SUMMER CAMP PAGES

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE science behind these fun activities. Camps are available for ages 6-12.

Butterfly Pavilion

Location: 6252 W. 104th Ave., Westminster

Website: www.butterflies.org

Details: Starting June 5 and running through Aug. 11, the Butterfly Pavilion hosts all the creepy crawlies and your children at camp. There are five themes, which repeat once and include spider week, junior zookeeper and survival stories, where kids can learn about how insects adapt to survive.

Mad Science

Locations: Multiple locations in the Denver metro area, including the Littleton area, Denver and Broomfield

Website: www.colorado.madscience.org

Details: These camps are designed for ages 6 to 12, though sessions such as Red-Hot Robots and Advanced Robotics camps are more appropriate for ages 8 to 12. Instructors are mostly college students pursuing degrees in education or science and teachers off for the summer. Themes include chemistry, space science, forensics, engineering and more. Each camp is weeklong, though times can vary.

Air & Space Camp

Location: Wings Over the Rockies 7711 E. Academy Blvd., Denver

Website: www.wingsmuseum.org/ education/camp

Details: Ready for an aerospace adventure? At Wings Over the Rockies that’s exactly what kids ages 8 to 14 can expect in these week-long camps. The fun starts June 5 and goes on until Aug. 11, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.

Emerging Artists

Center for the Arts: Summer in Color

Location: 31880 Rocky Village Dr., Evergreen

Website: www.evergreenarts.org/ summercamp

Details: Camps explore various media, from clay sculpting and wheel throwing, to pop art and mural painting, to the art of different cultures and the art of the masters. Several of our camps also incorporate outdoor components, including hikes, yoga, and opportunities for photography and eco-art projects. Let kids explore their creative side with imaginative and inspiring camps at CAE this summer. For ages 5-17.

Denver Art Museum

Location: 100 W. 14th Ave. Pkwy., Denver

Website: www.denverartmuseum.org/en/ summer-camps

Details: The camps at the Denver Art Museum get broken into three age groups: 5 to 6, 7 to 8, and 9 to 11. Overall, the themes remain the same — there are camps about art in nature, how to draw, learning about color and sculpture. Each camp runs from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and includes plenty of time in the museum to garner inspiration.

Craftsman & Apprentice

Location: 1335 E 22nd Ave., Denver

Website: www.craftsmanandapprentice. com/pages/summer-2023

Details: Ages 5 to 11 can spend the summer creating worlds out of cardboard, paint, hot glue, ribbons, corks, buttons and more at this Denver kids’ crafting studio. Themes include toys, crafty critters, fiber arts and more.

On The Stage

The Apollo Center Summer Camps

Location: 2655 Industrial Lane, Broomfield

Website: www.theapollocenter.com/ summercamps

Details: The Apollo Center offers a variety of skill-based camps for kids and adults alike. Aerial Performance Camps for kids ages 5-17 years focus on learning aerial technique and choreography throughout the week which will culminate with a camp performance based on the camp theme.

Front Range Theatre Company Triple Threat Summer Camp

Locations: 15035

Performing Arts School, Parker

Website: www.frontrangetheatre.org/ triple-threat-summer-camp.html

Details: Working with professional instructors with years of experience, your child will learn the three major elements of any stage performer: Voice, Dance and Acting. The camps are designed to challenge performers in the entire range of life in the theatre, including a live performance in a mainstage venue!

Audience of One Youth Theatre Camp

Location: Highlands Ranch

Website: www.AO1Theater.org

Details: Whether a student is looking to try out theater for the first time, polish skills or have fun with friends, the AO1 has one-to-two-week camps can work in the summer schedule. AO1’s summer programming includes kids’ productions for ages 5-12, workshops for ages 8-18, and a two-week intensive program for teenagers.

The Arvada Center

Location: 6901 Wadsworth Blvd. Arvada

Website: www.arvadacenter.org

Details: If your kid is 5 to 12 and loves a bit of drama and/or art, the Arvada Center has a slew of full- and half-day camps available. The best and most economic way to sign up for camp is to do it in three- or four-week blocks, and the venue offers combinations of visual art, musical theater, drama and music.

Kent Denver Performing Arts Camps

Location: 4000 E. Quincy Ave., Englewood

Website: www.KentDenver.org

Details: Summer at Kent Denver School offers all children ages 4–18 the opportunity to experience innovative, creative, hands-on learning in the arts, athletics, our Tiny Farm Day Camp, academics, innovation and technology.

St. Lukes Performing Arts Camps

Location: 8817 S. Broadway, Highlands Ranch

Website: www.StLukesPAA.org

Details: From preschool age to high school students there are a large variety of summer camp shows planned in Highlands Ranch and Castle Rock areas. Registration is now open.

Castle Rock Dance Academy

Locations: 140 S. Wilcox St. Suite A, Castle Rock

Website: www.castlerockdanceacademy. com

Details: At Castle Rock Dance Academy (CRDA), best friends are made, etiquette and self-discipline are taught, and students learn skills they can carry with them through life. The program offers weekly dance classes in five-week sessions for ages 3–18.

LET’S GET PHYSICAL

ing the circus, or just wants to bend, twist and soar through the air, this is the camp for them. Dates run from May 29 through August 14, and include morning and afternoon camps (9:30 a.m. to noon and 12:30 to 3 p.m.) for ages 6 to 16.

LET’S GET MUSICAL

Maestro Music Institute

Location: 6478 Ward Road, Arvada

Website: www.maestromusicinstitute. com/2023-instrumental-summer-camp

Bowlero

Locations: Multiple locations in Cherry Creek, Littleton and Lone Tree

Website: www.bowlero.com

Details: Fun for all skill levels, Bowlero’s modern spin on bowling is the perfect way to spend quality time with the kids. Celebrate every strike, spare and yes, even gutter balls, with the most famous lanes in the game and a delicious menu of classic American eats.

Camp Urbie at Urban Air Adventure Park

Location: 15400 E. Briarwood Circle, Aurora

Website: www.bit.ly/3IuCQOO

Details: Let ‘em Fly for a whole week of play, in-park activities, snacks and more. Camp Urbie’s Adventure Camp is the best way to beat the summer heat and play in the best indoor playground in town. The weeklong camp is open to kids 7 years and up.

Gold Medal Athletic Camp

Location: Castle Rock Recreation Center

Website: www.crgov.com/2628/Camps

Details: Athletes will participate in small- and large-group instruction, drills and games or scrimmages. We welcome beginner athletes to learn how to use proper mechanics and fundamentals of the sport and intermediate or advanced athletes who want to continue to grow their motor skills and skill in the sport. For ages 7-12.

Tigar Gymnastics Camps

Location: 4860 Van Gordon St. Unit B, Wheat Ridge

Website: www.tigargymnastics.com

Details: A variety of programs at a variety of ages is available at the gymnastics center, including ninja classes and programs for older ages.

RMF Soccer Camp

Location: Aurora Sports Park 19300 E. Colfax Ave., Aurora

Website: www.rmfsoccercampsusa. com/soccer-camp-denver

Details: From July 17 to July 21, this pro-run soccer camp will come to Colorado. It’s run by experienced Spanish UEFA coaches, and goes from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. Kids from 6 to 16 can sign up.

Aerial Cirque Over Denver

Location: 4605 Quebec St., Denver.

Website: www.aerialcirqueoverdenver.com

Details: If your child is thinking of join-

Details: Instrumental Summer Camp is back this year covering a myriad of ensemble opportunities. We will be offering Rock Band, Orchestra, Choir/ Theater, Piano ensemble and composition. Summer campers will have the opportunity to learn new instruments in addition to honing their skills on their primary instrument. Students will work in large and small ensemble groups and perform a variety of music at the end of the week.

Kidzrock Rock Band Camp

Location: 2842 S. Broadway, Englewood

Website: www.musicallifedenver.com/ summercamp

Cost: $319

Details: Rock Band Summer Camp teaches children ages 4 to 7 how to play in a rock band. Campers learn to play drums, electric guitar, keyboard and sing. On the final day, campers perform a short (adorable) concert for parents and family. In addition to rock band time, students get to make music-related arts and crafts, create a fantasy band identity, and play outdoor games at the park next to the school. No prior musical experience is required. No investment in gear is required.

Overnight Camps

Avid 4 Adventure

Locations: Various spots

Website: www.avid4.com/ summer-camps

Details: For two weeks kids get to bask in nature, away from their parent, at either Camp Windy Peak near Bailey, or Camp Blue Sky near Evergreen. The kids sleep in cabins and build their skill sets in nature and with outdoor sport activities.

Cheley Colorado Camps

Location: Cheley Colorado Camps 3960 Fish Creek Road, Estes Park.

Website: www.cheley.com

Details: If your kid is 9 to 17, send them off to a 27-day overnight camp in Estes Park. Full term is June 13 to August 6, or chose a half term from June 13 to July 9, or July 11 to Aug. 6. Activities include horseback riding, water sports, art and plenty of outdoor adventure.

Camp Granite Lake

Locations: 11902 Camp Eden Road, Golden Website: www.campgranitelake.com

Details: Located in the mountains about an hour from Denver, the camp covers 135 acres including a private lake. It’s a co-ed camp for grades second to ninth. Choose from two sessions, either June 19 through July 8, or July 10 through July 29. There are also mini-camp options for grades 1st through 4th, covering the week of July 31 or Aug. 7.

Education funding

Caty Husbands, a member of the Englewood Schools Board of Education, raised a question about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, also called IDEA, which is a federal law that ensures a free public education to eligible students with disabilities.

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities, Congress promised to cover 40% of the extra cost of special education when IDEA was passed.

“Unfortunately, Congress has never come close to ful lling that promise,” the national center said on its website. “ e federal government is only covering 14.6% of the additional cost.” e IDEA Full Funding Act was introduced in November 2021 in both the house and the senate.

For Englewood Schools, Husbands said each year they dedicate roughly $2 million out of the general fund to pay the federal mandate.

“Where do you stand on the bill in the house as far as the full funding of IDEA?” Husbands asked.

“Under the 1975 IDEA legislation, the federal government committed to pay 40% of the average per pupil expenditure for special education,” according to a news release from the o ce of U.S. Rep Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. “ e IDEA Full Funding Act would require regular increases in IDEA spending to nally meet our commitment to America’s children and schools.”

Crow is among the more than 130 co-sponsors listed on the proposed house bill.

“My position is the same, it hasn’t changed. I support full funding,” Crow said. “I’ll continue to push in the appropriations process for that. I think that’s in the best interest of our children, I think that’s in the best interest of the school district and the taxpayer.”

Husbands asked Crow if he had any thoughts on why U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper have signed on to the senate bill. Crow said he will communicate to them why he supports it and ask them to do the same.

Centennial Airport

Audra Dubler, a leader of Quiet Skies Over Arapahoe County, focused her question on concerns about the Centennial Airport.

e Quiet Skies organization is a group of residents advocating for changes to be made to address safety and noise concerns at Centennial Airport. For months, they have been attending meetings to raise concerns about increased air tra c, noise and lead pollution impacting residents, speci cally those living north of Arapahoe Road.

Dubler thanked Crow for issuing a letter in December, along with Bennet and Hickenlooper, that encouraged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to attend the airport’s monthly community meetings in person.

Although the FAA had representation both in person and virtually at the February meeting, it did not have any representation at the March meeting.

“Our community is su ering,”

Dubler said. “ e noise is so debilitating. ere’s about 600 training ights a day, 500 feet over our homes.”

“ e question being: How are you going to help? What is that timeline?” she asked Crow. “We’re just su ering and we need you more than ever.”

Crow noted there were a number of people in attendance from the Quiet Skies chapter, saying they have been wonderful partners. He also noted he is not happy.

He said he has a “long history of not being happy with the FAA,” explaining that there was a lack of engagement with the community when the FAA implemented NextGen around 2018 over the Denver International Airport.

“If you are a civil servant, a public servant, you show up and you listen to people. And they’re not doing it and I’m pretty pissed, frankly,” Crow said. “ e FAA reauthorization is up this year, so we do have leverage, right? e budget’s coming up and they need our money.”

Crow said he will work with Bennet and Hickenlooper to see how they can make the FAA engage in a productive way. He is not sure what the timeline will be, however.

“I’m going to do everything possible to try to hold their feet to the re,” he said.

Water concerns

One resident described Englewood’s water quality as “not stellar” and said an issue the city faces is the levels of man-made chemicals in its water treatment plant.

In February, the city announced that the levels of chemicals called PFAS (per- and poly- uoroalkyl substances) are above the Environmental Protection Agency’s newest interim health advisory levels.

Speci cally, the levels of per uorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and per uorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), which are PFAS compounds, tested above the new interim advisory levels. e city, which supplies drinking water to approximately 57,000 people, said on its website there is not an immediate public health risk and people do not need to stop drinking their water.

However, exposure to low concentrations of these chemicals over time can cause health e ects, said Pieter Van Ry, director of the Englewood Utilities Department and the South Platte Renew, during a Jan. 23 city council special meeting.

“ ese are forever chemicals,” Van Ry said, explaining the chemicals date back to the 1940s and were used in materials such as re ghting foam, non-stick cookware and carpets.

Although these chemicals were widely used for many years, in the 2000s, concern about the potential health risk of these chemicals grew when PFOA and PFOS were detected in human blood, according to the EPA.

“Since that time, hundreds of di erent PFAS have been found in water, soil, and air,” the EPA’s website states. “Many PFAS are made up of long chains of carbon- uorine bonds, such as PFOA and PFOS, are environmentally persistent, bioaccumulative, and remain in human bodies for a long time.”

Most uses of PFOA and PFOS were voluntarily phased out by United States manufacturers in the mid- e resident asked Crow what resources the federal government is able to provide in addressing this issue.

2000s, according to the EPA, but the chemicals remain in the environment due to their lack of degradation.

On a national level, Crow said that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will help repair water lines and address some of the issues with PFOA and PFOS.

“Our water infrastructure, much like our electrical grid and our telecommunications grid, is aging, is not keeping up with the needs. And it’s causing a real health concern,” Crow said.

Crow said he has supported legislative e orts to ban the use of these forever chemicals and to make sure those chemicals are out of the water supply and ecosystem.

One way these chemicals get into the ecosystem is through re ghting foam at places like airports.

“And we’re trying to ban that through the National Defense Authorization Act, the DOD (Department of Defense) budget,” Crow said.

A 2022 study conducted by Westwater Hydrology LLC reported that PFAS pollution in Sand Creek and the South Platte River is connected, in part, to the Suncor re nery.

Crow said he is working with U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, who he said has jurisdiction over that facility, to “make sure we’re holding them accountable,” as well as the state and the governor to address any regulatory issues and “force them to clean up their act, essentially.”

“With regard to Englewood, I’ll work with the city leadership. We have a meeting coming up with them soon, actually, with the mayor and the council to talk about speci c needs.

“One of the things that I’m able to do, there’s a program called the Community Project Funding, CPF funds, and I can actually put in speci c requests for large funding to address speci c infrastructure needs of communities,” he said. “In fact, I was able to get almost $4 million for the City of Aurora last year to help them replace an aging … waterline.”

If there is a similar need in Englewood, he said he can work with the city to submit a request.

Veterans’ mental health

Crow is a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he is proud to now be serving as the Democratic co-chair of the bipartisan veterans’ caucus called the For Country Caucus.

When one resident, named David, took the microphone to ask a question, he thanked Crow for his service. en, he became emotional as he spoke of his son.

“He served in Afghanistan as well, came home and separated and did not get the support he needed, and ended his life by suicide,” he said. “What more can we do to help our veterans and reduce this epidemic of suicide that’s going on today?”

“David, I’m — I’m very, very sorry you had to go through that,” Crow responded. “I also have lost friends to suicide. We’re losing about 19 veterans a day, actually, due to suicide.”

According to the 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, in 2020, there were 6,146 veteran suicide deaths — an average of 16.8 per day. e suicide rate for veterans in 2020 was roughly 57.3% greater than for non-veteran U.S. adults, per the report.

“ ere’s a crisis also, in particular, with our most recent veterans, and we saw a spike in suicide and mental health crisis with the collapse of Afghanistan,” Crow said. “A lot of vets, me included, struggled with what that meant, what our service meant and what we did over the last 20 years.”

In 2021, the U.S. withdrew the last of its troops from Afghanistan, resulting in the Taliban regaining control of the country and a refugee crisis as many Afghans ed, according to the Pew Research Center.

To his fellow veterans, Crow said that if they struggle with the meaning of their service and how things ended, remember there is a big di erence between the individual service of veterans and the politics and policy decisions surrounding those con icts.

“For the vets who raised their right hand and have served honorably and done their job, you should be proud of that service because you did your job,” Crow said.

“When somebody raises their right hand and takes that up, they are pledging to give up to their life, if necessary, for this country. Some of them do it in service,” Crow said before then taking a pause.

“And some of them do it after their service,” he continued, his voice starting to break. “ ey carry that pain with them. And those are numbers that aren’t included in the casualty count — but your son’s service matters and is noticed. And because of that, I believe we just need to be all in on our veterans’ bene ts, on our support services, in our funding.” e VA, however, does not keep data on this and does not track why it happens, how the VA responds and how they’re trying to prevent it. ere are also things people in the community can do to help veterans, namely being better about the way that people discuss the veterans’ experience, he said.

Crow said that is why he supported the PACT Act, a bill that expands health care and bene ts for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances.

He also supported increasing funding for the U.S. Department of Veterans A airs, also called the VA, while also supporting increased oversight and accountability of the VA, Crow said.

“And that’s why I also developed and came up with a bill called the Veterans’ Sentinel Act, and what this bill of mine does is would actually force the VA to start collecting data on veteran suicide on VA campuses.

“Because what we know is a lot of veterans — and this is a hard thing to say, it’s a hard thing to talk about — a lot of veterans actually take their lives at VA centers because they know that (if) they do that, that they’ll be taken care of. Let that sink in for a minute,” Crow said.

“I am pushing to force the VA to do some simple things and to give us data as policymakers to be better about it,” Crow said.

“We’re really good at thanking people for their service, tying yellow ribbons around trees, doing yovers at NFL games. But … we are ter- rible, we are awful as a society at sitting down and engaging with our veterans and sharing their burden,” Crow said. ere is a 24/7, con dential crisis support line for veterans that can be contacted by dialing 988 and then pressing 1. People can also text 838255 or chat online at veteranscrisisline.net. e crisis line serves veterans, service members, national guard and reserve members and people who support them.

He encouraged people to ask veterans what they did in their service, what burdens they carry and how they can share that burden.

“When we ask our men and women to go and ght on our behalf or do something on our behalf, that shouldn’t be their burden to bear alone,” he said.

Importance of collaboration

Crow, who is entering his fth year in Congress, said it has been a “crazy, tumultuous four years.”

“It’s been a wild time, there’s been nothing normal about any of it. But it’s truly been the pleasure, the honor of my life to do this work, and to represent all of you and to represent e challenges facing the country are more complicated than they’ve ever been, Crow said, adding that he does not have all the answers.

Colorado during one of our most challenging times,” he said.

“I believe in this notion of servant leadership, which means that, you know, no one man or woman has all the answers. But if you can work together as a community, with a collaborative approach, we can all learn, and we can all advocate together,” he said.

“We’re not always going to agree,” he added. “But you’re always gonna know where I stand and why I stand that way. And I will always keep an open mind. And if you convince me otherwise, I’ll change my position … because I’m learning too.” e promise of the U.S. and of the community, he said, is that people treat one another with civility and respect, keep an open mind, show up for respectful conversations and try to nd answers together.

“ at is the only path forward,” he said. “ at is the way that I’m gonna conduct myself in this job so long as I’m in this position and I have the honor to represent you all.”

Residents interested in contacting Crow’s o ce to ask a question or get assistance with a federal agency can visit crow.house.gov/contact.

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