encourage us to give the gift of giving and receiving. There are so many opportunities right in front of us to give of our money, resources, time and talents. And should we fi nd ourselves in the need of a hand up, or a little or a lot of help, let us receive it gratefully and humbly, without reservation or shame. Let’s receive it all in the spirit of love in which it is being given.
As a way of giving back, each year I offer free keynote speeches on the topics I cover in this column throughout the year; Winning Words; Hope and Encouragement; Motivation and Inspiration. If your organization or company would benefi t from such a talk, please let me know. And if you would like to gift one of my talks to an organization or company, let me know that too at mnorton@tramazing.com. And when we allow the spirit of giving and receiving to enter our lives, it really will be a better than good year.
Michael Norton is the grateful CEO of Tramazing.com, a personal and professional coach, and a consultant, trainer, encourager and motivator to businesses of all sizes.
This GOP candidate has a shot at statewide o ce
Recently I received an unexpected call from Pam Anderson, an announced candidate for Colorado secretary of state. As friends for more than 15 years, it was good to catch up. It was even better to thank her for running. Anderson is exactly the kind of secretary of state Colorado needs and deserves. Previously a municipal clerk, a Jefferson County clerk and recorder and a former executive director for the Colorado County Clerks Association, Anderson has an unparalleled depth of experience and expertise. For more than a decade she has led the charge to provide safe, accessible ballots to Coloradans.
She is also likely the best hope for Republicans searching for a shred of relevance in state government.
At the top of the ticket, party regulars understand their gubernatorial front-runner, Heidi Ganahl, has little chance to topple Gov. Jared Polis next November.
Anderson is also well inoculated from some of the most effective attacks favored by Democrats. Namely, she is effectively immune from being labeled as a de facto proponent of the Big Lie — false claims about Donald Trump winning the 2020 election — or as an opponent of voting rights.
To the contrary, last December Anderson both stated that the election results were valid and testifi ed at the state legislature that they were free from fraud. She did not waver from that position even as she kicked off her campaign.
That is notable for a Republican seeking to oversee elections. It demonstrates character and integrity. And it could be a big help next fall. Beating back false narratives about election fraud requires bipartisan advocacy.
While Democrats are expected to take that position, it is uncommon in Republican circles. Consequently, it is relatively more useful and important to elect members of the GOP willing to stick their necks out.
It also is not a surprise for anyone familiar with Anderson’s career. She has always been willing to put what is right before what is politically benefi cial.
During Republican former Secretary of State Scott Gessler’s term in offi ce, she publicly disagreed with him on multiple matters, including his assertions of rampant voter fraud.
She became a leading advocate for universal mail ballots in 2013, helping to pass legislation that made Colorado a model for other states. Yet she also pushed for accountability and transparency through ballot audit programs.
Anderson likely learned such independence from people like her mother-in-law, former Colorado Senate Majority Leader Norma Anderson. Hopefully she learned how to win a rough-and-tumble campaign as well.
Despite her sterling qualifi cations, Anderson will have an uphill battle. Incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Jena Griswold will be even more formidable than she was when she unseated former Secretary Wayne Williams four years ago.
Griswold has been the most partisan secretary in recent memory. She has used her offi ce to garner national cameos on liberal talk shows and advocate against issues in other states nongermane to her duties. But that approach has helped her to gain a signifi cant social media following, a national fundraising base and more than a million dollars in her campaign coffers.
Griswold will be hard to beat, even for an eminently qualifi ed candidate like Anderson.
But it is not impossible. While other candidates on the ticket may be tilting at windmills, there is a legitimate path to victory for AnGUEST COLUMN derson. With Trump out of offi ce, Griswold cannot rely on an energetic base. To the contrary, Anderson may get a boost from the midterm election. Furthermore, Griswold has seen unprecedented turnover in her offi ce over the past three years. That is the kind of red fl ag that may worry voters. I am sure that there will be plenty of twists and turns for Anderson Mario Nicolais over the next 12 months. But if Colorado is lucky, at this time next year she will be preparing to take offi ce rather than calling to catch up with people like me.
years, it was good to catch up. It was even better to thank her for running. exactly the kind of secretary of state Colorado needs and deserves.
Mario Nicolais is an attorney and columnist who writes on law enforcement, the legal system, health care and public policy. Follow him on Twitter: @MarioNicolaiEsq
This guest opinion column is from The Colorado Sun, a journalistowned news outlet based in Denver and covering the state. For more, and to support The Colorado Sun, visit coloradosun.com. The Colorado Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, owner of Colorado Community Media.
