WashParkProfile.com
JANUARY 2022
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Guitars highlighted at Denver Museum of Nature & Science
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THE JOURNEY TO SELF SUFFICIENCY Warren Village to expand to a third campus in Denver
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WINTER IN DENVER The Downtown Denver Rink: in photos
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A HEART FOR CHILDREN Foster families are needed in Denver area
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January 1, 2022
Business Matters Christy Steadman | csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com Business Matters is a monthly column featuring business news in the Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Profile coverage areas, which is roughly central and central-south Denver. If you are a local business that would like to announce any updates to your operations, email Christy Steadman at csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com.
NEW OPENINGS Au Feu Jared Leonard, the restaurateur behind the Overland neighborhood’s AJ’s Pit Bar-B-Q, has relaunched his Au Feu concept at 81 S. Pennsylvania St. in the Speer neighborhood, replacing Budlong Hot Chicken. Au Feu specializes in a dinner menu that includes Montreal smoked meats, poutine and charcuterie. It got its start in 2018 in the Zeppelin Station food hall on Wazee Street downtown. However, it closed in 2019. Leonard opened Budlong Hot Chicken at Zeppelin Station in 2019, relocating to the Speer neighborhood in 2020. It closed in early December to make way for Au Feu. Westword originally reported this story. To learn more about Au Feu, visit its Facebook page: @aufeudenver.
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Fritay Haitian Cuisine The Fritay Haitian Cuisine food truck officially launched in Denver in early December. Haitian food is unique to the Denver area, said Chef Farah-Jane Jean Pierre, who owns and operates the Fritay food truck. Pierre moved to Denver about three years ago, and she found, at the time, that there was only one restaurant in Denver that specialized in Haitian food — and it has since closed. So for Pierre — who was born and raised in Haiti and spent about a decade in New York where Haitian food was easily accessible — Fritay is like providing a piece of home to GRANOLA EATING, CAMP LOVING, her customers. WORLD TRAVELER Pierre has always loved to cook dreams.Mustand be has fit and love spendingin culinary a background artsoutdoors and hotel With days and nights inmanagement. the middle SINGLE, ARTSY LADY SEEKS SINGLE ARTSY GUY. If you Fritay, Pierre said she loves seeof nowhere. 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State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, State Farm Indemnity Company State Farm State MutualFarm Automobile Mutual Automobile Insurance Company, InsuranceState Company, Farm State Indemnity FarmCompany Indemnity Company State ®Farm Fire and Casualty Company, State Farm General Insurance Company, Bloomington, IL To learn more, visit fritayfood. 1101202.1 statefarm.com State Farm State Fire and Farm Casualty Fire andCompany, CasualtyState Company, Farm State General Farm Insurance GeneralCompany, InsuranceBloomington, Company, Bloomington, IL IL 1101202.11101202.1
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com or follow the food truck on Instagram and Facebook: @fritayhaitianfood. Saltbox Saltbox, which is described on its website as a “modern warehouse for digital commerce companies,” is expanding to Denver with a location in the Northeast Park Hill neighborhood. Saltbox offers local entrepreneurs an opportunity “to grow their businesses with scalable warehouse and office suites, flexible storage and on-demand support staff, expertly trained in shipping and fulfillment operations,” states a news release. According to the news release, the space is 102,000 square feet and includes more than 125 flexible warehouse and office suites, in addition to conference rooms, loading docks and top-of-the-line photo studios. Denver is the fifth location for Saltbox, which opened its first facility in Atlanta in November 2019. The company plans to expand to other U.S. cities in 2022. Cofounders of the company are Tyler Scriven, Maxwell Bonnie and Paul D’Arrigo, states a news release. Saltbox has about 150 members, with about 70% being e-commerce companies in a variety of industries “including fashion and apparel, health and beauty, home goods, resale and tech in the hardware and services sectors.” About half of Saltbox member businesses are led by women or people of color, states a news release. Denver is “a city that has become a hotbed for tech innovation and entrepreneurship for creative startups and direct-to-consumer companies,” said Scriven, who serves as Saltbox’s CEO, in a news release. “As the e-commerce and tech economy proliferates across the city, Saltbox looks forward to providing Denver entrepreneurs and business owners access to our logistic, fulfillment and flexible work solutions to fuel business growth and creativity.” To learn more about Saltbox, visit saltbox.com.
CLOSINGS
Piatti An Italian restaurant that had a 25-year history in Cherry Creek North closed in late December. Piatti, 190 St. Paul St., announced the closure on its Facebook page on Nov. 28. “We have cherished celebrating your first dates, your birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, wedding receptions, holiday parties and your neighborly love. It has been our joy to serve you, host you and watch your families grow throughout the years. For that, we thank you,” the post reads. Piatti in Cherry Creek North was one of the restaurant’s nine U.S. locations. The brand got its start in 1987, according to its website, and specialized in signature housemade pasta. SEE BUSINESS, P3
January 1, 2022
Treecycle is underway STAFF REPORT
Denver’s annual Treecycle program has begun. Treecycle offers Denver residents an opportunity to recycle their Christmas tree for free. The recycled trees are turned into mulch, which
will be available to Denver residents in May. The 2022 Treecycle collection runs Jan. 3-14. Trees can be set out for collection on your scheduled trash collection days. The program is only for real, natural trees — no artificial or flocked trees will be accepted.
All decorations and lights must be removed before setting the tree out for collection. For those unable to recycle their tree through the Treecycle collection, there are additional drop-off sites that will accept trees through January. They are:
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Cherry Creek Recycling Drop-Off, 7352 E. Cherry Creek Drive South. Havana Nursery, 10450 Smith Road. Treecycle is a seasonal program offered by Denver Recycles. To learn more, visit tinyurl.com/DenverTreecycleProgram.
BUSINESS FROM PAGE 2
MISCELLANEOUS Alibaba.com/Copper Door Coffee Roasters Hannah Ulbrich of Denver’s own Copper Door Coffee Roasters is one of 50 entrepreneurs nationwide to receive a $10,000 cash grant as part of the first-ever Alibaba.com Grants Program. Alibaba.com is a B2B e-commerce marketplace and a business unit of Alibaba Group. The grants program was created in partnership with Hello Alice, a free platform that helps businesses launch and grow. All 50 Alibaba.com Grants Program recipients are “entrepreneurs with business plans to help create a more healthy, sustainable, beautiful, knowledgeable or equitable world,” states a news release. Copper Door Coffee Roasters is “a woman owned company committed to diversity, inclusion and community,” states its website. Its coffee can be found at cafes and vendors throughout the state — including many in the metro area — with Copper Door Coffee-specific locations at the Denver Botanic Gardens, 1085 York St.; Lowry, 7581 E. Academy Blvd.; and The Yard, 900 W. 1st Ave. #180 in Denver’s Baker neighborhood, where Copper Door Coffee Roasters also offers coffee classes. According to its website, Copper Door Coffee Roasters got its start by Sinjin Eberle as a wholesale business in 2006. In 2014, Ulbrich “took over the business, fostering a vision of expansion and community mindedness,” states its website. “With this grant, we will be able to invest in streamlining our production and working closer with our female farm partners,” Ulbrich said in a news release. Matt Addison of Commerce Citybased Rugged Black Athleisure Activewear — a menswear company that aims to support and give back 10% of its profits to encourage entrepreneurship for underrepresented minorities and groups — is the only other Colorado recipient of the Alibaba.com Grants Program. To learn more about Copper Door Coffee, visit copperdoorcoffee.com. To learn more about Rugged Black Athleisure Activewear, visit ruggedblack.com. To learn more about the Alibaba.com Grants Program or Hello Alice, visit alibaba.helloalice. com. Bank of America Neighborhood Builders/SAME Café and Prodigy Ventures Two Denver-based nonprofits, SAME Café and Prodigy Ventures, have been named a 2021 Bank of
The Food Bank of the Rockies is one of 10 Colorado nonprofits that benefited from Larry H. Miller Dealerships’ annual 5 Days of COURTESY PHOTO Giving campaign in December.
America’s Neighborhood Builder. Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders program got its start in 2004, and since has invested more than $260 million in U.S. communities, partnering with more than 1,300 nonprofits. SAME — So Everybody May Eat — Café is a nonprofit, “donationbased, fair exchange restaurant that serves healthy food to everyone, regardless of ability to pay,” states its website. It is located at 2023 E. Colfax Ave., which borders the City Park West and Cheesman Park neighborhoods. Prodigy Coffeehouse is a local craft coffeehouse where “young adults disconnected from school and/or work are invited into a year-long apprenticeship as humble learners of life, self and craft, within a high-standards enterprise,” states its website. It is located at 3801 E. 40th Ave., in the three-corner area of Denver’s Elyria Swansea, Clayton and Northeast Park Hill neighborhoods. Both SAME Café and Prodigy Coffeehouse will “receive a $200,000 grant, a year of leadership training for the executive director and an emerging leader, a network of peer organizations across the U.S., and the opportunity to access capital to expand their impact,” states a news release. To learn more about SAME Café, visit soallmayeat.org and to learn more about Prodigy Coffeehouse, visit prodigyventures.org. To learn more about the Bank of America’s Neighborhood Builders program, visit tinyurl.com/DenverNeighborhoodBuilders.
Larry H. Miller Dealerships Ten Colorado nonprofits benefited from Larry H. Miller Dealerships’ annual 5 Days of Giving campaign in December. In its sixth year, the dealerships’ holiday campaign “aims to spread goodwill and joy by giving back to deserving charities that support local individuals and families” — primarily focusing on nonprofits that serve women and children, with an emphasis on health and education, states a news release. This year, more than $95,000 was given to the 10 Front Range nonprofits. The nonprofits are: • Boulder Voices for Children: bouldervfc.org • Denver Dumb Friends League: ddfl.org
• Food Bank of the Rockies: foodbankrockies.org • Food For Hope: foodforhope.net • Hope House: hopehousecolorado.org • Listen Foundation: listenfoundation.org • TGTHR (formerly Attention Homes): tgthr.org • The Joshua School: joshuaschool.org • Treeline Pass: treelinepass.org • YWCA Boulder County: ywcaboulder.org According to a news release, Larry H. Miller Dealerships operates more than 60 locations under 17 different automotive brands in seven Western states, with dealerships in Colorado. Learn more at lhmauto.com.
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January 1, 2022
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, awardwinning 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 had been serving on an interim basis since July while the search was underway for a permanent editor. Harden stepped 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
‘I am thrilled to join Colorado Community Media and take on the new role of editor-in-chief.’ Lisa Schlichtman, Colorado Community Media editor-in-chief 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 co-owner 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 Denverbased 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
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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 MissouriColumbia. 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 Profile and Westminster Window, plus two shoppers, the AdCo Advertiser and 285 Hustler.
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January 1, 2022
‘She’s done so much’: Longtime DPS leader Bailey dies ‘You would always learn something from her’ BY LINDSEY FORD ROCKY MOUNTAIN PBS
Denver has lost a woman described as “a pillar in the community.” Sharon Bailey’s passing has many remembering her as a beloved, cherished advocate and long-time educator for Denver Public Schools. Bailey -- the DPS ombudsperson and a former school board member — died Dec. 3 at her home. She was 68 years old. She is survived by her husband, John, their three adult sons, and five grandchildren. “I’ve been a teacher in DPS for over 20 years, and there isn’t anybody who doesn’t know Dr. Bailey,” Priscilla Shaw Rahn said. “She’s been so incredibly involved in working with teachers and students and just making education and the quality so much better than what it’s been. She’s been a former school board member and has worked in Denver Public Schools in the central office and just mentoring educators. She’s done so much research and listening to educators of color and finding solutions.” Shaw Rahn said she first met Bailey to talk one-on-one about her research on a project called Black Excellence Resolution, which outlined the issues Black students faced in DPS and ways for the
district to change to help those students succeed. “I just shared my experiences as an educator of color. And she was very warm, and very open, and non-judgmental.” “It didn’t matter who you were, whenever you were around her, you would always learn something from her,” said state Sen. Rhonda Fields. Fields spoke about the many educational obstacles and barriers Bailey broke down through her life’s work, but said the most important thing to Bailey was family. “She was a family woman,” Fields said. “She had a close bond with her husband, her kids, and with her grandkids. She celebrated families.” Bailey grew up in Denver and graduated from Denver East High School. She received her undergraduate degree at Princeton University, a master’s in Interdisciplinary Social Science, and a Ph.D. in Public Administration from the University of Colorado. Bailey was also a recipient of various awards and was inducted into the Colorado Association of School Boards’ Hall of Fame. From 1988 to 1995, she served as an elected member of the DPS Board of Education. DPS wrote in a statement about Bailey’s sudden passing that “her contributions will be felt for generations to come.” Bailey’s impact went beyond the education system in Denver; she was a staple in the community making changes wherever she could, never sitting on the sidelines.
Mike Sophir to head Jewish Community Center STAFF REPORT
The Staenberg-Loup Jewish Community Center (JCC Denver) has named Mike Sophir to be its next chief executive officer. Beginning on Jan. 10, Sophir will take over for Ed Nekritz, who has been serving as acting CEO for the past year. Nekritz will continue in his role of board chair. “The CEO search committee, comprised of board members and community leaders who have a passion for the JCC, worked tirelessly to ensure that we found the right person to build on all that has been accomplished by the team in the past 12 months,” Nekritz said in a news release. “Sophir is the right person to join us at this juncture to con- Mike Sophir tinue to move the organization forward as an inclusive, community-focused organization. He is also the right person to help us ensure that the JCC serves as a second home for the community, engaging current, new and prospective members on their own lifecycle journey as the JCC embarks on its 100th anniversary in 2022.” Sophir has more than 30 years of
experience in executive-level leadership in both nonprofit and for-profit sectors. Most recently, he was a senior consultant at Columns, where he delivered strategic organization and business development strategies to local and national nonprofit and public sector clients, states a news release. Sophir is returning to Colorado for his role at JCC Denver — he had previously lived in Denver for about 22 years. In his early years, Sophir spent time at the Jewish Community Center in Omaha, participating in summer camps, sports activities, theater programs and many other special events. “In general, there is a hunger among many for reconnection, in COURTESY PHOTO part resulting from the proliferation of technology and especially as we continue to navigate through the pandemic,” Sophir said in a news release. “I am excited to join the JCC Denver at this unique time because of the role the organization plays in nurturing community connections and providing a place to belong for everyone no matter one’s background or beliefs.”
Sharon Bailey posed for a portrait in 2018.
“She just did everything she could to be civically engaged in the community and that’s what I adored about her because she was always present and always available,” Fields said. “I’m not surprised that so many people have commented on the loss that we have experienced ... because it’s significant for us,” Fields added. “And I don’t know who is going to fulfill the spot and the void that has been created by her loss.” The family is requesting that donations be made to the Dr. Sharon Bailey Memorial Scholarship Fund, sponsored by the Denver Alumnae
PHOTO BY KEVIN J. BEATY / DENVERITE
Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority and the Bailey family. Checks can be made payable to The Denver Foundation, 1009 Grant St., Denver, CO 80203. Donations can also be made online directly to the foundation, where people can indicate that donation is in memory of Sharon Bailey. This story is from Rocky Mountain PBS, a nonprofit public broadcaster providing community stories across Colorado over the air and online. Used by permission. For more, and to support Rocky Mountain PBS, visit rmpbs.org.
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6 Washington Park Profile
January 1, 2022
PHOTOS BY CHRISTY STEADMAN
D
enver is one of the best places to be in the winter, with the Downtown Denver Partnership offering esteemed events such as the 9News Parade of Lights in December and partnering with VisitDenver for the New Year’s Eve Fireworks display. The Downtown Denver Rink is another of those beloved attractions. This year, it opened on Nov. 24 and the ice-skating rink will be open until Feb. 20. It is free to skate at the Rink if you have your own skates. Skate rentals are available for $9 for adults and $7 for children age 12 and younger. All fourth-graders receive free skate rentals. Other amenities include free lockers and a concessions stand. To learn more about the Rink, visit winterindenver.com.
January 1, 2022
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January 1, 2022
Webbs to provide scholarships Former first couple of Denver to aid athletes at Northeastern Junior College STAFF REPORT
Wilma and Wellington Webb dance at a joint birthday celebration/state of the city address in 2018. The couple recently set up a scholarship fund to annually provide two student athletes attending Northeastern Junior College with $1,000 each to go PHOTO COURTESY OF THE DENVER MAYOR’S OFFICE toward their education.
Former Denver Mayor Wellington Webb and his wife, Wilma, will be providing yearly scholarships to student athletes attending Northeastern Junior College in Sterling. Wellington Webb served in the Colorado House of Representatives in the 1970s, and later was Denver’s first African-American mayor. He was first elected as mayor in 1991 and served three terms. Also an elected official, Wilma Webb served six terms in the Colorado House of Representatives. She was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 1991. According to a news release, Wellington Webb decided to attend NJC following a gap year that he took after graduating from high school in Denver. During the gap year, Webb split his time among family members in Indiana and Chicago. As he was returning home to Denver, he saw a sign for NJC on the highway and decided to check out the campus. He asked to see the basketball coach, and the two talked, played some hoops and eventually, then-Coach Roy Ed-
wards asked Webb to attend NJC. “When I got back to Denver, I told my grandmother that I was going to college and she was thrilled,” Webb said in a news release. “NJC gave me a second chance in life.” While studying at NJC, Webb received all-conference honors playing basketball. The Webb scholarships will total $2,000 each year, with $1,000 going to one male student athlete and $1,000 going to one female student athlete for the next 10 years. The college’s athletic department, coaches and athletic director will select the scholarship candidates and present them to the Webb family. The scholarship committee that will choose the recipients are the Webb’s son, Anthony Webb; daughter, Stephanie O’Malley; and grandson, Allen Webb II. “The NJC men and women basketball teams work hard to succeed on the court and in the classroom, and having strong leaders on their side is invaluable,” said Vivian Hadley, executive director of the NJC Foundation, in a news release. “Aiding a student financially helps them concentrate on academics, and to know they have someone rooting for them to succeed through education can make the difference for student success.”
Annual renewal for RNOs has begun STAFF REPORT
The annual renewal, and new registration, period for Denver’s Registered Neighborhood Organizations (RNO) began on Dec. 1 and ends on Jan. 31. RNOs are groups formed among
neighbors and property owners that meet regularly and contribute to the betterment of the Denver community. “RNOs receive notification of proposed zoning amendments, landmark designation applications, planning board and board of adjustment hearings, liquor and cabaret licenses
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and other activities occurring in the neighborhood,” states the city’s website. RNOs “must meet a set of eligibility requirements laid out in the Denver Revised Municipal Code, Chapter 12, Article III” and register annually with the city’s Community Planning
and Development Department to “ensure that city agencies have up-todate contact information and that all RNOs are meeting eligibility requirements,” states the city’s website. RNO renewal and new registration can be done online at DenverGov.org/ RNO.
Preservation conference takes place Feb. 7-9 STAFF REPORT
Registration is now open for Colorado Preservation Inc.’s 2022 Saving Places Conference. The conference will take place as a hybrid event on Feb. 7-8 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel, 1550 Court Place, and will continue as an online event on Feb. 9. This year, the conference also features a two-day On-the-Road component, planned for Aug. 5-6 in San Luis. Saving Places is a preservation conference that offers “critical training, networking and educational opportunities to support the preservation community locally and nationwide,” states a news release. This year, titled Perspectives in Preservation, the conference will feature “voices that have been lost, sidelined or overlooked within the preservation community and beyond” and will “ex-
plore how communities identify, document, evaluate, protect and interpret Colorado’s irreplaceable historic and cultural resources.” More than 80 speakers and more than 40 sessions/workshops ranging from beginner to advanced content will be offered. The “2022 Saving Places On-theRoad will provide attendees a rare opportunity to get up-close with ongoing preservation projects happening in the San Luis Valley and National Heritage Area while recognizing the work of local community members, Colorado Preservation, Inc. and partner organizations,” states a news release. The Saving Places Conference is paid for in part by a History Colorado State Historical Fund Grant. For more information or to register, visit SavingPlacesConference. org or ColoradoPreservation.org.
Washington Park Profile 9
January 1, 2022
Colorado’s mental health system is ‘broken’ An audit could reveal why, and what to do about it BY JENNIFER BROWN COLORADO SUN
As state policymakers and media outlets scrutinize Colorado’s mental health system, the head of a trade group representing 17 community mental health centers is calling for an audit. The CEO of the Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council, which advocates for the community clinics across the state, wants an audit not just of those 17 centers but the entire behavioral health system. “We need to make the system much more accessible and we need to break down some of these barriers,” Doyle Forrestal said. Her request comes as community mental health centers, the safety-net system for those with Medicaid or without insurance, are at the heart of an intense conversation about Colorado’s “broken mental health system.” They were the subject of an indepth Colorado News Collaborative reportthat revealed the centers, which receive $437 million in tax dollars per year, are treating thousands fewer patients now than before the pandemic began and that some people in dire need of care are slipping through the cracks. And the centers were the subject of a subsequent letter to Gov. Jared Polis from statewide mental health advocates that asked the governor to “take action to address serious problems,” including a lack of transparency and the centers’ “failures to serve Coloradans with greatest needs.” The letter, signed by Mental Health Colorado president Vincent Atchity and National Alliance on Mental Illness Colorado executive director Ray Merenstein, among others – called for an overhaul of the community mental health centers. For starters, Colorado should create more transparency and accountability regarding the centers’ spending, including by requiring them to disclose to the state each time a client has to wait more than five days for an initial appointment, the advocates wrote. They also want the governor to create a standing group of policy and finance experts. And they made a related, and pointed, request: no more than one representative from the community mental health centers allowed on the panel. “The state should be bold and truly transformational in its efforts,” they wrote. “This means standing up to powerful trade associations and ending a long-standing sense of entitlement.” Two days after that letter, Forrestal sent her own letter to the governor asking for an audit. What auditors would find if they look into community mental health centers, Forrestal said, is a system filled with redundant paperwork – so many reports and documents to justify public spending that time spent on actual program improvements suffers. The audit’s scope should extend to hospital systems, insurance
companies, mental health therapists and psychiatrists in private practice, and beyond. The entire system needs review, from figuring out why medical offices and hospitals have been slow to incorporate mental health care to why therapists in private practice often don’t take insurance, she said. The scrutiny comes as more Coloradans than ever are seeking mental health services. “We have a bunch of people who, prior to the pandemic, were starting to feel comfortable and wanting to reach out for services,” Forrestal said in an interview. “Now, it’s blown the doors off. People want access to care. They don’t know where to go. You have struggling family members that need help and resources and we just don’t have the people to provide that care.” Meanwhile, there’s a third letter A group representing mental health providers in private practice wrote its own letter, addressed to the legislature’s Joint Budget Committee, calling the current structure biased in favor of the community mental health clinics and against those in private practice. The state Medicaid department and the community mental health centers are a “clique that excludes the independent providers from representation and influence over policy,” including a recent 2% increase in staff wages that did not help private providers, said the group, called COMBINE. The battle waged in letters comes as a legislative task force gets closer to announcing how it will recommend spending $450 million in federal coronavirus aid tagged for Colorado’s mental health system. At the same time, Polis’ office is building a new Behavioral Health Administration, which will coordinate mental health care and substance abuse treatment at one state agency instead of the current system, which includes 75 programs at three state agencies. The leaders of two state agencies — the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing, which includes the Medicaid division, and the Colorado Department of Human Services, which includes the state behavioral health office — released a statement Wednesday to make clear they welcome reform. “Even before the pandemic increased the need for behavioral health services into a crisis, we recognized the need to make significant changes to our behavioral health system in Colorado,” said the statement from Kim Bimestefer and Michelle Barnes. “We are committed to addressing the problems and gaps in the behavioral health system and to making bold changes to ensure people the mental health and substance abuse treatment and services they deserve.” The reimbursement rates the state Medicaid department pays to individual clinicians in private practice are far lower than those paid to mental health centers. Centers, however, say they need higher reimbursement rates than therapists in private practice in order to cover the costs of operating 24/7 crisis services, case
Jefferson Center for Mental Health served about 28,000 people last year at its variPHOTO BY KATHRYN SCOTT ous offices, including in Wheat Ridge.
management and community education courses. The statewide discussion on reform comes as Colorado is suffering from a mental health workforce crisis, with 1,092 job vacancies among the 17 regional mental health centers.
This story is from The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned 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.
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10 Washington Park Profile
January 1, 2022
LOCAL
VOICES Another trip around the sun
FROM THE EDITOR
Christy Steadman
I
H
appy New Year! Not only is it a new year, it is also another trip around the sun for me with the Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Profile. I started the job of producing these two monthly publications in January 2020, so this month marks my two-year anniversary. It has been a great couple of years. I’ve enjoyed writing for you, and I’ve especially enjoyed your feedback because it shows how much you truly love your community. During the national coin shortage in 2020, I wrote a column about struggling to find somewhere to put air in my tires because nowhere had quarters to spare. After the column came out, a reader emailed to let me know of a few spots within the Washington Park Profile’s coverage area
that would check and fill tires with air for free. Such great advice, since I’m often out-and-about on assignment. When I wrote my column about Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month in April 2021, a Life on Capitol Hill reader emailed to let me know she also had a loved one struggling with the disease. (My dad has Parkinson’s.) The column was titled, “Parkinson’s patients are not alone,” so it was heartwarming to be able to connect the reader with my mom. Sitting down to write the January column is the time of year that I often reflect on the stories I’ve done in the past, but also when I get to look forward to the stories that will come in the new year. While I have some stories already in the works — or at least in planning — for 2022,
Winter watering guide: Caring for newly planted trees during winter
n the fall and winter, trees drop their leaves and become dormant as they prepare for colder temperatures. However, newly planted trees experience the greatest growth in their root system during this time. Colorado often experiences dry periods during winter (two or more weeks without snow cover), which can leave roots susceptible to drying out, causing tree death or severe root damage. Not watering throughout the winter is the largest contributing factor to the mortality
of newly planted trees. It is best to slowly give any newly planted trees 10-15 gallons of water before putting the hose away for the winter and to supplement with 10-15 gallons of water during dry periods and when temperatures are above 40 degrees. Do not water when temperatures are near or below freezing.
GUEST COLUMN Denver Forestry
A
A publication of
Mailing Address: 750 W. Hampden Ave., Suite 225 Englewood, CO 80110 Phone: 303-566-4100 To subscribe call 303-566-4100 or visit www.washparkprofile.com/subscribe
Opioid settlement could tackle crisis
M
ing your everyday life. In fact, twice as many respondents say they’re approaching home improvements as a means of greater enjoyment in their living space, compared to those seeking to increase their home’s value. Bringing your home up to date can create a place your family can enjoy for generations to come, and help build a legacy and long-term wealth. In Denver, we’ve seen an uptick in cash-out refinance and home equity line of credit (HELOC) requests as homeowners look to tap into the equity in their homes to fund improvements to their existing homes. According to Bank of America’s latest report, sustainability is especially important to younger generations when it comes to popular renovations. Half of younger generations want to add solar panels and energy-efficient appliances, as well as use sustainable or recycled materials. And while we see so many design ideas we’d like to try, we don’t get much information when it comes to paying for all these fun changes. You might think your only options are to save for a project or rack up debt for that emergency
any in our community are suffering from opioid addiction. In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency due to opioid use. In 2018, Colorado recorded GUEST 543 opioid overdose deaths. This COLUMN number surged in 2020, increasing by a whopping 59%. It was predicted that the total for 2021 will show about 1,800 people died from opioid overdose. Threefourths of those deaths will be in metro areas. For the 12 months ending in March 2021, 319 people died in Denver. This human tragedy impacts Councilmember local communities throughout Deborah Ortega the state. Local government workers and resources are strained responding to the crisis. This did not have to happen. Denver joined the State of Colorado and 4,000 states and municipalities in filing lawsuits against opioid manufactures, distributors and pharmacies. The lawsuits demonstrated that the manufacturers overstated benefits and downplayed risks of the drugs as they aggressively marketed their addictive products. Distributors failed to monitor suspicious orders and pharmacies were liable for contributing to the epidemic. This past summer, a $26 billion settlement was reached with three of the biggest distributors of opioids and Johnson & Johnson. If the settlement goes as planned, those funds will be paid out over 18 years, with Colorado receiving an estimated $394 million. Denver has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with the Colorado Attorney
SEE HOMES, P11
SEE ORTEGA, P11
SEE FORESTRY, P11
Many decide to upgrade homes amid tight market
competitive housing market and aging homes mean many homeowners in Denver are tackling long-planned renovations. According to the National Association of Homebuilders, the GUEST median age of owner-occupied COLUMN homes is 39 years in Colorado - and some much older than that. Aging homes mean many homeowners either want to bring their homes up-to-date, or they need to replace wellworn parts of their homes. And they’re taking remodeling into their own hands to make their home fit their Brandon lifestyle. Bank of America’s HomeBlankenship buyer Insights Report: Home Improvement and Equity Spotlight found that 65% of younger homeowners (ages 18 to 43) and 60% of Gen X homeowners (ages 44 to 56) are likely to renovate this year, compared to 22% of older homeowners (ages 57 to 75). Making home improvements can simultaneously help you build equity while enhanc-
I always love to get news tips from readers. Perhaps you heard of a new business that you would like to know more about, or maybe you run a nonprofit and you’d like to get the word out about an inaugural fundraising event. Perhaps you heard of a neighbor’s philanthropic efforts, and you feel they deserve to be in the limelight. Or maybe you have some insight on a neighborhood issue that you would like to share with your neighbors. One glory of writing for a hyperlocal monthly is that I get to involve the community with every story I do. So whatever your story may be, send it my way. I can be reached directly at csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com or 303-566-4107. I would love to hear from you.
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Washington Park Profile 11
January 1, 2022
HOMES FROM PAGE 10
repair, but you have a number of options to turn your dreams into a reality. Savings The first option that comes to mind for most homeowners is to pay for a renovation with savings. In fact, 62% of homeowners say they plan to pay for the work by using money they have saved. While this can be an effective way to finance
FORESTRY FROM PAGE 10
Watering routine Before winter: Continue to water your tree(s) until the ground freezes. Slowly (trickle over several hours) give your newly planted tree 10-15 gallons of water. Once complete, don’t forget to disconnect your hose so that it doesn’t freeze. During winter: Water your tree twice a month with 10-15 gallons of water if the ground isn’t frozen. This is best done when the temperature is around 40 degrees and at mid-day to allow water to soak in before the ground freezes at night. Continue to check the moisture level of the root ball (the main mass of roots
some smaller projects, it might not be feasible for homeowners who are doing big projects such as a complete kitchen makeover. Pairing savings with other financing options can give you the funds you need to accomplish your goals. Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) One of the most valuable benefits of homeownership is the ability to borrow against the equity you build up in your home over time. With rising home prices, homeowners are accumulating wealth at a faster rate and a home equity line of credit lets you borrow against the available eq-
directly beneath the trunk), especially during long periods without snow cover. Following spring and summer: Continue to water the tree once a week with 10-15 gallons of water and more when the weather is dry, windy or during prolonged periods of drought and sunshine. Additional tree care tips for the winter Wrap the trunk: In Colorado, young trees — especially thin-barked trees like Honeylocust, Maple and Linden — are susceptible to sunscald and frost cracks because of drastic winter temperature fluctuations. To prevent bark damage, wrap the trunks of younger trees up to the first branches using commercial tree wrap. A general rule
The excitement of a more functional kitchen or the satisfaction of refinished floors is too often overshadowed by the intimidating questions around money. For big home renovation projects, doing a little homework and planning before diving in is essential. Learn how to put a home equity line of credit to work for you with tips from Better Money Habits or by speaking to a lending specialist.
uity in your home up to your credit limit. You’ll then have the flexibility of a revolving credit line that can be accessed as needed. Cash-out refinance A cash-out refinance replaces your existing mortgage with a new, larger loan that includes a new interest rate and term. Pocketing the difference between your old mortgage and the new loan can provide you with funds to make home improvements. No matter how long you’ve lived in your home, the idea of customizing your space to fit your lifestyle can be both exciting and daunting.
of thumb is to wrap trees around Thanksgiving and remove tree wrap around Easter. Mulch the base: Apply 2 to 4 inches of wood chips, bark or other organic mulch near the base of the tree, but not against it, to reduce soil evaporation, improve water absorption and insulate against temperature extremes. Some community recycling programs like Denver Recycles provide wood chips free of charge. Proper tree care during the winter months is crucial for tree health and survival. Following these watering and tree care tips can help your trees continue to grow and thrive. Guest column by Denver Forestry
Brandon Blankenship of Denver is the vice president, enterprise retail sales manager for Bank of America in Colorado.
ORTEGA FROM PAGE 10
General, Colorado counties and municipalities throughout the state on how those funds are to be distributed, with Denver’s allocation at approximately $39 million. I have been appointed to serve on the Denver Regional Opioid Council. This 11-member committee will develop a two-year plan on how the funds will be spent to abate the impact of opioids on our community. To prevent the settlement funds from being used for non-opioid expenditures, the agreement requires funds be spent on forwardlooking strategies to provide care and recovery, supportive housing, expanded treat-
ment, mental health services, children’s services and community-based services related to opioid abuse. These funds alone are not sufficient to address the need. We can and should collaborate with regional partners and leverage other resources, such as Caring for Denver dollars approved by voters to address mental health. This will allow us to significantly improve the negative impacts we’ve seen throughout downtown and in other areas of our city, and to see lasting benefit to the individuals with addiction to opioids. Deborah “Debbie” Ortega is an at-large member of Denver City Council. She can be reached at ortegaatlarge@ denvergov.org or 720-3377713.
TURN TO THE COLORADO SUN FOR NEWS ACROSS THE STATE The Colorado Sun is a journalist-owned, award-winning news outlet that strives to cover all of Colorado so that our state — our community — can better understand itself. In this way, The Sun contributes to a more vibrant, informed and whole Colorado. The Sun, launched in 2018, is committed to fact-based, in-depth and nonpartisan journalism. It covers everything
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12 Washington Park Profile
January 1, 2022
Warren Village expanding to third campus
Nonprofit provides affordable transitional housing
BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
When Jasmine White first moved to Denver with her two young children in 2015, they had nothing more than what would fit in two suitcases and $200 that White had saved. “That was it,” White said. Today, the 33-year-old single mother is happily employed, is about one year away from earning her bachelor’s degree, volunteers on boards and committees on a variety of local nonprofits and is on the path to becoming a first-time homebuyer. She attributes her success story to the support and encouragement she received from the first day she moved into Warren Village. “It was the most transformational thing that ever happened to me,” White said. Warren Village is a nonprofit residential community located at 1323 Gilpin St. in the Cheesman Park neighborhood. It serves homeless or housing insecure single-parent households. A goal is to end the cycle of poverty, and with its unique Two-Generation (2Gen) program, Warren Village empowers families to make the journey from poverty or nearpoverty to self-sufficiency. Warren Village’s resources include — but are not limited to — affordable transitional, private housing; parent services and advocacy; and onsite early childhood education and childcare. In addition to the Cheesman Park community, Warren Village has a congregate housing community in northwest Denver, and recently announced its plans to add a third campus that will provide 74 one, two and three bedroom apartment homes in southwest Denver. “We’re driven by urgency,” said Ethan Hemming, president and CEO of Warren Village. Often, “women and men with children don’t have anywhere to go. We need this for families.” The land was awarded through a highly competitive process managed by the Denver Housing Authority (DHA) and the City and County of Denver, funded by the DHA Delivers for Denver (D3) Bond Program. A news release states that the D3 Bond Program is “a land acquisition fund dedicated to expanding opportunities for hous-
A rendering of Warren Village’s expansion to Denver’s Athmar Park neighborhood at 1394 W. Alameda Ave. and 1373 W. Nevada Pl. These COURTESY OF SHEARS ADKINS ROCKMORE SAR+ renderings are drafts, and community input will be incorporated into the final version.
ing developments that will serve Denver’s most vulnerable residents” and “double the city’s Affordable Housing Fund and enhance the pipeline for supportive and affordable housing in Denver.” The project will be funded with federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits, along with state, city and private funding. Once completed, the new Warren Village campus will reside at 1394 W. Alameda Ave. and 1373 W. Nevada Pl. in Denver’s Athmar Park neighborhood, with the two buildings having connectivity across an alley. The building on Nevada will be the primary residential building and it will also house the early childhood education center. The building on Alameda will also have some residential units, but it will house the administrative and resident support services spaces. The campus will also include resident amenities such as onsite parking, laundry facilities and a playground. It is expected that the new Warren Village campus could open as soon as mid-2024. •
•
•
White now works as Warren Village’s community intake coordinator. “I truly love what I do,” she said. Particularly, she is glad to be able to share her story with others and help them understand how they can benefit from Warren Village. “I want people to understand that they don’t have to be a victim of their circumstance.” White learned of Warren Village through her
‘I want people to understand that they don’t have to be a victim of their circumstance.’ Jasmine White
longtime friend Whitney Whitson, also a single mother of two. White and Whitson went to high school together in Tennessee, and in 2007, Whitson moved to Colorado because of the unique programming that Warren Village provides. She had tried to convince White to join her. “But I was scared,” White said. “I had never left Tennessee before.” About six or seven years passed, and in that time, White was faced with a series of events that she described as a “downward spiral” — the place where she was living contracted bed bugs and her grandmother died, among other things. At that time, White had recently given birth to her second child and her oldest was going into kindergarten. “Where we were living wasn’t conducive to their wellbeing,” White said. White flew to Denver in early 2015 and did the
Jasmine White, a former Warren Village resident, sits between her two daughters, Carmyn and Jordyn, for her graduation photo in 2019. White earned an associate degree from Community College of Denver and said she shed tears of joy when she made the dean’s list. Today, White and her two children are thriving as Denver residents, with Jasmine participating in a first-time homebuyer’s COURTESY OF JASMINE WHITE program.
assessment required by Warren Village. She was approved, but still had reservations about moving away from everything she knew in Tennessee. Whitson — who, by this time, had successfully completed the Warren Village program and had already bought her first home — remained persistent. In fall 2015, she finally convinced White to move to Colorado, even offering to pay for her plane tickets to help her relocate. White and her two daughters — Jordyn, now 13, and Carmyn, now 7 — stayed with Whitson for one month while the family was on Warren Village’s waitlist. They moved into Warren Village in October 2015 and lived there for two years. Now, White has a stable rental housing in Denver’s RiNo area and is enrolled in a first-time homebuyer’s program offered through Volunteers of America.
“As time went on, we made friends here,” White said, referring to Warren Village’s advocates and the teachers at its childcare center. “My kids have a sense of community and family here.” Because of Warren Village, White’s children have learned to journal their emotions and speak up for themselves. They have been involved with a dance team and leadership roles. Meanwhile, White also learned parenting skills. She was raised by her dad, and felt she was lacking in the nurturing aspect. Warren Village helped her learn how to be both a nurturing parent and a provider. “Warren Village is like grandma’s house. We are loved, and we are supported and encouraged here,” White said. “It’s always sunny here, even when it’s snowing. So if we ever need a little ray of sunshine, we know we can find it at Warren Village.”
Washington Park Profile 13
January 1, 2022
Best in Show: “Denver Museum of Nature and Science”
PHOTO BY ALAN FORD
Online exhbit of Y/OUR Denver Photography Competition runs through Feb. 28 BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
T
he Denver Architecture Foundation and the Colorado Photographic Arts Center have announced the winners of the 2021 Y/OUR Denver Photography Competition. The winners are: • “Denver Museum of Nature and Science” by Alan Ford for Best in Show. • “Balconize” by Joshua Palmeri for Best Exterior. • “Swirl” by Nancy Bratton for Best Interior. • “Turntable Studios” by Risa Friedman for Best Detail. The 2021 Y/OUR Denver Photography Competition was the fourth annual for the contest. Taking place consecutively with the Denver Architecture Foundation’s Doors Open Denver event, the photography competition began on Sept. 23 and ended on Oct. 28. The contest asks for photographers of all skill levels to “photograph their favorite areas of Denver, focusing on Denver’s vast and unique architecture,” states a news release. This year, the contest garnered 216 entries, which were narrowed down to 30 finalist images, including the four winners. The competition is “an opportunity for the public to share Denver architecture through their eyes, or the lenses of their cameras,” said Pauline Herrera, executive director of the Denver Architecture Foundation, in a news release. “The 30 images in the online exhibition provide a unique perspective of our beautiful city and the architecture we experience every day.” The online exhibit is available through Feb. 28 on the Denver Architecture Foundation’s website, denverarchitecture.org; and the Colorado Photographic Arts Center’s website, cpacphoto.org.
Best Interior: “Swirl”
Best Exterior: “Balconize”
PHOTO BY NANCY BRATTON
PHOTO BY JOSHUA PALMERI
Best Detail: “Turntable Studios”
PHOTO BY RISA FRIEDMAN
14 Washington Park Profile
January 1, 2022
Zoo, state partner to boost toad numbers Denver Zoo, Colorado Parks and Wildlife join forces for endangered species STAFF REPORT
The Denver Zoo and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have teamed up to help save the boreal toad, which is a state-listed endangered species. On Nov. 10, conservation and amphibian experts with the Denver Zoo traveled to the Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Native Aquatic Species Restoration Facility (NASRF) in Alamosa to pick up 95 boreal toads to serve as an additional breeding population for the species. “We have had success in the past producing boreal toad eggs and tadpoles at NASRF, but it is challenging, and with the increasing need for more animals, we need to step up breeding and reintroduction efforts,” said Harry Crockett, the native species aquatic species coordinator for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, in a news release. “This is a great opportunity for boreal toad conservation and collaboration with a strong conservation partner in Denver Zoo. We will really benefit from their expertise (and) experience in the conservation and breeding of boreal toads and other endangered amphibian species.” The Denver Zoo has been active in amphibian conservation for more than 15 years, working with criti-
An adult boreal toad.
COURTESY OF DENVER ZOO
cally endangered species such as the Lake Titicaca frogs, among others. According to a news release, “the NASRF is dedicated to protecting and restoring threatened and endangered aquatics species native to Colorado … Since its inception in 2000, the NASRF has protected 16 different fish species and has stocked more than 2.1 million fish in rivers, streams and lakes across the state.” Once at the zoo, the 95 boreal toads were put in a specially-designed facility for brumation, which is a natural state of inactivity during winter months. This spring, attempts at breeding them will begin, with the hopes that as many as 20,000 tadpoles can be released into the Colorado wilderness in the summer.
The Denver Zoo and Colorado Parks and Wildlife have teamed up to help save the state’s population of the boreal toad, which COURTESY OF DENVER ZOO is a state-listed endangered species.
As part of the wild release program, the zoo will launch a community science project where volunteers can help monitor the survival of the released toadlets and help evaluate potential release sites around the Colorado, states a news release. According to the news release, the boreal toad was once common in montane habitats between 7,00012,000 feet in the southern Rocky Mountains, but the species has experienced dramatic population declines in the past two decades. “The decline appears to be related to habitat loss and primarily infection by the chytrid fungus, which can infect the majority of the world’s 7,000 amphibian species, and is linked to major population declines and extinctions globally,”
states the news release. Officials with the zoo and Colorado Parks and Wildlife estimate that it will take many years to bring the species back to a level where it is secure in the southern Rocky Mountains, states the news release. “Boreal toads are in a lot of trouble, but their numbers are still relatively strong even though their population is in decline,” said Stefan Ekernas, Rocky Mountain/ Great Plains program director at the Denver Zoo, in a news release. “Colorado Parks and Wildlife has done a tremendous amount of work on the conservation of boreal toads for almost 30 years, and we’re excited to join in the effort to help the species make a meaningful recovery while there’s still time.”
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Washington Park Profile 15
January 1, 2022
The National Guitar Museum exhibit highlights past, present and future BY CLARKE READER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
If you read about pop music with any regularity, you’ve probably seen a story that pops up every now and then — one that says guitar-based music is dead. And yet, the instrument and its music never seem like they’re going anywhere. The Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s latest exhibit, “Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World,” not only explores the history of the instrument, but how innovation and experimentation are keeping it exciting for new generations. “Guitars are something that connect for so many of us. I remember getting my first guitar and wherever I went, that guitar went with me,” said Jennifer Moss Logan,
Denver Museum of Nature & Science educator. “This exhibition speaks to so many people — people have the chance to see incredible instruments from around the world that are as alive today as they were when they first came out.” The exhibit runs at the museum, 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver, through April 17. The traveling show from The National Guitar Museum is included with general admission tickets. The exhibition features more than 60 instruments and explores the cultural and physical history of the guitar, taking visitors on a journey from medieval instruments like lutes and ouds to the electric guitars that are commonplace today. And guitars haven’t stopped evolving, which means guests will see the innovative ways the instrument is being pushed into the future. “We have guitars on display that really stretch the imagination, including an eight-necked guitar, the controllers used for Guitar Hero and one that is 3D-printed,” Logan said. “We also have the world’s
“Guitar: The Instrument That Rocked the World,” the latest exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, offers many opportunities for all ages to get hands-on experience with STEAM concepts. COURTESY OF DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE
largest playable guitar (measuring about 43 feet), according to Guinness World Records, for people to try strumming.” While there is a great amount of interactive fun to be had at the exhibit, that’s not all it offers. Visitors get to dive into the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics (STEAM) concepts behind the instrument, including sound waves, frequency, engineering and more. “One of the most important things to us in this exhibit is stealth science … which is learning about science without knowing you’re learning about it,” said HP Newquist, executive director of The National Guitar Museum, in a previous interview with DMNS. “With the electric guitar, in order to make sound, you talk about physics, electromagnetism, decibel levels
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and soundwaves. All these things are inherent in the guitar, but you may not know it when you look at and listen to a guitar. It’s the perfect way to teach about science.” As is always the case with traveling national exhibits, the museum added a local touch to proceedings. This includes showcasing local guitar legends like Otis Taylor in the exhibit and hosting guitar sessions with Denver-based musicians like Stevie Gunter and Jen Korte. “We always try to think about who our audience is and how can we make sure these exhibitions that come from other places have a local flavor,” Logan said. “We have an incredible music scene in Denver, one that can represent the best of the guitar and guitar music. People from all different communities love different players, so the instrument can encompass so many scenes.”
16 Washington Park Profile
January 1, 2022
Denver-based Tula helps those doubling as a parent and a professional BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Making sure the kids arrive to school on time. Grocery shopping, running other necessary errands and keeping the house tidy. Driving the kids to their extracurricular or afterschool activities and helping with homework. Scheduling a repair person if something in the home stops working properly. Cooking and getting dinner on the table. Bath time, reading a bedtime story and tucking the children in for the night. Moms do a lot to keep their household running smoothly. And on top of all those tasks, some mothers go to work every day. South Denver residents Cody Galloway and Megan Trask took notice of all that mothers do — in part because they themselves are working moms. They launched their small business, Tula, which is an app-based personal assistant
service, about a year ago. By dispatching vetted personal assistants to help people with tasks on their to-do lists, Tula helps people “prioritize with purpose,” Galloway said. Not just working moms, she added, but anyone. Tula’s clients come from diverse backgrounds and a variety of circumstances, Galloway said. As momtrepreneurs, Galloway and Trask believe women shouldn’t have to choose between a career and raising a family. But it is not uncommon for moms to feel that balancing their career and running the home can become an overburdening pressure. Especially today, moms may see posts on social media and think they have to live up to an additional expectation — everything has to be, or at least appear to be, perfect, Galloway said. “That’s a lot of pressure,” Galloway said, adding that it’s OK to ask for help. “You shouldn’t have to feel that you have to do everything, while balancing a career and a family.” Tula aims to destigmatize asking for help, Galloway said. “It’s all about letting go of things that don’t serve you,” Gal-
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The Piraino family spends time together during a September family photo shoot at Mount Falcon Park in Jefferson County. Sophia Piraino loves being a mom, but she also wanted something that would provide some self-fulfillment outside of taking care of her family’s needs. Today, she is a personal assistant with Tula and enjoys being able PHOTO BY KRISTIN MITCHELL/GOLLYG PHOTOGRAPHY to help others prioritize their time.
loway said, “and being OK with that.”
a professional woman instead of being just a mom.”
More than just a mom Sophia Piraino of Parker loves being a mom and everything that comes with it, she said. She is raising two children — Addison, 7, and Asher, 5. “My kids always come first,” she said, adding that she enjoys volunteering at her children’s school, attending their activities and, in general, simply being a part of their experiences. But as much as Piraino enjoys being a mom, she wanted something that would provide some self-fulfillment outside of taking care of her family’s needs. Mothers “are strong, independent people,” Piraino said. “We can still contribute to the world outside of our family.” Once both of her children started school, Piraino had intended to go back to work, but she is unable to work regular full-time hours because her husband’s job requires travel, and he is sometimes gone three or four nights a week. After about two years of searching for a job that would be a good fit, Piraino heard about Tula through a friend. Piraino thought it would also be a good fit for her — one reason being that her mother raised her to believe that kindness was No. 1, so helping people was something Piraino had been hoping for with a job. “Women helping women is a huge deal,” Piraino said. “We have so many things going on all the time, and accepting the fact that you can’t do it all is OK. It doesn’t matter what it is. If it’s going to help you have a better day, that’s great.” As one of Tula’s personal assistants, Piraino has done many different tasks for people, ranging from repotting house plants to doing research on the internet. “It’s rewarding because it’s helping others,” Piraino said. “But I have also found myself again, as
Supporting busy lives Sarah Staples has always liked the idea of outsourcing tasks that may take her a long time or those that she’s not very good at, but said Tula has “been a lifesaver sometimes.” When Staples’ in-laws were coming to stay with her for the first time, the dryer in her new home went out. She called Tula with the emergency, and the personal assistant took all the stress out of finding a service that could launder the clothes that day, and helped arrange a repair person to come out, so Staples could concentrate on the other tasks she had to accomplish prior to her in-laws’ visit. Staples moved to Denver’s Country Club neighborhood from out-of-state in the fall of 2020. She was starting a new job and didn’t yet know anyone in the city. She learned about Tula shortly after the company launched. “It’s been so nice (to have Tula) after moving to a new city and not knowing anything,” Staples said. “Having a trusted source for references or help has been so valuable.” Staples works a full-time job that can be quite demanding — she is the director of a tech company. So she particularly enjoys having Tula’s assistants help her with tasks such as running errands, which saves her time during the workweek and allows her to spend her weekends doing activities she wants to do. Staples is expecting her first child in January, and anticipates that she’ll be using Tula’s services more once the baby comes, she said. “I really like what they’re all about,” Staples said. “Women helping women. But not just women — everyone, by supporting lives and trying to give time back.”
Washington Park Profile 17
January 1, 2022
Providing a homelike, family setting Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth wants to recruit more foster families BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
The popular saying goes: It takes a village to raise a child. That saying could not be more true for children who are involved in child welfare. But there is a tremendous need for foster families, both locally and nationally. According to Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY), which is a foster care nonprofit, 2020 studies reveal there are about 5,500 children involved in foster care and child welfare in Colorado. “We have a lot of kids who aren’t able to be in their homes for one reason or another,” said Jenna Coleman, executive director of SAFY of Colorado. “We want to (be able to) keep them in a homelike setting.” SAFY got its start in Ohio in 1985 and expanded to Colorado in 2014. SAFY of Colorado is located in Fort Collins, but serves youths from any Colorado county, and currently has about 25 licensed foster homes across the Front Range, including the Denver-metro area. Foster
homes are needed everywhere, and SAFY would love to get more in Denver. “We need foster families now more than ever,” Coleman said. Children in foster care tend to do much better when they’re in a home, Coleman added, versus a residential facility like a group home. One reason, she added, is because a person’s home is not an institution. The foster child can continue to learn to function in a household setting, with experiences like family bike rides or taking the dog for a walk, for example. “The lived experience that people have equips them to help others,” said Carley Clark, SAFY of Colorado’s foster parent recruiter. “We believe the more diverse our foster homes are, the stronger our community is.” SAFY welcomes “people of all backgrounds to become foster parents, including single, married, same sex couples, retired and divorced adults interested in being the difference in the life of a child or teen,” states its website. While there are some qualifications a person must meet to become a foster parent — be at least 21 years of age; have a stable income; have a spare bedroom, whether as a homeowner or renter; and be able to pass local and state background checks — the most important is to accept children from all backgrounds and support them until they’re ready
Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY) reports that there is a tremendous need for foster families, both locally and nationally. SAFY, which is a foster care nonprofit, urges anybody who would like to help children and youth to consider becoming a foster parent. SHUTTERSTOCK IMAGE
for permanency. Permanency can be different for each child, but includes the child returning to birth parents or family members, adoption or preparing them to live on their own if aging out of foster care. Michael Duston of the Littleton/ Centennial area has been fostering teens through SAFY since 2019. “It’s so worth it if you have a heart for children,” he said. Duston, 33, has an employment and volunteer background in child welfare and teaching, but it is his own experience that inspired him to foster. Duston was born in Colorado Springs, then lived with a foster family in Pueblo for about two years
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when he was adopted and raised by a family in the Littleton/Englewood area. Duston said he feels blessed, and wanted to be able to give back. One doesn’t have to be perfect to be a foster parent, Duston said. “What kids need most is love — someone there who is trying to be involved and care for them,” Duston said. “Kids can sense when your heart is in the right place.” Children gain a lot from the time they spend with a foster parent or family, but so does the person or family that is fostering a child, Coleman said. They get to see the child or children make progress in many ways, including with their schooling/academics and social-emotional growth, Coleman added. And then there’s the “little things,” Coleman said, “like discovering favorite foods that both the (foster) family and child have in common.” While fostering a child is hard work, SAFY’s licensed foster families are supported in the journey, Clark said. She added that SAFY provides a variety of resources — from initial training to social events with other local foster parents — and a network of professionals, all who are invested in best meeting each child’s needs. But, Clark added, “foster parents tend to know more than they think they do. At the end of the day, it’s the connection with the child that’s the most important.”
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18 Washington Park Profile
January 1, 2022
Why some people take ‘digital detoxes’ and what mental health experts have to say BY JESSICA GIBBS JGIBBS@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
F
or weeks, Jordan Novinger debated breaking up with Twitter. In the span of a couple months, the Castle Rock resident had gained a following of several thousand. She spent hours talking with people online. Although she made new friends in the process, the 21-year-old also felt pressured to stay engaged. At work, Novinger tried to resist a persistent temptation to check her accounts. Physically, Novinger was present, she said. Mentally, she was not. Her iPhone’s screen time report showed on some days Novinger spent up to four hours on Twitter. In early December, Novinger cut the cord. She deleted Twitter. She took a break from Instagram too, which she steps away from periodically. Since then, Novinger works more. She feels more productive. She is more inclined to pick up the phone and have a conversation with someone. She can’t leave Instagram permanently because she uses the site for work, but she hopes she’s made “a clean break” from Twitter. “It was such an addiction,” she said.
Taking the plunge Several people in the Denver metro area who have taken short-term “digital detoxes” or left a platform forever all described social media with the same word: Toxic. They offered up a laundry list of reasons why. Screen addiction. Never feeling present. Rampant misinformation. Political fights. Hateful comment sections. The comparison game. Misleading highlight reels. The pressure to curate one’s life instead of simply live it. Eventually, they all hit a breaking point. The concept of undergoing a “digital detox” is increasing in popularity, according to a 2020 study published in the Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science that looked at the practice’s impact on well-being. And while a whopping share of the population still uses social media — about 72% of all Americans do, according to the Pew Research Center — growth on numerous sites is slowing or stagnant. The number of people on social media has remained relatively stable over the past five years, Pew’s Social Media Use in 2021 report says. Growth on platforms including Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat has remained statistically unchanged since 2019. “This represents a broader trend that extends beyond the past two years in which the rapid adoption of most of these sites and apps seen in the last decade has slowed,” Pew’s report states. Reddit and YouTube are exceptions. Pew surveys found YouTube is the nation’s most-used social media platform and has shown a marked increase in growth since 2019. Facebook and Instagram are the next
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most popular sites. Pew’s study acknowledges “a string of controversies” facing social media sites — like their management of misinformation or privacy concerns — and “the public’s relatively negative sentiments” about some parts of social media. Pew surveying found 64% of American believe social media has “a mostly negative effect on the way things are going in the country today.” At least one mental health expert said while much other public scrutiny rightfully focuses on social media’s effects for young people, she’d like to see more research and attention on its ramifications across age demographics. “It’s not just about kids,” Diane Thompson said, a psychiatrist with Centura Health. The individuals who spoke to Colorado Community Media about departing social media ranged in age from 21 to 37. All said they were glad they left. Each emphatically encouraged others to give it a try. “I would love for people to get off of social media. I think it’s just draining, and it can be so negative and toxic,” Novinger said. “While it can be good, I think most of the it’s not used for good.” Taking the plunge Evergreen couple Jace and Taylor Jackson, both 30, recently completed a six-week detox from Instagram and have significantly scaled back their use of other platforms. “I am shocked by how I have really broken the addictive, gotta click the button and check it,” Taylor said. Social media became a routine part of their lives after their introduction to Myspace as high school and college students. In time, they joined several platforms. Jace said he’s known for a while that social media had become “a toxic presence in my life.” SEE BREAK UP, P19
Jace and Taylor Jackson are avid outdoor explorers and found they felt better after backpacking trips during which they COURTESY PHOTO rarely used their phones.
“I want to rule social media. I don’t want it to rule me, and I think as soon as it crosses that line, I need to take matters into my own hands,” Jace said. A book called The Comfort Crisis about inspired him to reconnect with the real world. Jace and Taylor, avid outdoors explorers, also noticed they felt better after backpacking trips during which they rarely checked their phones. So the duo made a plan to stay off Instagram for a month. Then they enjoyed leaving so much they extended the break another two weeks. During that time, the couple crushed books, Jace said. They bought “an old-fashioned alarm clock” and charged their phones in the kitchen instead of their bedroom, avoiding the urge to scroll at night. The Jacksons slept better, they found. By day, Taylor stopped filling every free moment with a screen. Another habit they broke by detoxing — incessantly taking photos. The couple recently got dressed up and attended a holiday party without taking a single picture, they said. Taylor’s main goal during her detox was to be more present. She also doesn’t like the comparison game people can get trapped in on social media, particularly when feeds are often carefully curated highlight reels of someone’s life, she said.
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BREAK UP FROM PAGE 18
“I think creating your own reel can steal the joy of what you’re trying to capture,” Taylor said. “You’re constantly trying to frame your life in a certain way.” She’s not alone in that thinking. Comparing her life to virtual realities drove Alex Williams, 23, to leave Instagram as well, although she hopes it’s a permanent move for her. Williams deleted the app after graduating high school. She went from checking it daily, then weekly, to about once a month before ditching the site altogether. Williams needed to protect her wellbeing, she said. “The hardest thing for my mental health was all of the diet culture that’s pushed, especially on Instagram,” she said. “It just painted such a fake version of reality that I figured out, first of all, I could never achieve, and second of all, never wanted to.” After leaving the platform, the negative feelings she experienced when using Instagram completely evaporated, she said. She checks Reddit every so often and finds dog videos on TikTok amusing. Most of her social media consumption has shifted to YouTube. She listens to podcasts or watches cooking videos. Williams prefers that content because recipes are something she can recreate in her other free time, and cooking makes her happy. She considers returning to Instagram every few months. Williams could try setting up healthy boundaries for herself, she said, but she hasn’t caved yet. “I don’t see myself doing it,” she said. Jeremy Myles said he too is done with one site forever. Myles set up his Facebook profile in 2009. Ten years later, he was done. The 37-year-old got rid of Facebook partly out of concerns with data privacy, but also because of “the toxicity” and “how much hate was being spewed online.” Time after time, he said, he became frustrated seeing Facebook friends share misinformation, or watching loved ones get into online political squabbles. If he joined the spats, Myles never felt better. “Every one of those arguments was with somebody who I loved or respected,” he said. “I didn’t want to
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contribute to it anymore.” Myles said he also noticed some of his friends and family, many in the Boomer generation, routinely got sucked into comment sections. Over time they seemed to grow generally angrier and more frustrated people. “It’s sad to watch,” he said. He encourages his parents to avoid the comments, where “people can be so hateful and angry,” he said. If he wants to hold a serious conversation with someone in his life, he tries to do that in-person, rather than from behind a keyboard. He keeps ups with news on Twitter and is more inclined to engage on that platform but aims to do so sparingly, he said. In the future, Myles might consider using Facebook for business purposes. “I am absolutely from a personal perspective not going to return to Facebook,” he said. Expert insight Mental health and media professionals said there is limited research available about psychological benefits of leaving social media. The study that examined digital detoxes’ effect on wellness said while commentators have advocated for social media breaks, “little work has examined the effectiveness of taking time off of social media.” The study did not find a measurable positive effect on wellbeing from digital detoxing, it said, but acknowledged limitations around its data. The experiment comprised three field groups — 248 people in the U.K., 199 in the U.S. and 203 in the Hong Kong. Some spent one day abstaining from social media while a subgroup participated for two days, comparing a social-media free day to a day of normal use. They then rated their satisfaction with their day, the feeling of social connectedness, and its positive and negative effects on them. People reported feeling less connection or relatedness while staying off social media, the study said, and no difference in their well-being by abstaining from their socials. The study recruited a smaller number of participants than it wanted and could not say confidently people were truthful about whether they stayed off platforms. About half of people said it was difficult to give up social media for the day. That was in fact one reason for the shortness of the study. “The time scope of these experiments was necessarily narrow as we were concerned about participant
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compliance and retention. The shortterm effects observed in our studies might not generalize to longer periods of social media abstinence,” the study states. Despite the slowdown, social media use did climb some during the pandemic, Lynn Schofield Clark said. Clark chairs the University of Denver’s department of media, film and journalism studies. That was likely for pragmatic reasons, she said, like work-related tasks and the need to stay connected. “I think that the urge to take time away from social media has to be understood in relation to the generalized feeling of exhaustion we all have due to heightened stress,” Clark said. People use social media to keep up with those who matter to them, “and connection is protective against mental stress and mental illness,” Clark said. In addition to pointing to the study published in the Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science, Clark added that some people are leaving social media — namely Facebook and Instagram — for reasons other than wellness. That might be their desire for heightened regulations or concerns with privacy violations. “It’s too early to see whether or not this is a trend that will have an effect on these and other companies, but Jack Dorsey’s departure from Twitter is interesting in this regard,” Clark said. Thompson, the Centura Health psychiatrist, said social media isn’t all bad if people can master limiting their exposure to toxic content or people and maximize how it makes them feel connected. “There are times where social media can be a great way to connect,” Thompson said. She’s still an advocate for breaking away from social media when needed. Thompson has said her clients sometimes come in overwhelmed by comments they receive or see on social media. Occasionally, she has written a prescription for her client to stay off whatever platform is bothering them. She says it works. “There is a discernable difference between the last time I saw them and how they were feeling,” she said. Social media addictions or too much screen time can be taxing on mental health — the content people absorb might be depressing, or spur anxiety and irritability — but it also impacts physical health, Thompson said.
Hours spent on a person’s phone could be spent talking a walk, exercising or being physically active. She suspects people are turning to social media to destress while weathering the tumultuous climate of 2020 and 2021. She urged people to have compassion for themselves while they cope, but to also take a hard look at whether the content they consume on social media is actually helping them unwind or further fostering anxiety. Kendra Miguez founded a therapy center for women focused on helping them build self-esteem and improve their mental health. Their five locations include Denver and Broomfield. “We deal with issues all the time with social media, and a lot of some of the unhealthier aspects of it and how it affects mental health and selfesteem,” she said. “Particularly with the millennial generation and the generation in the teens coming up.” The average person spends two hours a day on social media, she said, and that’s not counting other time spent on the internet. Taking a detox or slowing down social media use makes room for “healthier, more productive activities.” The platforms can perpetuate unattainable body images or glamorous lifestyles “that can make people feel as if their lives are less worthy.” “Another con is that it’s very addictive. It definitely can light up the same parts of the brain that get lighted with an addictive substance,” she said. “There’s an intense stimulation for the reward system.” It doesn’t always matter whether a person’s engagement on social media is positive or negative, she said. Addiction can creep in either way. “We start to chase the dopamine and you’ll get the dopamine rush when you get a like, and there’s even more when you get a comment,” she said. Miguez echoed Thompson — social media does have its benefits. The platforms can be integral to people’s professional lives and help them stay connected with distant friends, like old high school classmates. Miguez’s advice is to develop selfawareness. She encourages people to be mindful of how social media makes them feel. That includes taking note of how whether relationships or interactions with people online are genuine or superficial. “We’re not really getting our needs met, even though it might feel that way. It’s an illusion. We’re running from our loneliness,” she said.
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Washington Park Profile 21
January 1, 2022
Going vegan Locals discuss the benefits of the Veganuary resolution BY ELICIA HESSELGRAVE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Hannah Wherry intends to make the transition to a vegan lifestyle for her New Year’s resolution. As an environmentalist, she has often wondered if having meat and animal products in her lifestyle was right. “Being vegan is something that has intrigued me,” the 30-year-old Park Hill resident said, “but I have never committed to it.” Wherry recognizes it will be a challenge, but is ready to commit. “The complacency to continue behaviors that harm the environment is not something I want to contribute to,” Wherry said. “I am prepared to make a change and I know I can do it.” Veganuary Matthew Glover and Jane Land, both of the United Kingdom, started Veganuary — pronounced Vee-ganuary — in 2014. It is a campaign to encourage others to try a vegan diet, committing only to the month of January to start. In 2021, they reported that more than 500,000 people worldwide made the New Year’s pledge to avoid all animal products, including meat, fish, dairy and honey. Benefits of going vegan There are many benefits to going vegan, which include improved overall health and wellness, financial savings and a lower carbon footprint. A clinical study published in 2019 found diets high in fruits and vegetables rather than animal products were “associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in a general population.” Additionally, Mayo Clinic published an article that same year that involved more than 70,000 volunteers whose diets were tracked over time. Among the findings were those who abstained from meat products had fewer cases of cancer and “those who (didn’t) eat any animal products including fish, dairy or eggs appeared to have the lowest
COOKING WITH CONFIDENCE Those who choose to prepare their own vegan meals may find it overwhelming at first. However, there are resources available to assist with the transition from a traditional meat-based, Western diet to a vegan diet. Clearly labeled food items: As vegan diets grow in popularity, food manufacturers are using labels such as “plant-based’’ or stamping items with a green “V.” Online recipes: Free recipes can be found on Forks Over Knives, Nora Cooks and It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken. Mastering kitchen navigation and preparing meals from scratch will likely lead to greater confidence and self-reliance. And, the value of knowing precisely what is in your food cannot be overstated. rates of cancer of any diet.” Another commonly-reported health benefit of a plant baseddiet is clearer skin. According to a peer-reviewed article on Healthline, “sometimes the hormones in milk can also interact with our own hormones, confusing our body’s endocrine system and signaling (skin) breakouts.” As for being more environmentally friendly, BBC News published a carbon calculator to help people compare food items and gain a better understanding of their carbon footprint. According to this calculator, eating tofu three-to-five times a week contributes 33 kg of greenhouse emissions, which is roughly the equivalent of driving 85 miles. In comparison, the consumption of beef three-to-five times a week contributes 1,611 kg of greenhouse emissions, which is roughly the equivalent of driving 4,112 miles. An Oxford publication states that beef manufacturing uses 36 times more land than vegetables, like peas for example. These land requirements are known to contribute to deforestation, which affects biodiversity and limits the ability of ecosystems to trap CO2. Water conservation is also to be considered — the water footprint of beef is greater than that of vegetable production. The Water Footprint Network compared the water footprint of crops and animal products,
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and found that the production of bovine beef requires 47 times the amount of water than what is required for vegetable production. Animal ethics Alex Duron of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood adopted an almost exclusively plant-based diet in 2016, after a friend shared a video exposing what he describes as “the cruel methods” by which animals are slaughtered. Duron said he physically feels lighter as his stomach is “no longer bogged down by dense meat.” And, he says, “kitchen cleanup is a breeze. I have peace of mind after sanitizing my countertops because I know the chance of food poisoning is much less likely.” The financial savings of buying only fresh produce, grains and legumes has been a surprising bonus for Duron, he said. Preparing meals at home, he added, particularly plant-based ones, is almost always less expensive than dining out or preparing meat-based meals. For example, 14 ounces of Simple Truth organic tofu costs about $1.80 at King Soopers, while one pound, or 16 ounces, of Simple Truth
organic, free range chicken breast is about $9.75. Additionally, since the bulk of a vegan diet consists of produce, consumers can take advantage of affordable grocery store alternatives such as national companies like Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods, which saves food items from landfill at a discounted price, and Denver’s affordable weekly rotational produce box from 5280 Produce. Ethics and the concern for animal welfare is also why Brooke Maxfield, the general manager at Watercourse Foods, which is an all-vegan restaurant in Capitol Hill, adopted a vegan diet. Maxfield, 26, has been vegan for 10 years. She decided to go vegan after learning about the treatment of animals in the factory farming industry. She describes the animals’ living conditions as “really horrific.” While Maxfield originally went vegan for ethical reasons, she also attributes financial savings and over-all physical well-being to her vegan diet. “Given all of the positive aspects of going plant-based,” Maxfield said, “I don’t really think there is any reason not to be vegan.”
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22 Washington Park Profile
January 1, 2022
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Washington Park Profile 23
January 1, 2022
Regis University names Cody Teets interim president Teets will be the first female leader of Regis BY RYAN DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
After rising through the ranks at the McDonald’s Corporation, Arvada local Cody Teets has taken on another leadership role — on Jan. 1, she assumed the role of interim president of Regis University. She succeeds the Rev. John Fitzgibbons, who served as the university’s president since 2012. Teets will become the first female president and first lay leader of the 144-year-old Jesuit school. The search for a permanent president will begin in 2022 and is expected to be completed by summer, according to a press release from the university. Teets is known for her journey from being a cashier at an Arvada McDonald’s to eventually becoming a vice president at the corporation, which inspired her book, “Golden Opportunity: Remarkable Careers That Began at McDonald’s.” Her McDonald’s career began while she was a student at Pomona High School in Arvada. She graduated from Regis with a Master of Business Administration in 1998 and became a trustee at the university in 2013 and an affiliate professor in Regis’ MBA program in 2018.
Teets said that she felt compelled to return to Regis after rising through the corporate ranks. “I feel it’s important that when you get to a certain place in life, when you can give back, that you do give back, and so it enabled me to stay engaged in what was going on in the business world and enabled me to teach the next generation of leaders, while at the same time, I could tell you of how much I’ve learned from my adult students,” Teets said. Bob Engel, chair of Regis’ Board of Trustees, said that Fitzgibbons had informed the board that he was intending to step down after a
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24 Washington Park Profile
January 1, 2022
‘A community treasure’ Gerard Rudofsky discusses friendships, community built at Zaidy’s BY BRUCE GOLDBERG SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA
Gerard Rudofsky loves working at Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery, which he formerly owned. He is 81, but has little interest in retiring. Besides, there are many longtime friends to greet as they pack the new Zaidy’s almost every day. The new owners asked Rudofsky to stay on, which he was happy to do. His duties include being a greeter and guiding patrons to tables, offering advice on running the place and supporting the busy catering business. “I will work as long as I can,” Rudofsky said. “I have a commitment for three years. It keeps me going mentally and physically, and I love seeing the people and being engaged at this point.” The pandemic has been rough on Denver-area restaurants. Though all the recent closures aren’t attributed to the pandemic, many favorites such as Fresh Fish Co., Racine’s, The Market in Larimer Square, Rialto Café, 20th Street Café, Avenue Grill, Denver Diner, El Chapultepec, Oceanaire and The Palm Steakhouse are no longer serving guests. Then there’s Zaidy’s. The well-known Jewish deli was at 121 Adams St. in Cherry Creek North for 35 years
The new owners and original founder of Zaidy’s Deli & Bakery raise a toast last August to the reopening of the restaurant in its new location at 600 S. Holly St. in Denver’s Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood. Pictured, from left clockwise, are co-owners and business partners Joel Appel, Beth Ginsberg and Max ApCOURTESY PHOTO pel; and Gerard Rudofsky, Zaidy’s founder and original owner.
when Rudofsky announced it would close in October 2020 and eventually reopen in a new site. It did so on Aug. 17 at 600 S. Holly St. in the Leetsdale Shopping Center in Denver’s Washington Virginia Vale neighborhood. Rudofsky is a major resource, consulting with the staff about menus, recipes and “helping them with all the things that go into running a restaurant,” he said. Catering remains a major part of the business. “Catering is big and that’s what I’ve been helping them with,” Rudofsky said. “We’ve had a memorial service with 50 people, two bar mitzvahs here, box lunches for businesses, party platters, pastries and cakes. And that’s what I’ve been advising them on.” Zaidy’s plans to add a market/bakery next to the restaurant, and its bagels
and breads are fresh-made in-house. “He’s the reason why we have that place,” said Beth Ginsburg, who now co-owns Zaidy’s along with Max Appel and Joel Appel. “It’s very special having (Rudofsky) work with us.” Ginsburg is no stranger to the restaurant industry. She is the former owner of the Bagel Store, now Rosenberg’s Kosher, at nearby 942 S. Monaco Parkway. “It was a business I was always interested in,” Ginsburg said of Zaidy’s. “It’s a good fit for my business portfolio. And I just didn’t want to see it go — it’s a community treasure.” Rudofsky learned how to cook from his parents, a grandmother and from cooking classes. “At our synagogue, the Hebrew Educational Alliance, they had a wonderful cook-
book (from which) I still use a lot of the recipes,” he said, adding that it was a Jewish caterer who taught him how to make gefilte fish. Rudofsky’s parents were Denver natives and he grew up on the city’s west side. Rudofsky opened Zaidy’s in 1985, and it soon became a popular dining establishment. “We get a lot of young people here,” Rudofsky said, “and their parents have moved here to be with their kids and grandkids.” He remembers when people from Dallas would make sure to stop in at Zaidy’s during their summer trips to and from Estes Park. “We’ve forged meaningful relationships with families — not only Jewish, but also non-Jewish families,” Rudofsky said. “That’s the most meaningful thing for me, that they feel this is
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their go-to place.” Rudofsky added that the restaurant draws people from Colorado Springs, Vail and Fort Collins. “It’s word-of-mouth,” he said. “It’s reputation, it’s the quality of what we’ve provided and the friendships we’ve forged over the years.” Rudofsky’s favorite foods on the menu include chicken matzoh ball soup and stuffed cabbage. “The things I grew up with,” he said. “And I love the smells of Jewish food.” The word “zaidy” means “grandfather” in Yiddish. “It evokes community. It evokes family,” Rudofsky said. Several of Zaidy’s employees, such as Noah Rodriquez, Sherry Black and Elizabeth Ford, have worked there for well over two decades. “This place will carry on for many years when I’m gone. It’s comfort food, it’s a place to communicate, it’s community.” He added that it’s not just the Jewish community that enjoys Zaidy’s. “We have as many nonJewish patrons as we do have Jewish,” Rudofsky said. Rudofsky is grateful for Zaidy’s new ownership team, saying that he feels he has been resurrected. “They saw what the future can be. And there are so many places that have closed because there was no passion for the business,” Rudofsky said. “I have the passion and love the business, and that’s why I came back, to carry on the name. The product, being with people, means a lot to me.”
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see it as it’s not so much about being a female or male, it’s about having a diverse mindset, so that we can allow everyone to be their best selves,” Teets said. Engel said that Teets’ appointment signals a shift in the culture he’s seen throughout his career, but added that she was chosen simply because she was the best candidate for the job. “I’m absolutely thrilled. In my entire career, things like diversity and inclusion weren’t even talked about in those terms. I think she has as much to bring to the table as anyone who is male, number one, and number two, our campus is over 50% female. A female will understand the needs of those students better than I will,” said Engel. “We didn’t go into it with that in mind… we just got the best candidate and it just so happens, and it’s fantastic, that she’s a female,” Engel continued.