Washington Park Profile March 2022

WashParkProfile.com

MARCH 2022

Digital and print community newspaper founded in 1978.

HIGHLIGHTING DENVER AUTHORS Local novelists discuss recent releases

P6 DENVER RESTAURANT WEEK

Annual event serves up taste of the dining scene

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TELLING LUCY’S STORY Nashville Ballet to perform at University of Denver

P5

A LITTLE HELP FOR OLDER ADULTS Nonprofit in need of snow buddy volunteers

P16

FREE

2 Washington Park Profile

March 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 Billy’s Inn Billy’s Inn, a restaurant that can trace its Denver roots back to 1933, has opened in Congress Park at 1222 Madison St. — the space formerly occupied by TAG Burger Bar, which closed in fall 2021.

The Congress Park location is the second for Billy’s Inn, with the first being located at 4403 Lowell Blvd. in the Berkeley neighborhood.

Like the Berkeley location, Billy’s Inn Congress Park features a Baja-style menu known for its fish tacos, but the restaurant also offers a variety of traditional plates, tortas, homemade green chili, salads, sandwiches and burgers. The bar menu includes extensive tequila and mezcal lists, a variety of specialty cocktails, beer and wine.

To learn more about Billy’s Inn, visit billysinn.com.

Ascent Living Communities’ Hilltop Reserve, 525 S. Holly St., is the third senior-living community owned and operated by Colorado’s own Tom and Susie Finley.

Hilltop Reserve features 124 independent living residences, 56 assisted living suites and 25 memory care suites. Amenities include 24/7 on-site care staff; a two-tiered courtyard with a water feature, fire pits and seating; a gym; an aquatics center; and a yoga studio.

“We are a Colorado-to-the-core company and we’ve taken great pride in designing the Hilltop Reserve community in a way that will allow our residents to continue to explore, engage and appreciate the Colorado lifestyle that we all love - no matter your age, health or activity level,” said Susie Finley, founder and principal of Ascent Living Communities, in a news release. “Built on the foundation of our exemplary health care, we carry that same level of quality and service to the residences and suites, as well as the food, arts, entertainment and amazing outdoors, to deliver the life experiences that help our residents thrive.”

To learn more about Ascent Living Communities’ Hilltop Reserve, visit hilltopreserve.com.

According to the post, the closure is because of a relocation, and Scout is “actively hunting for our next perfect location in Denver.”

Scout is a clothing resale store that buys modern and vintage men’s and women’s clothing and accessories from customers to offer “a large, constantly rotating stock of great, unique and affordable clothes and accessories” in store, according to Scout’s website.

The store also has a commitment to the environment, stating that it has saved “countless tons of items from the landfills” by keeping items in circulation.

Owner Kelly Valentine opened the first Scout store in Omaha, Nebraska, in 2008. The Denver location was Valentine’s second Scout store. The Omaha store remains open, and Denver-metro residents can still shop at Scout online at ilovescout.com.

MILESTONES

Headwaves, Inc. Headwaves, Inc., a full-service progressive salon located in Platt Park, celebrated its 40th anniversary in February.

The salon specializes in hair coloring, cutting and styling for men and women.

Its esthetician has been with HeadCLOSINGS waves for about 18 years. Other services include manicures and pedicures, waxScout: Dry Goods & Trade Hilltop Reserve Scout: Dry Goods & Trade announced ing, reiki and massage.

A new older-adults community reHeadwaves is known for building on its Instagram that Feb. 6 was its last cently opened in Denver’s Washington relationships and developing a connecday at its 51 N. Broadway location.

Virginia Vale neighborhood. tion with its clientele.

In a letter to his clients, Headwaves’ FATHER OF founder EIGHT and owner, Frank Seibert, lady. Must love kids, be fit and wrote: myjoin clients ready to jump “To in and thethat fun.I have known sincewould the late on, (and) to your chilMilitary training be70s helpful. dren and grandchildren, thank you. You believed in me. You trusted me and you gave me a business to grow with all of ADVENTUROUS LOVER theseCAT years.

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Frank Seibert, founder and owner of Headwaves, Inc., stands in the doorway of the Platt Park salon. The salon, located on South Pearl Street, celebrated its 40th anniversary in February.

COURTESY PHOTO

1306 S. Pearl St. for 17 years.

Seibert describes South Pearl Street as a “living neighborhood,” with lots of character.

“It’s the connection and the creativity,” he said.

Headwaves has become a fixture of South Pearl Street, and it’s going to remain a fixture, Seibert said.

“Here’s to more time at Headwaves,” Seibert continued in the letter. “More joy and laughter. More life. Happy anniversary to ALL of us.”

To learn more about Headwaves, Inc., visit headwavesdenver.com.

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Washington Park Profile 3

March 1, 2022

Coloradans can help bring music to life for students

ON THE COVER

Annual instrument drive takes place March 7-20 STAFF REPORT

Making music can lift spirits, and the Bringing Music to Life Instrument Drive ensures students in underfunded music programs have access to the instruments they need.

Now in its 12th annual year, the instrument drive this year runs March 7-20.

Anybody who has a gently-used band or orchestra instrument they no longer play is asked to donate it at any of the 17 donation sites which are located across the state. The instrument is repaired and cleaned, and then is provided to a school in need. Though the instrument goes to the schools, the teachers assign the instrument to a student, who gets to keep it as their own for the entire time they are enrolled in the school’s music program.

“Study after study shows the positive impact that learning music has on children,” said Steve Blatt, founder and executive director of Bringing Music to Life, in a news release. “Their listening skills improve, as well as creative thinking, self-discipline and self-esteem.

Students learn the value of persevering and how to work with others toward a common goal. We’re excited about reaching even more children, schools and communities this year.”

Last year’s drive had a turnout of 597 donated instruments, which benefitted 41 music programs across the state. To date, since the program’s founding in

2014, roughly 17,500 Colorado students have benefited from the more than 6,500 instruments that have been donated through the Bringing Music to Life program.

Instruments needed include band and orchestra instruments in good condition, including strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, guitars and electronic keyboards. Upright and grand pianos or organs cannot be accepted.

Those who do not have an instrument to donate may still participate in the drive by donating to the drive’s repair fund. These funds go toward repairing and refurbishing the instruments, which is the greatest expense of the program, Blatt said. This work is done by technicians at the Colorado Institute of Musical Instrument Technology (CIOMIT) and Boomer Music Company in Fort Collins and they ensure every instru-

ment is in excellent condition by the time it is provided to the student.

All donations are tax deductible.

Schools that have a majority of students receiving free or reduced-cost lunches are encouraged to apply for instruments through March 31. Bringing Music to Life will match qualifying schools with donated instruments.

“Music is always a reminder of something bigger than yourself,” said Carolyn Warpinski, music teacher and director of bands and choirs at Hill Campus of Arts and Sciences in Denver, in a news release, “whether it’s an awareness of the composer of a piece or connection to the other students making music with you.”

To learn more about the Bringing Music to Life program or to find a list of donation locations, visit bringingmusictolife.org.

A Little Help volunteer JK Costello shovels snow from Denver homeowner’s property in February.

Story on page 16.

COVER PHOTO BY CHRISTY STEADMAN

BRIEFS FROM PAGE 2

year anniversary of acquiring its Platt Park location in February.

“During our first year serving the south Denver community at Urban Autocare, we have been blown away by the authenticity and fellowship of the community,” said Brian Sump, president and owner of Urban Autocare. “We have served, and been served, well. We’ve forged relationships with families and businesses alike. The neighborhood genuinely watches out for one another, and we couldn’t ask for anything more on that front.”

Urban Autocare in Platt Park is located at 701 E. Evans Ave. It is the auto shop’s fourth location, with the first location opening June 2014 at 1701 N. High St. in Denver’s City Park West neighborhood.

The other locations are in Lakewood and Littleton, and the company also includes Avalon Motorsports in the Montclair neighborhood.

Urban Autocare is a local-and-familyowned auto repair shop that specializes in Toyota, Subaru and Honda. However, Sump added that the shop is “seeing more and more domestic and other Asian import makes.”

All its mechanics are ASE certified technicians and Urban Autocare earned the 2018 BBB Torch Award for business ethics.

Sump added he grew up in the south Denver community and as for Urban Autocare, he “can’t be more excited for year two and many more to come.”

To learn more about Urban Autocare, visit urbanautocare.com.

Ann Dain, on the bottom right, and David Thomas gather the rest of the Cherry Creek Caliber Home Loans team for a selfie. Dain and Thomas were recently awarded with national Lifetime Achievement Awards COURTESY PHOTO from Caliber Home Loans.

MISCELLANEOUS Cherry Creek Caliber Home Loans Caliber Home Loans has recognized two of its Cherry Creek team members with a national Lifetime Achievement Award.

The two recipients are David Thomas, who serves as the branch’s manager, and Ann Dain.

Caliber Home Loans is a national lender with retail branches across the country. The Cherry Creek branch is located at 55 Madison St. Suite 525 in Denver.

The Lifetime Achievement Awards is a national sales award and is bestowed quarterly to Caliber’s top performers nationwide. Recipients exemplify exceptional production performance, advanced tier achievements in loan production, and dedication and commitment to Caliber Home Loans.

To learn more about Caliber Home Loans in Cherry Creek, visit caliberhomeloans.com/loan-consultant/colorado.

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4 Washington Park Profile

Denver Restaurant Week takes place March 11-20

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Denver’s culinary scene is like a hidden gem nationally, said Justin Bresler, vice president of marketing for Visit Denver, but it’s something locals have always known about.

Denver Restaurant Week offers an opportunity to celebrate the local dining scene, and this year’s 18th annual event takes place March 11-20.

“Denver Restaurant Week is always a time for chefs to show off their creativity,” Bresler said. “It’s a good time to visit an old favorite or try something new.”

Nearly 200 restaurants are participating this year and they represent about 30 different cuisines.

How it works is participating restaurants create a multi-course dinner based on three price points — $25, $35 or $45 per person. Menus were announced mid-February, and diners are able to search restaurants by location, price point, cuisine and amenities,

March 1, 2022

such as minority-owned or vegan options available.

Reservations are encouraged, and restaurants are expected to be busy.

Though they will do what they can to accommodate desired reservation times, Bresler suggests avoiding peak dining hours and trying restaurants at different times and days of the week.

Bresler recommends dining in but some of the participating restaurants are offering takeout. Those who would prefer takeout should inquire with the restaurants beforehand to determine if this is an option.

Bonanno Concepts, a local chefdriven restaurant group, has five restaurants participating in this year’s Denver Restaurant Week. They are: Denver Milk Market in the Dairy Block downtown, Osteria Marco in Larimer Square, Luca in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, Lou’s Food Bar also in Capitol Hill and French 75 downtown.

“You’re really hoping to showcase your restaurant,” said chef Frank Bonanno, who alongside his wife, Jacqueline, runs 10 food and drink concepts.

Denver has “a really great dining community,” Bonanno said, adding

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Chef Frank Bonanno is one of many local chefs participating in the 18th annual Denver Restaurant Week, which takes place March 11-20. This year, nearly 200 restaurants are COURTESY PHOTO participating, representing about 30 different cuisines.

that Denver diners embrace the local and independent restaurants.

The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented struggles for restaurants, and Denver Restaurant Week is the time to celebrate all that Denver’s dining scene has to offer.

“Believe me,” Bonanno said, “after the past two years, everyone wants your business.”

Bresler agrees and said diners can go to as many of the restaurants as

they’d like during the 10-day Denver Restaurant Week event.

“Restaurants make great community small businesses,” Bresler said.

“They make up the fabric of why we love living here.”

To learn more about Denver Restaurant Week or find a list of participating restaurants and view menus, visit DenverRestaurantWeek.com.

Washington Park Profile 5

March 1, 2022

Telling history with imagination Nashville Ballet brings ‘Lucy Negro Redux’ to University of Denver

BY CLARKE READER SPECIALTO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Finding steady footing in spaces that have historically been antagonistic to your presence is no small thing. But that’s just one of the things that united Caroline Randall Williams, Rhiannon Giddens and Kayla Rowser when they worked on the Nashville Ballet’s world premiere of “Lucy Negro Redux” in 2019.

For Williams, a poet and writer, that space was Shakespearean scholarship; in Giddens’ case, it was the bluegrass genre; and for Rowser, the world of ballet. And while being Women of Color pioneering their way into these areas gave them a shared experience to relate to, it also put them on the same footing as the character of Lucy — a Black woman making a life in Shakespearean England.

Now Lucy’s story is coming to Denver.

“The story is so wholly a ballet and so wholly a stage performance of poetry and music,” Williams said. “If you love musicals, you’ll enjoy it. If you love world class instrumentation, you’ll love it. If you love pure ballet, you’ll love it.

All three exist on the same stage.”

The Nashville Ballet’s production of “Lucy Negro Redux,” featuring music performed live by Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, and spoken word by Williams,

The Nashville Ballet will be performing at the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver on March 29 and 30. The performance will be an original production based on the book, “Lucy Negro Redux,” by NAACP awardwinning author Caroline Randall Williams, who will be sharing spoken word during the performance alongside music performed by Grammy award-winner Rhiannon Giddens.

COURTESY PHOTO

will be presented at the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver, 2344 East Iliff Ave., at 7:30 p.m. March 29 and 30.

Based on Williams’ book of poetry of the same name, the ballet is based on her proposition that the “Dark Lady” and the “Fair Youth” — to whom so many of Shakespeare’s love sonnets are written to and for — were a Black woman and a young man. Williams worked with Giddens, Rowser, who has since retired, and the Nashville Ballet’s artistic director Paul Vasterling to create a show that explores topics as relevant now as during Shakespeare’s time — love, beauty and the importance of identity and selfknowledge.

“I love to collaborate — it’s my favorite part of what I do. And as a choreographer, you’re making your art with other

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people’s bodies, so it was thrilling to collaborate with so many composers on this piece,” Vasterling said. “The show was created by poetry and music meeting on an equal playing field.”

In the show, the titular Lucy is a brothel owner, and Williams said some might be tempted to judge the character for her work. But Williams hopes that instead of judgment, the character will be an example of playing an active, selfdetermined role in one’s own life.

“This is a story of agency. I invite people to remember that seizing claim of your body’s story and making choices about it is always empowering and agency affirming,” she said. “I don’t want people to get confused by Lucy’s profession but rather to be uplifted and clarified about her agency to make her own decisions.”

If all the themes the show focuses on sound thoroughly modern, that’s no mistake. Despite its roots in a playwright from more than four centuries ago, all the creatives involved in the ballet wanted to ensure it spoke to modern audiences.

“This show is really about now. It’s about how we see ourselves in the world, about what beauty is and what it means,” Vasterling said. “I hope that it transforms the way you think about the world in some small way.”

For Williams, now that her story of Lucy has come to life in two mediums, she hopes audiences come away from the ballet with a sense of history’s power and resonance when it is considered with an open mind.

“I want people to do some re-remembering and think of history with radical acts of reimagination,” she said.

“History is so much more complicated, sexier and realer than we’ve been taught.

There’s something about the sheer wonder and sense of possibility in looking at the past.”

IF YOU GO WHAT: “Lucy Negro Redux” WHERE: June Swaner Gates Concert Hall at the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Denver, 2344 East Iliff Ave., Denver WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, and Wednesday, March 30 COST: Tickets start at $29 INFORMATION: 303-871-7720 or newmancenterpresents.com

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6 Washington Park Profile

March 1, 2022

HIGHLIGHTING DENVER AUTHORS Christy Steadman | csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Jamey O’Donnell: “Hunting for the Lamb of God”

Katy McQuaid: “Everybody Loves Grace” Katy McQuaid believes the most important trait of the Finnish Lapphund breed of dog is that they know how to look into someone’s eyes and let them know they are loved.

“This is what Grace does best,” McQuaid said.

McQuaid, a resident of the Baker neighborhood, started her “Everybody Loves Grace” series of children’s books a couple of years after retiring in 2015 from a 32-year career with the CIA. “Grace has an impact on people,” McQuaid said. “When people meet her, there’s a natural connection, and the stories follow.”

Grace is McQuaid’s Finnish Lapphund. She has fans across the nation, as Grace accompanies McQuaid to story times with children and older adults, and the two stayed busy with virtual story times when in-person events ceased due to the pandemic.

Grace came into McQuaid’s life in 2011 to be a companion to the senior-aged Tinto, also a Finnish Lapphund. McQuaid adopted Grace when she was a 4-year-old dog from a woman in Canada who needed to find a safe home for Grace.

McQuaid’s first Grace book was published in 2018, and the sixth in the series, “Everybody Loves Grace: A True Story of Grace’s Adventure to Washington, D.C.,” came out in October 2021.

An approximate 25-minute read

for adults, McQuaid’s Grace books are about 65 pages and eight chapters, written from Grace’s perspective. While they’re primarily geared toward children ages 6-10, people of all ages enjoy them. Older adults particularly like that the books help spark intergenerational conversations with their younger family members.

For example, “children may not understand aging,” McQuaid said, “but it’s easier when told through the perspective of a dog.”

Each of the Grace books also includes a “simple life lesson,” McQuaid said. These range from the profound effect on others that simple acts of kindness can have to learning the journey is an important part of the adventure.

Grace’s adventures in the stories include many areas in town that are familiar landmarks to people — and serve as Grace’s favorite sniff spots — such as the Mayan Theatre on Broadway.

Denver Health is another one of those spots. Once when McQuaid and Grace were out walking near the hospital, one of Denver Health’s paramedics stopped and asked to pet Grace.

“He said, `if only I could start my day like this every day,’” McQuaid said. “There’s just something about the comfort of a dog.”

SEE MCQUAID, P8

Jamey O’Donnell started writing his first book in 1999.

But it got put on a shelf, and it wasn’t until the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns of 2020 that O’Donnell felt he had a book in him.

“Hunting for the Lamb of God” came out in July 2021. The book tells the story of two Centennial families, the Jenkinses and the Prices, who must navigate through a superelectromagnetic pulse that throws America back into the stone ages.

O’Donnell describes it as dystopian and apocalyptic fiction with two themes: the end as we know it and people’s struggle to survive, and one man’s quest to find God. “I’ve always been fascinated with what happens if something were to happen,” O’Donnell said. “A year’s supply sounds great on paper, but what happens if your friend or neighbor within walking distance is unprepared?”

All of a sudden, that year’s supply is cut in half, O’Donnell said.

An Amazon delivery driver by day and writer at night, O’Donnell is also a singer-songwriter who plays guitar.

He has written four books, with two of them published and available.

Along with “Hunting for the Lamb of God,” O’Donnell’s other book is “Meth War: Lost in Felony Flats,” which was published in October 2021.

This book takes place in 1993 in Cali-

fornia’s San Bernardino Valley and recounts the effects of the methamphetamine industry.

O’Donnell, who resides in Denver’s University Hills neighborhood, came to Colorado in 1995.

“Hunting for the Lamb of God” is Colorado-centric, O’Donnell said, adding that readers will be able to picture certain details, such as the landscape and major streets, that are part of the story.

But if there is one thing O’Donnell hopes that people get from the book, it’s to be prepared, he said.

Yellowstone could blow, there could be the mother of all snowstorms or a cyber-attack, O’Donnell said.

“We would come back from that, but it would set us back,” O’Donnell said.

“People need to think about those things. People need to look beyond just what they need for today.”

Q&A with Jamey O’Donnell “Hunting for the Lamb of God” was awarded the Kirkus Star. Explain why this is such an accomplishment for you as a local writer.

Kirkus is the Cadillac of book reviews, and a good review from them is coveted by authors around the world. Less than 10% of their reviews receive the Kirkus Star, which puts SEE O’DONNELL, P8

Washington Park Profile 7

March 1, 2022

HIGHLIGHTING DENVER AUTHORS Christy Steadman | csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Anthony Garcia:

“African Slave Conquistador: Esteban and Blues” Anthony Garcia’s family has been in the New Mexico/Colorado area since the 1500s — nearly 400 years.

Garcia grew up in a small town in northern Colorado and has lived and worked in Denver since the mid-1980s.

He settled in the Washington Park neighborhood in 2010.

Currently self-employed in private health care and as an author, Garcia writes primarily within two genres: Indigenous and the Sephardic Jewish community.

“Both areas relate directly to our state of Colorado,” he said.

A running theme in his books is the first contact of Indigenous peoples and Europeans — a topic of interest to Garcia personally.

His first book, “Portal of Light,” came out in 2014. It is the first of three on the Sephardic Jewish community.

Garcia’s other two published books are on Indigenous people, as well as his sixth and latest book — a novel of historical fiction called “African Slave Conquistador: Esteban and Blues” — that came out in January.

But it was back in 1983 when Garcia was studying in Spain that Esteban piqued his interest.

“I never forgot about him,” Garcia said, adding that while some history

t

Phil Goodstein:

“The Ghosts of Denver: Capitol Hill,” revised fifth edition Author Phil Goodstein decided it was time to bring one of his books into the 21st century 25 years after its original publication.

“The Ghosts of Denver: Capitol Hill” was first published in 1996. All copies of the book had been sold, and Goodstein decided another revision was needed. Now in its fifth revised edition, the book is about 100 pages longer than the original and includes new, additional stories, new photos — some vintage and some contemporary — and some new additions to the stories included in the 1996 version.

One of the new stories in the fifth revision is about the Winbro, an art deco building at 1620 Grant St. that serves as apartment homes.

This building, Goodstein said, “is perhaps haunted by a health inspector.”

Along with stories people may have not heard before, the book also includes the old favorites, such as the tale about Cheesman Park — the city’s original cemetery.

Goodstein is the author of about 30 titles on Denver.

He has lived in Denver nearly all his life. He is a graduate of East High

School and returned to Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood after college.

In the 1980s, Goodstein was a contributor to the Life on Capitol Hill newspaper, and during that time, he did a series on the neighborhood.

That series eventually turned into a book, which sold out by the mid-1990s.

He believes people in Denver enjoy reading about their city.

“By having a sense of pride in place, residents naturally have a greater commitment to a flourishing commonwealth,” Goodstein said.

Goodstein also hosts walking tours of Denver and started offering his ghost tours sometime in the late 1980s.

But the “The Ghosts of Denver: Capitol Hill” is about much more than ghosts, Goodstein said.

“It’s about Capitol Hill. It’s about the people, the place, what makes the neighborhood,” Goodstein said. “It belongs in the library of anybody who is proud to call Capitol Hill home.”

Q&A with Phil Goodstein What makes Denver such an interesting SEE GOODSTEIN, P8

has been written about Esteban, there wasn’t an extensive account of his life.

Esteban was born in an African village called Cufu, located near the Nile River. He was eventually sold to a Spanish conquistador, and in 1535, was the only African slave among 350 or 400 Spanish soldiers to embark on an expedition to explore the New World, landing on the Florida shore.

Only four people — Esteban being one of them — survived the trip, and upon landing, it became an eight-year journey through the U.S. Gulf Coast and southwestern states to eventually reach New Mexico.

“African Slave” is a fictional story based on the real-life journal of Cabeza de Vaca’s Adventures in the Unknown Interior of America that recounts how Esteban made first contact with natives and found creative ways to survive, including pursuing leadership roles as a linguist, intermediary and Shaman healer. While it tells Esteban’s story, the book is also about finding oneself, and it weaves presentday characters into the story.

“African Slave” is in the young adult category, but Garcia has found adults also enjoy his books because of the SEE GARCIA, P8

8 Washington Park Profile

March 1, 2022

HIGHLIGHTING DENVER AUTHORS Christy Steadman | csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

MCQUAID

What’s fun is thinking about our adventures through Grace’s eyes. I love incorporating Grace’s wit and wise view of the world into each story. Every time I’ve written a book, she comes into the room where I’m writing to let me know when I’m done.

FROM PAGE 6

Q&A with Katy McQuaid Why do you think people of all ages have a natural connection to Grace?

I think the connection comes from Grace’s gift of presence. People of all ages feel seen and heard when they meet Grace. When she looks into someone’s eyes, they feel her great love for them.

Katy McQuaid and Grace

JESSICA KIMAK

What is most enjoyable about writing about Grace’s adventures, and why?

O’DONNELL

are God-centered, where parents try to instill in their children how to be good citizens and productive members of society.

FROM PAGE 6

your book’s review in their twicemonthly magazine distributed to libraries, film studios, publishers, literary agents, etc. It also puts you up for Book of the Year.

In what ways do you think people can relate to the families in “Hunting for the Lamb of God?” The Jenkins and Price families are everyday American families, struggling to raise their children in a world of increasing insanity, just like the

Jamey O’Donnell

COURTESY PHOTO

rest of us. The thing I think people will relate to the most is their faith. In a variety of different levels, most families

GOODSTEIN

What did you find most enjoyable about working on the fifth revision of “The Ghosts

Phil Goodstein

PHOTO BY ERIC HEINZ

of Denver: Capitol Hill?”

Revising the book was a much greater challenge than I expected. If nothing else, it forced me to review the changing nature of my writing style and how much I and the city have changed

GARCIA

Q&A with Anthony Garcia What do you find most enjoyable about being able to recount tales of first encounters in your books?

The first encounter is the most fascinating engagement of two

What do you enjoy most about doing the Ghost Tours, and are some of the stories in the book told during the tours?

There is an inter-relationship between conducting the ghost tours and writing the book. I joke at the beginning of my ghost tours that I am qualified to conduct them since I wrote the book on the topic. The book states I am qualified to write it since I give the tours.

Conducting the tours forces me to emphasize the highlights of the stories about people, places and folklore. It is different than writing a straight factual camp. He does not speak their dialect or tongue, yet organically learns to sign in order to survive.

FROM PAGE 7

historical aspect. Garcia spends about six months researching his books and also uses an Indigenous editor to ensure the stories are historically consistent and verifiable.

“It’s very real,” Garcia said.

Garcia believes it is vital to place “importance upon communities-of-colors’ contributions of valuable qualities that can add and enrich this land’s essence and life,” he said. “You don’t know yourself until you know your history.”

What did you find most interesting about researching/studying what would go into prepping for a worldly disaster?

I am a prepper myself and have spent many a night imagining scenarios where long-term supplies would be needed in case of a worst-case scenario. Part of that is learning how long water will remain good, or how long canned goods remain safe to eat after their expiration date. What about paper products or ways to cook food? over the last 25 years. In part, I enjoyed discovering that some of the photos I had taken and notes I had accumulated since the first edition were of extreme value in orienting the book for the 21st century.

FROM PAGE 7

topic to write about?

I turned my attention to Denver in the early 1980s, shortly after I gained my doctorate and concluded there was no place for me in academia.

In part, my interest in the city stemmed from frustration. Crucial parts of it did not seem to work. I wanted to find out why. In the process, I saw it as a civic obligation to share my research with others. I have enjoyed presenting alternative views about the nature of the city, including the workings of RTD and city planners.

Speaking on behalf of Grace, what do you think she enjoys most about meeting people?

It’s Grace’s mission to enrich lives through storytelling and meaningful connection. In addition to receiving scratches behind her ears, I’d say

Anthony Garcia

COURTESY PHOTO

opposing groups — neither side knows what to think of each other and there is a curiousness, a wondering of what skills an opposing camp maintains, an organic but never proven fear of each other.

In “African Slave Conquistador: Esteban and Blues,” the Black Moor Esteban encounters the Indigenous of Florida and is assigned to communicate with this

Why do you think Denver residents of all ages enjoy reading historical fiction?

People enjoy knowing the details of history — of the dynamics of a time period: a. Natural competitors and the conflicts/battles that eventually would take place. b. How people lived, how they dressed, what they ate, technology utilized to win in life. c. Strategies to survive — people find these most interesting.

What did you find most interesting about Esteban while researching and writing about him, and why?

What was most interesting about Esteban was the spatial intelligence. He was educated in his organic faith of Yoruba, learned to be Muslim and requeued to sign a document converting to be

Grace’s favorite part is making a difference in someone’s day just by looking in their eyes and into their heart.

WHERE TO GET THE BOOK

To learn more about Kay McQuaid’s Everybody Loves Grace series or to order books, visit everybodylovesgrace.com.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Katy McQuaid is working on a book for adults that tells of her experience as a female leader in the CIA. She hopes to have it out by the end of this year.

To me, all of it is very interesting.

WHERE TO GET THE BOOK

Jamey O’Donnell’s book, “Hunting for the Lamb of God,” can be found online on Amazon and Barnes & Noble Booksellers and on the shelves of online and Denver-area Barnes & Noble stores.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Jamey O’Donnell has the sequel to “Hunting for the Lamb of God” written.

Called “Living for the Lamb of God,” O’Donnell expects it to be published later this year. He also has a book of short stories expected to come out later this year.

account in a history text. The tours also permit me to see the constant changes in the area, so preparing for necessary revisions of the book and the living, ever-changing world in which we live.

WHERE TO GET THE BOOK

The revised fifth edition of Phil Goodstein’s book, “The Ghosts of Denver: Capitol Hill,” is available online and at the following local bookstores in Denver: the Colfax Tattered Cover, 2526 E. Colfax Ave.; the Broadway Book Mall, 200 S. Broadway; and Capitol Hill Books, 300 E. Colfax Ave.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Phil Goodstein’s Walking Tours of Denver season will resume on the Spring Equinox, March 20, with The Ghosts of Cheesman Park.

To learn more about the season’s tours, visit leonardleonard.com/walking-tours.

Catholic, and lastly, learned the Indigenous faiths. Yet he never forgot who he was and his pride in being an African boy from Cufu. A boy wonder that somehow used words, feelings and value placement to be an interpreter to Indigenous bands that spoke a different dialect themselves and rarely spoke to each other, Esteban was able to bridge and communicate with all.

WHERE TO GET THE BOOK

Anthony Garcia’s latest book, “African Slave Conquistador: Esteban and Blues,” can be purchased on Amazon.

Garcia will be at Museo de las Americas, 861 Santa Fe Drive in Denver, at 4 p.m. every first Friday throughout the year for book signings and author meet-and-greets. The museum carries all of Garcia’s books.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Anthony Garcia is currently working on a book on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, children.

Washington Park Profile 9

March 1, 2022

South High School and Denver Health team up to expose high schoolers to careers in emergency medicine

BY ERICA BREUNLIN THE COLORADO SUN

Samantha Rudnick has been flyfishing since she was 2 and has spent more time off the grid in the mountains than just about anywhere else.

Now, the mountains offer her the kind of escape that helps her cope with all the stress that comes with being a teenager living and studying in Denver and trying to make sense of the world amid a pandemic. But she also knows the danger lurking within the calm of the wilderness.

“With the outdoors do come a lot of risks,” Rudnick, 16, said.

And she’s ready to meet them head on. Thanks to a new emergency medical services class at Denver South High School — part of a medical health sciences program — Rudnick can perform life-saving tasks such as performing CPR, checking blood pressure and dressing a wound.

As one of about 55 students at her high school studying emergency medical services through a program piloted with help from Denver Health, Rudnick is already training toward her career, with her sights set on working as an emergency medical technician in a national park.

The high school acts as a satellite location of Denver Health’s paramedic school, preparing students to respond to moments of peril and ultimately save lives. Piquing students’ interest in emergency medical roles has become more critical during the pandemic, especially in recent months as Colorado’s hospitals have struggled to keep up with the pace of COVID patients and those needing emergency medical attention for accidents and other diseases.

“We’re seeing people leave the health care industry across the board, and that includes emergency medical services,” said Justin Harper, assistant chief paramedic with Denver Health. “And so the need to get people interested in this field and certified to be ready to work in this field, prepared for a job in emergency medical services is very important.”

Hospitals, fire departments and EMS agencies have all reported workforce shortages amid the pandemic, as EMTs and paramedics have bounced between workplaces in pursuit of better pay and more flexibility and as employees have rethought how they want to spend their time and their

careers, said Scott Sholes, president of the Emergency Medical Services Association of Colorado and EMS chief of Durango Fire-Rescue.

Sholes said he can’t quantify the state’s shortage of EMS workers, but he has seen plenty of hiring signs.

“Pretty much everybody’s hiring, and that’s really telling for us,” he said.

Sholes noted that more EMS workers have been more inclined to move around, chasing opportunities for higher pay. There are wide gaps in compensation between rural and metro regions as well as between skill levels, with fire departments requiring more training for paramedics and offering better pay. A paramedic working for a fire station in Durango could make $20,000 less than someone in the same position in the Denver metro area, Sholes said.

“Just like everything that we’re seeing in the workforce right now, you’ve got to pay people a living wage,” he said. “To make those positions attractive, we’re going to have to find funding to recruit and retain them.”

Sholes added that the cost of attaining an EMT or paramedic certification is another barrier to drawing more emergency responders into the field. EMT classes can run as much as $2,500, which includes certification, he said.

Denver South High School students who complete medical health sciences courses don’t have to take any other EMT classes on the path to certification, giving them a head start. As soon as they turn 18, they can take the skills they’ve gained in high school and apply them to a practicum assessment at Denver Health — in which they are given 15 minutes to diagnose and treat a patient in an emergency simulation — followed by a written exam. They must pass both to become certified. Denver Health covers the cost of their certification, said Alexa Schlechter, an assistant principal who oversees the high school’s program.

That’s encouraging to Sholes, who said high school programs that acquaint students with health care careers are “vital” to overcoming workforce shortages, particularly at a time agencies’ ambulances and fire stations have faced the threat of shutting down because they simply didn’t have enough emergency responders.

Among the skills needed to respond to an emergency: empathy For some students, like Rudnick, the emergency medical services class is priming them for an adrenaline-filled career focused on stabilizing patients in the thick of tragedy. For others, it’s a stepping stone on a path to another career in medicine.

The program centers on “creating an opportunity for these students to not only explore health care careers

Juniors Emery Allshouse and Mayson Osterloo simulate CPR on a patient on Feb. 3 at Denver South High School. The main curriculum is approaching its third year of practice and covers topics like anatomy, biology, epidemiology, and field practice in PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN emergency medicine.

but also come out of their experience with an actual certification,” Harper said.

Denver South High School launched a medical health sciences vocational

program in fall 2019 after students expressed an interest in exploring health care fields, Schlechter said.

SEE EMT, P13

WASTE LESS DENVER

#SkipTheStuff, starting January 2022, all restaurants and third-party delivery services must only provide single-use condiments and single-use service ware upon request.

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REDUCE WASTE I PREVENT LITTER I PROTECT WATERWAYS

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10 Washington Park Profile

March 1, 2022

LOCAL

VOICES

There’s no shame in getting COVID — it has happened to many of us FROM THE EDITOR

Christy Steadman

W

ell, it finally got me.

For nearly two years, I had avoided it, but in early January, I was one of thousands across Colorado who tested positive for COVID-19.

I can’t say for sure how or when I was exposed, but my best guess is through my boyfriend’s job, which is at a corporate retail store. We stayed in on New Year’s Eve, but he was called into work Jan. 1 to help with a delayed truck delivery. A few days later, he was cold and tired and went to bed early. The next morning, he woke up with a runny nose, and it wasn’t just a case of the sniffles. It was like a faucet had been turned on. He didn’t have a fever, but we gave him an at-home antigen test anyway. And sure enough, the result was positive.

Luckily, I worked from home that Monday. My boyfriend’s job required a positive test from a community site — a PCR test — for him to be excused from work, so I went online to schedule a test for both of us, which proved to be a challenge.

Previously when I got tested out of precaution, it was a breeze. But early January was around the time omicron was peaking, and appointments weren’t readily available. Finally, I was able to get a test for myself and another for my boyfriend at two different testing sites several days after

Spring clean your eating and local-buying habits

S

pring Cleaning” is more than cleaning out closets and dusting off outdoor furniture. It can also include clean-eating goals to improve habits and thinking harder about food choices that are nutritiously and economiGUEST cally sustainable. Thanks to Colorado farmers, ranchers and producCOLUMN ers, local food options make it easier than ever to stick to this spring goal, adding extra value to our lives every season.

We resolve to eat right, choose foods that are good for us and grocery shop with purpose and intention. Buying local helps us combine and embrace these choices, nurturDanielle Trotta ing ourselves as much as the Colorado farmers and ranchers who produce the spinach, squash, beef and everything else we are craving this this time of year.

Every time we choose local produce and products, we are simultaneously boosting Colorado’s economy and heritage. That’s good news for everyone.

So while we aim to ‘eat better’ and show our appreciation for health and local food this spring, let’s take an active role in feeding Colorado’s agriculture industry, too. It’s all part of a greater awareness for healthy eating and for an economically-healthy state.

Here are eight ideas for how every Coloradan can SEE TROTTA, P11

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

the positive at-home test.

On the day of the tests, I was still symptom free, but the following day, it hit me like a brick wall. I got my PCR test results back two days later, but I definitely didn’t need those results to know I had COVID. While my boyfriend experienced mild to no symptoms the entire time, I was down for the count, with a fever, chills and all the other telltale symptoms of COVID — except loss of taste.

Now finally well enough to write this column mid-February, I asked a colleague to help me look into the number of positive COVID cases recorded during the week I had it, and what I found shocked me.

According to the Colorado COVID-19 Data graph on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s website, 13,660 cases were reported statewide Jan. 4, which was my boyfriend’s runny nose day. By Jan. 6, the day we got tested, that number had spiked to 19,477 — the highest number to date according to the graph.

I have heard of a thing called COVID shaming, meaning the feeling of excessive guilt one may experience for getting COVID. I’ll admit there was some mental anguish when I had it. Mostly, thoughts of “when is this finally going to be over?” but I was also worried I possibly had exposed someone else when I went to the grocery

D

store Jan. 2, before both my boyfriend and I had symptoms.

I have to remind myself that going to the grocery store is a common errand that everybody has to do. I wear a mask, I’m vaccinated and I stay 6 feet from others whenever possible.

No one should ever feel guilty for contracting a virus that has been spreading worldwide for two years now. And no one should make another feel shame for getting the virus, just because the former has been fortunate enough to have not been exposed.

I got so much support during the time I was out with COVID. Sources with whom I had interviews passed on a get well soon wish and happily rescheduled. Community members and organizations provided courtesy photos for events that occurred while I was quarantined. One of my freelancers sent a box of locally-made artisan chocolates as a pick-me-up gift. Coworkers offered to help with anything they could to ensure that Life on Capitol Hill and Washington Park Profile made it to press on time.

If there’s one good thing that came out of my COVID experience, it’s that it is human nature to care for others. And we should all remember to have empathy for others because you never know when you, in turn, may be in need.

Redrawing council district boundaries

enver City Council is in the middle of redrawing the council district boundaries, which is a lengthy but important process to ensure that every voice counts.

GUEST Denver has changed a lot in the last decade and COLUMN has seen a huge increase in population. Our council boundaries need to be altered to reflect these changes and how they are represented at the municipal level. This process is to ensure every vote counts, in accordance with Councilmember the Voting Rights Act, by creating new district Jolon Clark boundaries based on the current population. These new boundaries will remain in effect for 10 years, determining representation until 2035 — which includes three municipal election cycles.

The goal is to create 11 evenly populated districts that are geographically compact and as reasonable as possible to uphold the one-person-one vote standard in the U.S. Constitution. There is special consideration for “communities of interest,” or, any group that shares one or more substantial interest, such as religion, language, culture, etc. Maps have been drawn, to the greatest extent possible, to respect

natural boundaries and keep communities of interest together.

Over the past few months, members of the public were able to draft and submit maps, and city councilmembers then drafted maps based on that input and feedback.

Community meetings were held throughout the city, and input directly from the public was incorporated. City council is now in the final phase of the process.

Here is the timeline: Public vetting of proposed maps: Feb. 1-23.

Redistricting Committee debates maps: Feb. 1 to March 14.

Redistricting Committee approves final map for filing: March 14.

First reading of ordinance at Denver City Council: March 22.

Final reading and public hearing of ordinance at city council: March 29.

The adopted map will be effective for the April 2023 election.

Thank you to everyone who has provided feedback, attended a meeting and shared their community of interest. Public participation has been vital to ensure an equitable and fair process.

To learn more, get involved or view the maps, visit denvergov.org/redistricting.

Jolon Clark represents District 7 on Denver City Council. He can be reached at jolon. clark@denvergov.org or 720-337-7777.

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher

LINDSAY NICOLETTI Operations/ Circulation Manager

lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

lnicoletti@coloradocommunitymedia.com

LISA SCHLICHTMAN Editor-in-Chief

ERIN ADDENBROOKE Marketing Consultant

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eaddenbrooke@coloradocommunitymedia.com

Email letters to csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

AUDREY BROOKS Business Manager

Deadline 5 p.m. on the 20th of each month for the following month’s paper.

CHRISTY STEADMAN Editor csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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Columnists & Guest Commentaries Columnist opinions are not necessarily those of the Profile.

We welcome letters to the editor. Please include your full name, address and the best number to reach you by telephone.

Washington Park Profile 11

March 1, 2022

I

The dried flower revival

f dried flowers make you think of withered Miss Havisham and her decaying wedding dress, then it’s time to raise your expectaGUEST tions. Today’s COLUMN dried flowers Jennifer Miller are nothing like the faded flowers worn by the jilted bride in Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations.”

They’re boldly combined, lushly textured and even colorful.

So, what’s changed? The floral industry has embraced dried plants as it has pivoted to become more sustainable. When locally sourced and kept natural — not bleached or dyed — dried flowers have a smaller carbon footprint than fresh flowers that are flown in from overseas, refrigerated and displayed in non-biodegradable floral foam.

This has led to a surge in creativity. Floral artists are pushing the boundaries of display — adding dried flowers to fresh and wiring dried plant material to everything from hair combs to chandeliers. They’re also preserving flowers that were rarely dried before, from peony blooms to Smoke Bush plumes, and combining them in ways that take them beyond ordinary.

Consider the brown fronds of dried leatherleaf fern. Alone they may look ho-hum, but when spiraling around the edge

of a wreath filled with honesty seed heads and Chinese lantern pods, they create energy. Or the fluffy heads of pampas grass. By themselves, they could pass as feather dusters, but when wired with dried roses and allium seed heads onto chandeliers, they’re positively ethereal.

This isn’t to say dried plants are overtaking freshly cut ones.

Not even close. But they are having a heyday — taking center stage at the annual floral show, Chelsea in Bloom, and becoming a hot trend in weddings. Brides love them because they can be reused for multiple events, and florists — many of which had weddings cancelled due to COVID - consider them a blessing.

Instead of tossing all unused fresh flowers, florists were able to dry some for later use.

So how can home gardeners get in on the dried flower trend? Below are a few of the best plants to grow for dried arrangements. All can be easily air-dried. Harvest in the morning when dew has evaporated.

Cut long stems, remove leaves, wrap the ends in rubber bands and hang them upside down in a dark room.

Dahlia: This lush beauty shrinks down to a papery confection. Select dense blooms in pinks and bright orange and yellow. Cut when blooms are half-way or almost fully open.

Strawflower: This is an oldy,

TROTTA

FROM PAGE 10

nourish our farmers, ranchers and food businesses - and spring cleaning our eating and local-buying habits: 1. Buy local. Click and share this website to see in-store product offerings and shipping options from local producers, ranchers and manufacturers from around the state: ColoradoProud.com.

2. Pick Colorado-grown produce.

Look for the Colorado Proud label, which symbolizes that a particular piece of fruit or vegetable was grown in our state. And check out what local produce is in season.

3. Buy Colorado-made products.

When shopping, look for Coloradomade products, such as jams, sauces, condiments, snacks, sweets and other locally-made food products, which will also have the Colorado Proud label.

4. Support Colorado’s livestock producers. Look for Colorado beef, lamb, pork, bison and poultry or order directly from local producers.

5. Buy direct from a Colorado wholesaler. Many local companies are now selling food and products directly to end-consumers.

ColoradoProud.com offers a list of companies participating under the “Wholesaler” category.

6. Dine at local restaurants. More than ever, Colorado chefs and restaurants are incorporating lo-

but for good reason — few flowers compare in durability and vibrancy. Select tall-stemmed varieties and cut them just as flowers open.

Statice: Indispensable as a filler, statice is best known for its annual form. However, the perennial version is also a musthave, especially German statice, which has tiny star-like flowers.

Cut stems when flowers are fully open.

Larkspur: This reseeding annual is one you wouldn’t expect to dry well, but it holds its form and color. A favorite to dry is `sublime dark blue.’ Cut larkspur as soon as the blooms open on the stalk.

Rose: Not a surprising one, but still one of the best flowers for drying. Select varieties that have plush petals in pinks and vibrant citrus hues. Cut stems with flower buds and justopened flowers.

Winged everlasting: This annual herb has masses of small white flowers with gold centers.

Cut when the highest flower on the stem has just opened and the centers are showing.

Yarrow: One of the easiest perennials to grow, Yarrow produces dense umbels and sturdy stems. Harvest when all the flowers open.

Jennifer Miller is the horticulture coordinator at the Denver Botanic Gardens

cally sourced ingredients into their menus.

7. Enjoy Colorado beverages.

Whether you prefer adult libations, fresh kombucha or locally roasted coffee, look for Colorado-crafted alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

8. (Virtually) thank a farmer.

We are sharing many stories from Colorado farmers, ranchers and businesses on Colorado Proud’s Facebook page. Tag your favorite Colorado Proud companies.

Agriculture is an important economic driver in the state, consistently ranking as one of Colorado’s leading industries and is in the top 10 nationally for production of a variety of agricultural products. With more than 38,900 farms encompassing nearly 32 million acres, agriculture is a vital part of Colorado, supporting more than 195,000 jobs and contributing more than $47 billion to the state’s economy annually.

It’s not just the responsibility of the farmers and ranchers. It’s important for all of us to take a healthy role in feeding ourselves — and Colorado, both literally and economically. And there’s no better time of year than spring for refreshing and cleaning up our eating and our local-buying habits.

Danielle Trotta is the program manager for Colorado Proud and leads the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s work to promote food and agricultural products grown, raised or made in Colorado.

A closeup of a dried heart wreath. Among the dried flowers are dahlia, rose, mealy-cup sage, baby’s breath, yarrow, statice and throatwort.

PHOTO BY BY JENNIFER MILLER

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Washington Park Profile 13

March 1, 2022

Failure Award Scholarship applications being accepted STAFF REPORT

The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver (MCA Denver) is accepting scholarship applications for its annual Failure Award Scholarship.

The scholarship is worth $20,000 and it can be used at any accredited postsecondary institution towards educational expenses.

“While so much of student life is focused on achievement, MCA Denver believes that in order to create something original and authentic, it is

necessary to risk failure,” said Sarah Kate Biae, director of programming for MCA Denver, in a news release.

“The Failure Award is given not on the basis of academic merit or athletic prowess, but rather on a student’s demonstration of a willingness to take these risks.”

To be eligible, applicants must be a resident of Colorado, graduate from a Colorado high school in the spring of 2022, plan to attend an accredited college or university in the fall of 2022 and be able to attend the MCA Denver

Failure Awards on April 30. Applicants must also demonstrate “innovation, creativity, fearlessness and a willingness to risk failure in the pursuit of something new,” states a news release.

Finalists will be selected based on their project description and supporting documentation, demonstration of creative risk-taking and presentation, states the news release. Finalists will present their project to a panel of judges and the visiting public during the MCA Denver Failure Awards. Each student will have 10 minutes to present

EMT FROM PAGE 9

The school rolled out two medical health science classes in the past two years and introduced a course tailored specifically to emergency medical services in the fall in partnership with Denver Health, which operates another satellite program at Denver Public Schools’ CEC Early College.

Class curriculum comes from Denver Health, which also trains the high school teachers instructing students.

Those students are able to apply credits from their medical health sciences classes toward health science careers to the Metropolitan State University of Denver, Schlechter said.

The high school relies on industry partners “to bring learning to life for students,” she said, adding, “they have resources beyond what we could ever provide here at the school.”

The school plans to pair students with professionals in a field of study they’re interested in, such as pediatric neurosurgery, and also help students complete certifications in phlebotomy and medical assisting this fall, Schlechter noted.

Ryan Loesch, who teaches emergency medical services classes along with one other educator at Denver South High School, enlivens his classroom lessons with a life-size dummy strapped to a spine board that students work with as they practice responding to emergency scenarios.

His classroom is also equipped with another mannequin that students can use to practice administering CPR. Along with learning how to take a patient’s vitals, resuscitate them, and bandage any wounds, his students have studied skin diseases and

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Paul Wilson and Kynan Renshaw simulate CPR on a patient on Feb. 3 at Denver South High School as part of a third-level EMT class. The main curriculum is approaching its third year of practice and covers topics like anatomy, biology, epidemiology, and field PHOTO BY OLIVIA SUN practice in emergency medicine.

respiratory diseases and covered how to treat someone with diabetes. They will soon look at how to identify a stroke victim, Loesch said, noting all those skills are covered in basic EMT courses. Through the medical health sciences classes, students can also become certified as an electrocardiograph technician after learning how to read an electrocardiogram, which evaluates a patient’s heart. Additionally, they can take a test to become nationally certified as an EMT. Loesch makes his classes as interactive as possible. Last semester, when students were enrolled in Medical Health Sciences 3, they capped the class with a final exam that challenged them to assess a patient and diagnose them based on a set of clues Loesch offered — similar to a practicum assessment they would take when applying for their EMT certification.

He likes to throw curveballs with his clues to truly test students’ depth of knowledge.

“Not everything is going to present to them in a perfect manner where they can just say, `this is the disorder,’” he said.

Paul Wilson, a senior with ambitions to become a pediatrician, has practiced taking his classmates’ blood pressure so many times that he could almost do it with his eyes closed. The medical health sciences classes he’s taken at Denver South have teased out his passion for medicine and helped him master skills that many of his peers don’t encounter until later in life, such as checking vital signs.

“I’ll know how to do it better and more routinely than other kids that don’t have this class,” Wilson, 17, said.

Loesch also works to deepen his learning beyond class lectures, textbook assignments and practice with clinical skills to make sure students are well versed in the power of empathy on the job. Loesch teaches his students the importance of communicating with patients, listening to their

their work, and then will answer questions from the panel. Participants will be evaluated on originality, innovation and their ability to present a project within the theme of risking failure as an integral part of the creative process.

Deadline to apply is April 1. Interested applicants can apply by creating an account to access the application through The Denver Foundation, or by visiting MCA Denver’s website at mcadenver.org. More information about the selection process and important dates can be found on that website. concerns, speaking up if they are older and calming them if they appear agitated. Those aspects of communication aren’t always fully developed in high schoolers, he said.

“At the end of the day, they are going out in the real world, and these people are going to be in real-life situations and they have to think about that,” Loesch said.

Rudnick, who hopes to become an EMT in Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park or Grand Teton National Park after having spent many childhood weekends and vacations in Rocky Mountain National Park, embraces her own sense of empathy and simply wants to help people, which she is feeling more prepared to do after the lessons she’s gleaned from her coursework.

“I think a lot of the good in the world is overlooked constantly,” she said. “Being able to know that you’re helping someone and having the opportunity to learn about that even just as a teenager, I think it’s important to recognize.”

And even if Denver South high schoolers studying emergency medical services don’t wind up spending their careers in the back of an ambulance or tending to patients in an emergency room, they’ll carry forward some skills that could come in handy.

“If they get nothing else out of it,” Harper said, “they’ll learn how to save a life.”

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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14 Washington Park Profile

March 1, 2022

Colorado Access appoints Annie Lee as president, CEO

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Annie H. Lee first became interested in serving in health care when she was about 12 or 13 years old.

“My mom and dad had health care needs,” she said. “I was a kid, just old enough to begin to understand the world, and I wanted to help.”

Today, Lee has been appointed to serve as president and CEO of Colorado Access, a nonprofit public sector health plan.

Lee assumed the role Feb. 14.

“I’m humbled to be in this role,” Lee said. “I’m looking forward to building on the great work that’s already happening here.”

Lee succeeds Marshall Thomas, who retired from the post after 16 years.

“Lee is well known locally as a passionate and collaborative leader with expertise in Medicaid and community health,” Thomas said. “I’m confident that she will build upon existing momentum within the organization to ensure

those who depend on us receive access to quality, affordable and culturally responsive care.”

Lee has an extensive background serving in health care, intentionally focusing on the nonprofit sector. She served as senior director of Medicaid and charitable coverage programs at Kaiser Permanente Colorado, and prior to that, spent four years working at the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Her most recent role was executive director of community health and Medicaid strategies at Children’s Hospital Colorado.

A resident of Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood, Lee was born on an Army base in Georgia. She grew up as a military child — her dad was in the Army — but the family eventually made its way to Colorado. Lee is a 1997 graduate of John F. Kennedy High School in west Denver and attended the University of Colorado-Boulder where she earned a degree in political science.

She worked for a small consulting firm right out of college, but around that time, she “had a calling to work in public policy, specifically health care,” Lee said. “Law school seemed like a great idea.”

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Annie Lee has been appointed to serve as president and chief executive officer of Colorado Access, a nonprofit public sector health plan. She is the first woman and first person of color to assume the role.

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Lee received her juris doctor degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. While there, Lee enjoyed studying civil rights and health care.

As the daughter of Korean immigrants, Lee and her brother are first-generation Korean Americans. She is the first woman, and the first person of color, to be CEO of Colorado Access.

“As the needs of our members, providers and community continue to change, it was important

for Colorado Access to be present and adapt,” said Bobby King, vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Colorado Access.

“We focused our CEO search to recruit from a pool of health-care leaders, both locally and nationally, representing diverse backgrounds and experiences. This inclusive and thorough approach led us to Annie Lee right here in Colorado. As the first woman and person of color to lead Colorado Access, we are excited about Annie’s leadership and our journey ahead.”

Lee feels honored to be part of a “larger, collaborative movement that is more inclusive,” she said.

“It matters for people to see others in leadership positions who look like them,” Lee said, adding that she herself has had mentors who are women of color.

Being from an immigrant family, Lee said there is a drive to work and to succeed while leaving behind everyone and everything they know. Her accomplishments, including her current role as CEO of Colorado Access, represent that journey, she said.

“That is something I’m proud of,” Lee said.

Denver residents on Medicaid are Colorado Access members, but they may not know it, said Annie Lee, president and CEO of Colorado Access. Anybody with questions is encouraged to call 800-5115010 or send an email to customer.service@coaccess.com. To learn more about the organization, visit coaccess.com.

Washington Park Profile 15

March 1, 2022

CPR’s Nathaniel Minor talks trains New podcast explores Denver’s transit system

are right next to each other. That’s the legacy of the streetcars. People didn’t drive to those places, so they didn’t need parking spaces.

BY BRUCE GOLDBERG SPECIALTO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

What knowledge do you hope to get out there?

I really hope people come away with a better idea of how things are built and why they’re built, and how that affects our life in the city and suburbs — and how needs change over time.

You can go farther in an automobile, but you have to create space for parking and you have a big pollution problem.

All of the trains are supposed to help with those problems. We take a critical look at if they’ve actually done that.

On the surface, studying the effectiveness of transit services may not seem like the hottest topic out there.

But the subject fascinates Nathaniel Minor, whose new four-part “Ghost Train” miniseries on Colorado Public Radio is available on podcast platforms.

The Minnesota native and current Denver resident is a CPR News transportation reporter. He enjoys learning how cities create their transit systems, and what lives up to expectations and what doesn’t.

“In `Ghost Train,’ Minor explores the past, present and future of transit projects in the Denver metro area, starting with the 2004 vote to back an ambitious transit plan that would help commuters glide by traffic and transform Denver into a world-class city,” states a news release.

The series also focuses on Colorado’s goal to build a greener transportation system in the state.

“RTD did a very good job on selling people on the idea that trains are a superior way to travel,” Minor said.

“What more people are seeing today is that buses can be very efficient, too, especially getting through the city. They can go places that trains don’t.”

Minor is telling a story about how it all happened, he said.

Colorado Public Radio’s new podcast “Ghost Train” is a four-part miniseries.

COURTESY PHOTO

“People are interested,” he added.

“They want to see where this story goes.”

Minor also pushes to keep things, especially rail travel, in perspective.

“What you hear from RTD is that these things just opened in the last five or eight years,” Minor said. “They’re really an investment in the future. Eventually, more things will be built around them and they’ll start to shape growth, and they’ll be a widely used structure over time. It’ll just take time — decades — to make that happen.”

Q&A with Nathaniel Minor What made you choose this topic?

I’ve cared about this since I was a kid.

I grew up in a city with 150,000 people and used my bicycle or the bus to go places when I wanted to go a distance.

I continued that in college (University

Colorado Public Radio’s Nathaniel Minor’s new four-part “Ghost Train” podcast explores Denver’s transit system.

PHOTO BY HART VAN DENBURG/CPR NEWS

of St. Thomas). I started to travel a little more, go to different cities — New York, Europe — and you see there are different ways of building a city.

To see those different styles, and ride buses and trains, was an enlightening experience — to see how you move determines what kind of city do we have.

What about Denver?

Denver is a car city. In later episodes, we get into the history of that. People in Denver grew up around streetcars, but you can see the effects of those cars in obvious ways.

Colfax and Broadway are long, historic streetcar corridors, especially Colfax, which is a fairly narrow street and there’s not a ton of space for parking. The buildings, for the most part,

What has worked?

Most people consider the A line to the airport to be a success. But most of them (train routes) have not met their ridership goals. There’s a pretty simple reason why: We as a community decided to put in these rail lines and rail stations. They don’t go down old streetcar routes. Instead, they were tucked away in a corner and not used so much.

Denver’s rail lines are not in walkable places. Most are at a Park-N-Ride. (And) most of these train lines are not in the city — they’re at the edge of a city or edge of a neighborhood, not through a neighborhood.

Colorado Public Radio’s new podcast, “Ghost Train,” with Nathaniel Minor is available on cpr.org, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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16 Washington Park Profile

Nonprofit in need of volunteers for seasonal program BYCHRISTYSTEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Laurie Bagan is a do-it-myselfer.

She always enjoyed doing the physical tasks to keep up her home, like shoveling snow and gardening. That is until the 76-year-old Alamo Placita resident, who has been in her Speer neighborhood home since 1974, could no longer do those tasks because of aging and health issues.

“I just couldn’t do it anymore,” Bagan said.

She found herself in a unique predicament. Bagan did not know how to go about getting help or hiring people because she had always taken care of her home herself.

Then, she found A Little Help, and now, Bagan has a volunteer to help her with her gardening and a volunteer to help with snow shoveling.

“It is a lifesaver for elderly people who are trying to stay in their homes,” Bagan said.

A Little Help is a nonprofit organization that sends volunteers to help their older adult neighbors with a variety of tasks — everything from helping to organize photographs and setting up the internet to yard work and dog walking.

The nonprofit was born organically in 2006 when a group of Washington Park residents started doing tasks to help their older adult neighbors.

It was called Wash Park Cares back then, said Jake Dresden, A Little Help’s metro Denver director.

“It grew and grew,” Dresden said.

In 2011, the group officially became A Little Help and got its nonprofit status.

A Little Help eventually expanded and now serves six counties in the Denver metro area — Denver, Jefferson, Arapahoe, Douglas, Broomfield and

March 1, 2022

Adams — as well as the Western Slope and northern Colorado. Statewide, A Little Help has about 1,500 older adult members and about 3,000 volunteers.

How it works is a member puts in a request to A Little Help, which the organization’s background-checked volunteers have access to. Once a volunteer finds a request they’re able to fulfill, they accept it and then A Little Help provides the member’s contact information to the volunteer so they can schedule a time to get the task done.

“We try to keep things as local as possible,” Dresden said.

For example, a volunteer in the south metro area typically will not pick up a request that is located 45 minutes away in the north metro area.

The No. 1 core service A Little Help provides is transportation such as helping an older adult neighbor get to a doctor’s appointment, the barber for a haircut or the rec center for an activity. Generally, these are no more than a 10-mile round-trip task and can be recurring or one time.

A Little Help also connects people for care calls or visits for social-emotional wellbeing, which often become the basis for a recurring friendship.

The older adult members will never pay for a service or task. However, A Little Help has a unique model in that members can choose a pay-what-youcan option upon membership signup or annual renewal, which is, in essence, a donation to the organization.

This is something that Bagan appreciates because A Little Help “doesn’t feel like charity,” she said.

Bagan added that her income is a bit too much to qualify for assistance, but not enough to be able to pay for the individual services she needs.

“I’m right in the middle,” Bagan said.

“And there must be thousands like me.”

A Little Help’s biggest volunteer need currently is for snow buddies — the nonprofit’s seasonal snow shovelers program.

A total of 150 older adult members have requested a snow buddy, and as

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Denver homeowner Laurie Bagan stands with her A Little Help snow buddy, JK Costello, on a snowy February day. The A Little Help organization pairs snow buddies with an older adult neighbor to help with snow removal during the winter.

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of February, 40 of those requests have not been fulfilled, Dresden said. And in Colorado, there’s a potential to get big snows in March and April, Dresden added.

“It’s a simple task that pays off enormously,” he said. “It makes our older adults who are receiving this service feel overjoyed.”

Bagan was already a member with A Little Help when one winter day a couple of years ago she got a warning from the city for not having her sidewalk cleared after a big snowfall.

“There was nothing I could do about it,” Bagan said, adding that every time she had attempted to shovel the snow herself, she would throw out her back.

“It was terribly upsetting.”

She tried to look into hiring a snow shoveler but discovered service providers were either too expensive for her to afford or were so booked up that they were not accepting new clients or would be unreliable.

So she reached out to A Little Help and asked for a snow buddy.

Bagan got paired with JK Costello, a neighbor who lives less than 2 miles away, as her snow buddy. He has since developed a routine on snow days: Costello goes to the gym in the early morning, and afterwards, he’ll go shovel Bagan’s walkways. Then he’ll treat himself at the nearby neighborhood coffee shop.

“This is something that, with a minor time investment on my behalf, really helps with independence,” Costello said of snow shoveling for Bagan.

Costello, a physician who also runs a health care consulting company, moved to Washington Park in 2019. He wanted a way to get to know his neighbors and started looking into volunteer gigs that could be done on an occasional basis.

Along with being Bagan’s snow buddy, Costello also helps another neighbor with grocery shopping through the A Little Help program.

“A lot of us don’t get to know our neighbors very well,” Costello said. A Little Help offers “a great way to build those relationships (and) provides an opportunity volunteer when it’s convenient for you.”

There are many benefits to becoming a snow buddy, said Dresden, who is a snow buddy himself for a few of his neighbors.

It’s outdoors and it’s great for your physical health, he said, but it also provides a sense of accomplishment and is wonderful for one’s self-esteem.

“Humans feel better when they’re helping other people,” Dresden said.

To learn more about A Little Help or for more information on its snow-shoveling program, visit alittlehelp.org.

Washington Park Profile 17

March 1, 2022

Creating positive change through music-centered programs Denver Arts & Venues awards 49 recipients with grants

BY BRUCE GOLDBERG SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

One of Kelly Waltrip’s favorite memories is from when the Denver Young Artists Orchestra (DYAO) performed at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall in June 2016.

“It was spectacular,” Waltrip said, executive director of DYAO, “and the best I have ever heard them play.”

What is DYAO? Waltrip calls the DYAO group a “conservatory orchestra.”

“We provide high-quality music educational experiences for children all over the Front Range,” she said, “about 250 kids ages 7 to 23.”

Waltrip said about one-third of the students go on to study music very seriously; about one-third study something else and music, and still get music scholarships; and one-third don’t choose to study music.

She added that 50% of the orchestra members go on to study in STEM fields and that some alumni can be found playing in the Colorado Symphony.

DYAO recently learned it was one of 49 recipients of a 2021-2022 Denver Music Advancement Fund grant, under the Denver Music Strategy via Denver Arts & Venues.

DYAO was awarded a $7,500 grant.

The timing couldn’t have been better,

The Denver Young Artists Orchestra performs with taiko drum musicians during the PHOTO BY OWEN ZHOU DYAO Spectacular event on Feb. 20 at Boettcher Hall.

Waltrip said, because the orchestra was preparing for its Feb. 20 DYAO Spectacular performance at Boettcher Hall in a collaboration with the Japanese Arts Network.

The show included performers from two drummer groups and, in particular, a special performance that was based on the U.S. government placing JapaneseAmericans in internment camps during World War II. “What we really appreciate about this grant program is that it allows organizations like DYAO to stretch and take some artist risks,” Waltrip said, “and encourages collaboration with groups you might not see together.”

The 2021-2022 Denver Music Advancement Fund grants totaled $457,000 — both figures are record highs — with many grants ranging between $5,000 and $10,000.

According to a news release, the funds were granted in a variety of categories which included music performances, networking opportunities for musicians, educational opportunities for children,

community workshops, podcasts, videos, magazines and more.

Denver Arts & Venues launched this grant program in 2018 as part of the Denver Music Strategy. The idea is to honor diversity, helping youth, older adults, Black, Indigenous, Latinox/e, Asian-Americans, Pacific Islanders, People of Color or of the global majority, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities and others.

The fund “supports initiatives that build a more equitable and connected city, drive economic vibrancy and create positive social change through musiccentered programs,” states a news release.

The 18 people who select the grant recipients are music industry pros, said Lisa Gedgaudas, program manager for cultural affairs at Denver Arts & Venues.

A sampling of some of the grantees includes: The American Indian Academy of Denver was awarded a $10,000 grant.

This is a new charter school that will use the money to buy music equipment and

to build an audio production program for its students.

Shining in the Shadows Inc. also received a $10,000 grant. This organization provides resources, education and a digital platform for incarcerated musicians.

Urban Peak got a $10,000 grant to go toward teenagers in transition from homelessness. Its Urban Peak Music Studio provides a drop-in music studio for creation and recording.

Rocky Mountain Public Media will use its $10,000 grant for its radio station called The Drop. The group is looking to hold a block party at Levitt Pavilion that represents queer, trans, Black, indigenous and People of Color “to increase racial equity in the media industry and on the stage and airwaves.”

The Denver Music Achievement Fund grant program is a continuing partnership with TakeNote Colorado, a “statewide initiative offering equitable access to musical instruments and instruction to K-12 students in Colorado.”

“Music programming remains a necessary and integral part of Denver’s cultural ecosystem,” Gedgaudas said in a news release. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Take Note Colorado and align our efforts here in Denver. Through these grants, we can continue to support diverse and accessible music programs.”

To learn more about Denver Music Achievement Fund grant program, visit artsandvenuesdenver.com/denvermusic-advancement-fund.

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Washington Park Profile 19

March 1, 2022

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20 Washington Park Profile

March 1, 2022

Denver-area residents make conservation waves

BY ELICIA HESSELGRAVE SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Nancy Kiyota grew up on a farm. She developed a respect and care for wildlife, and this sensitivity instilled in her as a child has had lasting effects.

“We have to protect animals and conserve the environment to have healthy lives ourselves,” Kiyota said.

Today, Kiyota, who lives in Washington Park, uses her passion to volunteer with a Littleton-based wildlife conservation organization called the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund.

Established in memory of an inspiring teen who lost a battle with cancer, the nongovernmental organization, or NGO, was founded by Littleton resident Dave Johnson in 2014 with an overarching mission to make the world a better place.

“People here need to realize the greatness of what surrounds us and take part in what is going on,” Johnson said.

Johnson has noticed a widespread and growing public interest in participating in conservation and preservation of the planet but realizes many people are unsure of how to channel their wellmeaning enthusiasm.

Under the KACF umbrella, Johnson is able to aid in global conservation efforts by bridging the gap between people who care and who want to help but don’t know where to start.

With 31 years of professional animal care experience as a zookeeper, Johnson was inspired to connect people with wildlife to make a positive impact specifically focused on mediating human-wildlife conflict. During the last eight years, KACF has amassed a cadre

Dave Johnson, founder of the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund (KACF), poses with locals in Tanzania for a community soccer game, which was put on by one of KACF’s 25 global partners that benefit local community growth and wildlife conservation.

COURTESY PHOTO

of more than 200 volunteers who are actively participating in conservation efforts both locally and globally. The organization is active in the U.S. and 18 other countries and has established 23 ongoing partnerships worldwide.

One of Johnson’s initial inspirations occurred four years before founding KACF while visiting the Chepang people of Nepal, who were in need of support after being removed from the Chitwan National Park protected area. He has since visited annually to help build fencing — which thwarts unwanted cattle grazing — strengthen community and change attitudes about wildlife.

This work has served to build a strong, beneficial partnership. For example, prior to partnering with KACF, the greater one-horned rhino in Nepal was a threatened species, being poached at an average of 12 per year. According to Johnson, since the partnership with KACF, that number has decreased by 92%, reducing the poaching to only one occurrence every other year.

Congress Park resident Heather Schwartz was one of the participants on an annual KACF trip to Nepal in 2017.

She now serves as the organization’s social media manager and has the opportunity to go on many KACF trips.

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Schwartz, who has always loved animals, said the opportunity to take these trips to help wildlife gives her the chance to see the profound impact of intervention first hand.

“One of my favorite memories was meeting a spicy 8-month old rhino in Nepal who was rescued by one of our KACF partners, The National Trust for Nature Conservation,” Schwartz said.

The NTNC found him malnourished after he had nearly drowned in a monsoon, Schwartz said.

“With the help of NTNC’s rehabilitation efforts and his joint tenacity, this orphaned rhino was eventually released back into the wild,” Schwartz added.

KACF has had a positive impact in other regions as well. The organization has implemented beehive fencing in Nepal and Tanzania, right outside the Mkomazi National Park. Constructing these fences as a natural elephant repellant has helped with elephant-human conflict.

Like Schwartz, one of Kiyota’s favorite memories is also connected with wildlife in rehabilitation.

“We got to see an orphaned baby elephant that had been rescued,” Kiyota said. “It’s inspiring to see the work people are doing to help animals.”

For people wishing to contribute but stalled on how to get involved, Kiyota, Schwartz and Johnson all offer ideas.

Aiding in field work with KACF abroad is one way to contribute to wildlife conservation. But there are many opportunities locally to help wildlife that do not require such a hefty time and financial commitment, Kiyota added.

“Don’t litter or pollute the water. Pick up trash, even if it is not yours. Carpool, combine errands when driving. Be mindful and conserve water, reduce plastic use, and recycle and compost when possible,” Kiyota said. “Even small actions in the community can add up and help wildlife.”

She also recommends spending more time outdoors.

“When we experience the benefits nature has on our well-being, it helps us be more inclined to protect it,” Schwartz said.

Johnson suggests those who have the space can establish a pollinator garden to support local biodiversity.

For those seeking local fieldwork experience, Colorado Parks and Wildlife is recruiting volunteers to help with conservation of the black footed ferret.

Likewise, the Denver Zoo will soon be seeking volunteers to help monitor the survival of boreal toads.

Other wildlife conservation organizations seeking volunteers in Denver and the surrounding areas that KACF has relationships with include the Butterfly Pavilion, the Downtown Aquarium, Wildlife Protection Solutions, Idea Wild and Nature’s Educators.

Eventually, Johnson hopes to get involved with area mountain towns to ease human-bear conflict.

“We only have one life and one chance to create some positive change,” Johnson said.

To learn more about the Katie Adamson Conservation Fund (KACF), visit katieadamsonconservationfund.org or follow it on social media: @katieadamansonconservationfund.

The KACF has two events planned for March — a virtual ZOOM event on Madagascar fish conservation programs, and a community in-person event at the WOW! Children’s Museum in Lafayette.

Once scheduled, more information on these events will be available on KACF’s website under the `events’ tab.