Washington Park Profile July 2023

Summertime checklist

Concerts, art shows, festivals and more in July’s Mile High Happenings. Page 12

Exemplary volunteer

Meet Saint Joseph Hospital’s Polly Coleman. Page 16

A Washington Park

Saturday

A celebration of a weekend in photos. Page 10

Rolling museum

Curiosity Cruiser winds its way around Denver. Page 18

Read an important message regarding Colorado Community Media’s print products on Page 17

Squeeze

A new massage business has opened in Denver’s Hilltop neighborhood.

Squeeze, located at 875 Albion St., has 11 massage suites. It o ers a customizable massage experience in that guests can tailor their massage including pressure, music, lighting and more, as well as a choice of deep tissue, heat therapy, aromatherapy and percussion therapy. Its app and website provide a hassle-free experience by allowing customers to book appointments, set personalized preferences, pay, tip, rate and review their experience.

Squeeze is the brainchild of the founders of Drybar, which is a California-based chain of hair salons.

To learn more, visit squeezemassage.com. Photo courtesy of an online press kit.

New Americana Home

New Americana

Home, a home furnishings shop located at 1939 E. Kentucky Ave. in Denver’s Washington Park neighborhood, celebrated its one-year anniversary in June.

e shop features furniture — both antiques and modern for any design style — and home décor items such as artwork, lamps, vases, new and vintage rugs and much more.

It is owned by Holly Kuhn, author of the book, “New Americana: Interior Décor with an Artful Blend of Old and New.”

To learn more, visit newamericanahome.com. Courtesy photo.

fers a wide variety of resources that include transitional, private housing, parent services and advocacy, and early childhood education and childcare. Learn more at WarrenVillage.org.

Spring Clean 2023 volunteers gather on the steps of the main Warren Village location at 13th Avenue and Gilpin Street near Cheesman Park. Courtesy photo.

Art District

A ribbon cutting for a new community and performing arts venue in Arkins Park took place on June 22.

Arkins Park is located at 3400 Arkins Court,

Apartment Association of Metro Denver/Family HomeStead/Warren Village

On June 2, the Apartment Association of Metro Denver hosted a Spring Clean 2023 at three Family HomeStead locations and two Warren Village locations across the Denver metro area.

e event included about 200 volunteers who helped with a variety of tasks, including gardening and xing roofs.

e Apartment Association of Metro Denver is a multi-family housing trade association that represents and supports more than 336,000 apartment homes in the metro area. To learn more, visit aamdhq.org.

Family Homestead is a private, non-pro t agency with a mission to provide emergency and transitional housing to the metro area’s homeless families. To learn more, FamilyHomestead.com.

Warren Village is a nonpro t that has three residential communities that o er transitional housing to single parents in need. It has a two-generation approach to end the cycle of poverty and empower families to reach self-su ciency. Warren Village of-

East Colfax Cultural District

e Tiger Kim’s Academy of Taekwondo and Tang Soo Do building at 7000 E. Colfax Ave. in Denver’s Montclair neighborhood now dons a new mural.

e mural is thanks to a partnership between Tiger Kim’s Academy and e Fax Partnership, a nonpro t that supports the East Colfax community in Denver and Aurora. e mural is meant to re ect the East Colfax Cultural District’s commitment to preserving and supporting cultural diversity and recognizing the district’s

Nonprofit Infrastructure Grant Program

Colorado’s Department of Local A airs is seeking small nonpro t applicants for its Nonpro t Infrastructure Grant Program.

e program is a statewide grant program for small, community-based, nonpro t organizations with annual budgets between $150,000 and $2,000,000 that provide services to communities that have historically been underrepresented, underserved or under-resourced. e grant is not for programming, but provides for other needs such as strategic planning, professional development for board and sta , technology, etc.

A total of $33,100,000 in grants will be awarded, with selected organizations awarded up to $100,000.

To apply, interested applicants should contact their geographically-appointed Regional Access Partner directly for technical assistance and to learn more about the process, criteria and funding.

e application will open on July 5 and close on Aug. 31.

To learn more, visit dlg.colorado.gov/nonprofit-infrastructure-grant-program.

Logo courtesy of a press release.

RiNo

MISCELLANEOUS

unique characteristics, states a news release.

In October 2022, e Fax Partnership hired Denver artist Sammiotzi (Sam) Hutch-Ouranos to start the logo development process for the East Colfax Cultural District. With input from the community, the nal logo was chosen and unveiled on March 8. A community logo mural painting event took place on June 3, during which residents and business owners gathered to celebrate community and showcase its collective creativity.

To learn more about e Fax Partnership, visit thefaxdenver.com.

Photo courtesy of e Fax Partnership.

Historic Auraria Consortium

e Auraria Higher Education Center, which is the state agency that stewards the Auraria Campus, has created the Historic Auraria Consortium to develop and execute a strategy to honor and celebrate the heritage of the Indigenous tribal nations that once called the area home.

e consortium’s rst project will be to create and oversee a longterm stewardship plan for Ninth Street Historic Park. Other initiatives

NEW OPENINGS

include developing a historical archive of Ninth Street Park, fostering collaboration with impacted community members and establishing healing spaces. e goal is to amplify the stories of displaced Aurarian and Indigenous communities and reconcile the history of Auraria while creating a space for information, connection and healing.

e Historic Auraria Consortium will be composed of campus and community partners, to include community members who represent the displaced and Indigenous Aurarian communities, representatives from Auraria’s four institutions, and collaborators from the Colorado legislature, History Colorado, Downtown Denver Partnership and Historic Denver. David Olguín will serve as the cultural and community engagement director to spearhead the strategic initiatives.

Auraria Higher Education Center — also known as Auraria Campus — is a 150-acre dynamic and vibrant campus located in downtown Denver. It is shared by three separate and distinct institutions of higher learning: Community College of Denver, the University of Colorado Denver and Metropolitan State University of Denver. It is also home to several cultural attractions including museums, 9th Street Historic Park, St. Cajetan’s church and more. Learn more at ahec.edu.

David Olguín. Courtesy photo.

ON THE COVER

FROM PAGE 2

a high-barreled wood ceiling, a modular seating stage and doors that open into the Arkins Park greenspace.

Ground-level ozone is invisible and the Front Range’s biggest air quality issue. Created from pollutants like car exhaust, ozone is a leading cause of respiratory problems.

Improving our air quality takes all of us, and there are many ways to help. We encourage you to #JustSkipTwo car trips a week, mow your lawn after 5 p.m., don’t idle your car, telework a few days each week, and take the bus, bike, or walk. which is in the northern area of Denver’s Five Points neighborhood.

e new venue o ers a exible, a ordable performance venue for a variety of programming and private events, including the performing arts, nonpro ts and the broader community. It can seat 200 people and can accommodate a crowd of 450 standing with its ground- oor and mezzanine areas. It boasts

e project was made possible through a partnership between Denver Parks & Recreation and the RiNo Art District. To learn more about the new venue, including upcoming performances and events, visit rinoartpark.com/ exibleuseperformingartsspace.

e June 22 ribbon cutting for a new community and performing arts venue in Arkins Park.

Sign up for air quality alerts and learn more about the simple steps you can do to help.

SimpleStepsBetterAir.org

If you could see Colorado’s air, you would want to improve it.

Photo by Joseph Freemond.

FROM

Rapper Homeboy Sandman, left, and local artist Dan Drossman stand in front of a mural by Drossman located at Herbal Cure, 985 S. Logan St., in Denver’s Washington Park West neighborhood. The Visible Planets concert and art show is just one of the events happening this summer in Denver. Find more in our Mile High Happenings calendar on P12.

PHOTO BY TATIANA BORDA

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Bella Diva World Dance Studio is an all-inclusive space for people young and old to feel the music and express themselves. For dancers who want to break out of the traditional dance studio format, the international company based in Denver could be a dream come true.

Striving to bring the magic of global movement to people in Colorado, Caitlin Brozna-Smith founded the dance studio that brings a piece of global culture along with self-expression and con dence with each class.

“It was so important to include people

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from where these cultures are sourced,” said Brozna-Smith. “I found people from Polynesia to teach Polynesian dance… teachers from Iran. We really have this beautiful, electric group of dancers from all over the globe.”

Among a multitude of dance styles, students can learn the soft style of Hula ‘Auana, Tahitian dance, Bollywood, Belly Dancing, adult ballet and Ginga Vibe, which draws on styles from the African Diaspora including Funk, Afro-Caribe, Dance Hall, Soca, Lambada and Samba.  e studio also o ers Taiji Fit, a halfhour mind and low-impact body workout that combines traditional T’ai Chi with mindfulness and modern Western tness. Inspired by the Bollywood style of dance, BollyX Fitness is a 50-minute cardio workout and GROOV3 Hip Hop Dance Fitness.

Within the Bella Diva studio, both the teaching sta and students are multinational. e dance teachers come from ve di erent countries and teach a range of students from 29 di erent countries.

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To bring as much authentic culture into Denver, many teachers have gone abroad to study di erent styles of dance.

ADVENTUROUS CAT LOVER

“ e people (teachers) who are not native from the cultures that we’re teaching travel and learn from the source because it’s really important that we do cultural appreciation and cultural exchange,” Brozna-Smith said.

it is not my culture, but it is something that I am absolutely fascinated with and love,” said instructor Chelsi Vecchiavelli.

“I spend a lot of time outside of class researching, asking experts, listening to podcasts, consulting my mentors who are Brazilian and who are my teachers.”

Born out of the slave trade when it was down in Brazil, Samba was a means of hope and joy and is a dance of resistance and raises up against oppression.

Samba schools have often been located in a favela, which is the poor neighborhoods within Rio De Janeiro. Vecchiavelli said there is a big connection between the people and the culture, which is something she wanted to bring back to her classes in the U.S.

Since spending time in Brazil earlier this year, Vecchiavelli has implemented a sense of community within her classes.  e class starts with a warm-up, which can di er each week, but tends to be drill focused. Students start to move their bodies by working on hip movements, endurance and strengthening the ankles.

After warming up, the class begins to stretch out every part of their body to help prevent injuries. e class then moves to work on technique, whether it is adding the ourishes of the arms during Samba no pé or gaining speed and endurance for the style.

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Samba

Samba, the high energy and fast footwork style is not just a dance form, it is a lifestyle.

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ose who teach Samba at Bella Diva make sure they are staying true to the culture and teach the students the history of where the dance originated.

“I am very careful when I am teaching my students because I am not Brazilian,

In Brozna-Smith’s Samba class, her students warm up to the upbeat rhythm of the drums.

Just as Brozna-Smith has her students perform for one another during the class, Vecchiavelli has integrated improvisation at the end of her class. e students gather in a circle and with an energetic song playing, they dance with each other.

SEE DANCE, P5

e end of class time is not about technique or who has the best footwork, it’s about connecting with one another as that is what the culture is about. Western dancers are often trained to perform, but this style of dance is about looking each other in the eyes, singing and embracing the joy that comes along with Samba.

“We need to recognize that we’re dancing it from a place of privilege,” said Vecchiavelli. “We’re not able to connect to it in the same way that people in Brazil can, and so I try to make sure that we at least know the context of it.”

Bella Bro World Dance

For an hour each week, men take part in a high-intensity, choreographybased workout. Led by Kyle Kastner, the group’s heart rate increases and sweat pours down as Kastner focuses on moving fast.

Having been the only consistent man who danced at Bella Diva for eight years, Kastner felt the need to bring more men into the fold, as male representation in dance in America is not as strong as in other cultures.

Kastner believes the American culture is dismissive and even undermining of male dancers.

“I actually think that it is incredibly masculine to dance, and when you look at other cultures around the world, dance is ingrained,” Kastner said. “It’s not gendered. ere may be gender norms within it, but gender is not important.”

With the goal of creating a space for men to feel free to use their bodies in a creative way, Kastner created Bella Bro World Dance. ere are about eight individuals who are regulars to the class.  Kasnter gains inspiration for his class from Bollywood and Brazilian Samba no pé. It is not just the energy that those styles of dance bring but embracing the masculinity of the Indian culture and bridging the gap between di erent stylings that is being shown in Samba no pé.  Bella Bro World Dance recently worked on a piece inspired by a lm based on a true story. e character they are portraying was a great warrior and fought in battles. Although it appears that the dancers are not doing much, their moves are incredibly complex and take a lot of strength to complete.  roughout the class, the students started to learn how to move their bodies in new and challenging ways and discover things about themselves, Kastner said. e class also helps rede ne what

masculinity is and shift the focus from a toxic idea of masculinity to a much more embracing, accepting idea of what it could be.

In his class, he helps the students learn how to use their inherent male privilege as a superpower for good.

“ at’s something I’ve de nitely been working with the men on is understanding that just because we are men, we have privilege that others don’t,” said Kasnter. “And then especially if we are white men with privilege that others don’t (have), to use that in a bene cial positive way for society and community as a whole.”

Iranian Persian Currently, the only performing instructor of the Iranian Persian style of dance in Colorado, Delsie KhademGhaeini is honored to represent her community and to be a vessel for cultural outreach by sharing Iranian culture through dance.

In Iranian culture, there are a couple of di erent stylizations of dance as there are di erent minority groups and languages, all of the groups have their own folk dancing and style of dancing. e style Khadem-Ghaeini teaches is not a regional style of dance in Iran, it is shared across all of those cultures.

Iranian culture is deeply rooted in poetry, therefore, a lot of the music has poetry in it.

Khadem-Ghaeini said the style she teaches is more of a staged kind of style of dancing, a style that is closely related to what is seen in current pop styles of dance. She focuses on the quality of the movements. e movements are more structured and re ned compared to some of the more theatrical styles of dancing.

“Depending on what region they’re from, there might be dance movements that are associated to the kind of farming that they might have done or in the southern region, along the Persian Gulf, there may be dance movements that are related to shing,” Khadem-Ghaeini said.

Her classes focus on connecting with the music by using the uidity of the arms, hands and wrists, which can be very emotive. One form of movement that di erentiates the Iranian style of dance from other styles that also use arms and hands is the use and curving of the spine. e combination of the arm, hand and spinal curves is subtle to the eye.

According to Khadem-Ghaeini, the aesthetics of Iranian culture has a lot of curves and a lot of geometry. Many of the shapes in the body that dancers create are very curved, even mirroring

the way Persian calligraphy curves and moves are showing up in dance.

Another important piece of Iranian Persian dancing is learning the history of Iranian culture and sending messages and making statements. With the current revolutions taking place in Iran, Khadem-Ghaeini and her students performed at the University of Denver, choosing songs that relate to the woman-led revolutions.

“When I’m dancing, it’s a much deeper connection to music,” said Khadem-Ghaeini. “It’s not just about trying to hit my body a certain way that that music hits… but the poetry and the music that has like thousands of years of history, that is part of Iranian culture, to me, every time I do a performance is deeply involved for me.”

Being a student at Bella Diva World Dance

Having studied dance since she was a little girl, Elizabeth Buckius has trained in di erent kinds of studios with strict teachers in traditional ballet. She said that Bella Diva is the most welcoming, supportive and caring studio.

Students at the Denver-based studio are of all ages, all orientations and all shapes and sizes. e people bring an electric energy into the studio and by embracing the cultural aspect of the different styles of dance, everyone — from sta to students to the costume designer — has created a strong community

within the walls of the studio, according to Buckius and sta at the studio.

“What makes us unique is also what makes us stronger,” said Brozna-Smith. “We’re able to really learn empathy by putting ourselves in somebody else’s shoes or position and life.”

Along with the positive and supportive energy in each classroom, there is a lot of curiosity as well. e studio focuses on learning about di erent cultures and becoming a global citizen. Buckius said it’s a great way to learn about other parts of the world.

Bella Diva also focuses on being body positive and being a healthy place for dancers. And with such multicultural sta and students at the studio, the studio has become a strong and vibrant community in Denver and internationally.

“We really want to be rooted in the actual traditions that we’re studying,” said Buckius. “So even though we’re here in Colorado, we want to make sure we’re connecting with the actual traditions at the world dance studio.”

YMCA patrons find strength, community during workouts

BY BRUCE GOLDBERG SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Jenny Wood was on a healthy workout schedule. She walked almost daily and occasionally hit the gym.

“But in the last several years, I had orthopedic issues,” said Wood, 63, a retired pediatrician who lives in Denver. “It seemed I was chronically doing rehab and physical therapy.”

Wood has had several surgeries since 2019, including two hip replacements and for injuries caused by breaking a kneecap and a wrist.

She realized she needed to become stronger. Almost-daily walks and occasional visits to the gym weren’t going to be enough anymore.

So she began working out at the University Hills-Schlessman YMCA at 3901 E. Yale Ave. in Denver, and found Amy Ventura, a senior manager for community well-being who’s also been a personal trainer for three years.

“I went to Amy at my husband’s suggestion because he had started (working with) her,” Wood said. “He found Amy to be encouraging and she has a nice way of progressing through di erent exercises that didn’t get really boring.”

Ventura put together a tness program for Wood, who soon felt the bene ts: She was stronger, more energetic and just happier overall. It also helped that Wood felt support, and returned it to more and more YMCA members, fostering a sense of community.

Ventura has seen this dynamic numerous times: Frequent workouts helped members make acquaintances and gain encouragement.

“You can witness a change in people, often from the start of a ses-

sion to the end of it. People often report they feel better, or their mood feels better, from when they started a session,” said Ventura, 43. “My colleagues also report that when you work with someone over time, you often see them build con dence, and they’re proud of doing what they’re doing, proud of what they’re accomplishing.”

She notes that science is also involved.

“When we move our bodies, we release chemicals such as serotonin and endorphins that help improve our mood and ward o depression,” Ventura said.

Disease prevention is another bene t.

“We have clients who have prevented cardiovascular disease,” Ventura said. “We have patients who are preventing (other) chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, through exercise.”

e sense of community also helps because “some people want to be to be active with their grandchildren and children,” Ventura said.

Wood and her husband, Vern Berry, are training for a bicycle tour along the Danube River between Germany and Austria.

All the sweat and pushing of weights, and seeing familiar faces on each visit, help build a community mood. People returning to their gyms now following the pandemic has also contributed to the community factor. e YMCA has many tness programs, such as a free personal wellness plan, access to tness equipment, tness classes, yoga classes, tness workshops, yoga, TRX, Women on Weights, Pilates and more.

ere’s also the Power Your Potential program, which is a 12-week group training experience for people who want the social support to stay motivated and accountable in attaining their tness goals.

“I certainly have better respect for my body and what it can do,” Wood said. “I’ve de nitely gotten stronger and I see the improvements that I need to see in my body.”

“On a smaller scale, I see myself as part of Jenny’s community, part of her support network. I think we all need to take care of ourselves in the best way possible,” Ventura said. And “it does seem that people are consciously making the connection (of exercise and solving depression) more.”

Jenny Wood works out at the University Hills-Schlessman YMCA in Denver.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE YMCA OF METRO DENVER

From Cañon City crime reporter to your editor: my 10-years so far as a journalist

Th e other day, I was bingewatching some “Dateline” reruns and one of the episodes that came on was about a story that I had also covered early in my career.

It was about a man whose first wife died suspiciously when a car fell on top of her as she was changing a tire. A judge ruled it was an accident – and questions arose when the man was accused (and later convicted) of murdering his second wife while hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.

It got me thinking about all the stories I’ve told and edited through my years as a journalist. Then it dawned on me that I have a special anniversary this month. July marks a decade as a full-time journalist.

The prelude to my career was a short internship under the guidance of Rowena Alegria, who was the editor and publisher of the now-folded Viva Colorado newspaper. Alegria is still serving the community as the founder and director of the Denver Office of Storytelling. Then there was my three-month internship abroad in Madrid, Spain, in which I wrote for a small website company that helped people settle abroad. On my return, my journalism career began in earnest, in the summer of 2013, in Cañon City, Colorado. Wow, I got to cover some interesting stories right from the start. I

FROM THE EDITOR

to Dr. David VanSickle, the neurosurgeon who performed my dad’s deep brain stimulation surgery to alleviate some of his Parkinson’s symptoms.

Christy Steadman

was the cops-andcrime reporter for the Cañon City Daily Record. No, I did not tour the “Alcatraz of the Rockies’’ in Florence, but I reported my fair share of county court proceedings, including some heinous crimes, ranging from arson and theft to rape and murder. My friends in Denver always asked me to bring them newspapers when I visited because the true crime I reported on was up to par with anything fictional. Though I loved my job in Cañon City, I had a hard time making friends out there, with it being a small town and most of the people I was exposed to were those in the courthouse being accused of some sort of felonious criminal activity. So, after about a year, I found out that Colorado Community Media was hiring a reporter for the Highlands Ranch Herald. I applied, got the job, and came back to the Denver area.

Highlands Ranch was full of great stories, as it is today. I vividly remember covering a pink chair painting effort for breast cancer awareness. I also met a Holocaust survivor. And, I did a story about the woman who ultimately led me

Then I moved to my next adventure, reporting for another CCM newspaper, the Golden Transcript. I fell in love with Golden, and have so many fond memories, from Buffalo Bill Days and Colorado Whitewater’s kayak rodeos to the Candlelight Walk and holiday parades. Of course, there was also a good dose of news from city council and planning and zoning issues. I covered the discovery of Baculite fossils during the Linking Lookout road construction project. I got to know a lot about Golden’s small businesses and breweries, local Sherpas (during the April 2015 Nepal earthquake), county issues and the history of the Transcript on its 150th anniversary. I recall the opening of a time capsule and putting newspapers with my stories in it for the next time it’s opened. And there’s more. I flew in a WWII fighter jet, reported on the USA Pro Challenge’s inaugural women’s cycling race, and covered Coors, skate park renovations, the Golden Lions Club, Colorado School of Mines. I could go on and on.

Then came another opportunity when the former editor of CCM’s monthlies (Life on Capitol Hill

and Washington Park Profile) announced she was moving out-ofstate. I was encouraged to apply and it was probably the hardest decision I’ve made thus far in my career because it meant leaving Golden. But, ultimately, I did so for three main reasons: 1) I already knew I loved Denver. Who doesn’t?

2) I would get to learn new skills as an editor. And, 3) I was staying local, so I could visit Golden anytime I wanted.

Little did I know that COVID was on its way and three months later, would lock down the entire world.

Denver welcomed me with socially-distanced open arms, as only Denver could. It’s exciting to be celebrating my 10 years with readers of Life on Capitol Hill and the Washington Park Profile. It’s fun to share the stories of the local artists and authors whose works offer joy and education to all. I enjoy learning about the nonprofits that work tirelessly to make Denver be the best that it can be. I love telling the stories of neighbors who care so deeply about their community.

And I’m looking forward to the many more stories to come — and always welcome tips from you.  Being a journalist is the best job there is, in my opinion, because it’s everything one could ask for in a career. It’s rewarding. It’s challenging. It’s exciting. I wouldn’t change it for anything.

Bringing experienced Coloradans back to campus to explore what’s next

Most people think of college as a place to go at the beginning of your career. e University of Colorado Denver is reimagining higher education as a place for people at the end of their primary working years as well.

A new CU Denver program called Change Makers brings experienced professionals who are approaching,

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or already in, retirement back to college for a semester to explore possibilities, retool and renew their purpose.

Midlife is lled with transitions, not all of them easy. e good news is that at this stage of life, people’s experience, skills and wisdom have never been greater — or more needed in the world.

New options for a new life stage

Longer lifespans due to health advances in the last century have led sociologists to de ne a whole new life stage — an average of an extra 30 years after the family-raising,

LINDA SHAPLEY Publisher lshapley@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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profession-building years. Yet careers are often still expected to end when people are in their 60s, with ripple e ects on those in their 50s.

Choices at this stage have traditionally been full-time work or fulltime leisure. But many people are now looking at retirement di erently than previous generations did; they want something in between.

Some need to continue earning a salary. Others are interested in staying engaged, and in giving back to their communities. is represents a huge untapped resource for our community.

Here is where higher education

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is beginning to step in. e CU Denver Change Makers program, in particular, helps older adults explore possibilities for using their wisdom in a new, ful lling context.

Inaugural program concludes

Changing careers can be tumultuous, especially for those at midlife and beyond. It helps not to go it alone. at’s what the rst Change Makers participants found. For one semester beginning in January, they learned and collaborated with others to explore their next chapters.

SEE CHANGE, P9

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.

Email letters to csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com

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

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Michelle Marks

Navigating summer vacation with kids: survive or thrive?

Summer break is upon us. For parents, this means a muchneeded break from cramming activities and school into a day that simply doesn’t contain enough hours, and a break from the school emails that add even more to your to-do list. For kiddos, a break from homework and early wake-up times. However, the prospect of keeping kids entertained and maintaining some semblance of order can be overwhelming. Add in trying to navigate camp registration mayhem that rivals getting tickets to Taylor Swift, only to then have to put all of those moving pieces into one streamlined and e cient calendar — well, it’s a lot, and frankly doesn’t always feel like that much of a break. Ensure your family thrives this summer (not just survives) with the helpful tips below.

The power of routines

During the school year, kids thrive on the structure provided by their daily routines. Summer vacation disrupts this structure, potentially leading to restlessness and boredom — and I think it’s safe to say that hearing “I’m bored” from your kids can be triggering.

Start and end each day with a consistent wake-up time and

bedtime. Keep hygiene routines the same. e more these routines stay somewhat similar to the school year, the less adjustment and struggles you’ll have getting back into the swing of things in the fall.

Divide the day into structured time blocks for various activities. is can include dedicated time for learning, outdoor play, creative activities, quiet time and family time. Setting aside speci c times for di erent activities provides a sense of consistency as well as regular scenery changes. Having these blocks doesn’t mean you have to have activities to ll every minute. Give kids some ownership of how to ll the time via a weekly family meeting to plan the upcoming week. Less mental load for parents and more engagement from kids equals a win-win.

Maintaining regular meal times is also a huge help in creating a summer routine. Meal planning can be a lot, even when parents aren’t having to plan three meals a day plus snacks, but giving your kids an opportunity to contribute to the meal plan is a great way to lighten the load. Tired of hearing, “I don’t like that?” Have everyone put their favorite meals in a jar so you can just grab and plug them in, depersonalizing the choice and minimizing disagreements.

Engaging activities for summer

Make the most of the warm weather by engaging in outdoor activities. Like recess, but di erent. Plan family hikes, picnics or visits to local parks. Encouraging kids to

explore nature, go for bike rides, take ownership of daily dog walks, play in the water — anything to get outside and enjoy some Vitamin D. If there are struggles to decide what to do, using the same meal option trick works well as the element of surprise overcomes complaints — hopefully.

Summer vacation doesn’t mean learning should take a backseat. Make a bucket list of local museums, libraries or science centers to visit. Game nights for some quality non-screen time also keeps minds sharp. You’ve heard of chore charts, but reading charts in the summer are a great option, too. A throwback to Pizza Hut Book-It, anyone? I’m an especially huge fan of journaling to capture the day, and highly suggest making a point to capture some gratitude as well.

Set up a designated art area at home where kids can paint, draw or engage in crafts. We say the mess is worth it — mostly, unless slime is involved!

When it’s too much

We live in a world of doing it all at all costs, and the reality is we need to shift that narrative. Asking for help is OK. Taking a break is OK. Not doing everything on your list is OK. Need a quick self-care moment or run errands sans kids? Form a

baby-sitting co-op. Babysitters are saviors, but they also come at a cost and can be hard to nd. One solution is to form a co-op with friends or neighbors.

Reading this and still wondering where you’ll nd all the time? We get it, we highly recommend checking out TULA — your personal assistant and/or personal chef at the touch of a button, ready to take over your to-do list so you can focus on the fun.

Survive or thrive?

There will be days, even hours, when it feels like you’re both surviving and thriving in equal, and sometimes less-than-equal parts, and that’s OK. Navigating summer vacation with kids can be a joyful and rewarding experience when approached with the right mindset, but it’s totally normal to feel overwhelmed, too. Give yourself a break, give your kids a break. Giving grace, leaning into flexibility and shooting for a bit of balance will serve everyone well and make for a summer of fun and memories.

Megan Trask and Cody Galloway are Denver residents and co-founders of TULA Life Balanced. Learn more about their business at tulabalanced.com.

With professional backgrounds ranging from engineering and law to journalism and teaching, these 17 Change Makers fellows had honed a range of skills and talents. ey came to the program ready for a change — to use that hard-earned expertise in new ways, for new jobs or meaningful volunteering. And they left with new perspectives, friends and ideas for envisioning and plotting their next step.

On campus, again

e group met twice a week, inperson and virtually. Drawing on readings, group discussions and guest-speaker presentations, they looked at what’s worked and hasn’t in their lives, what’s made the encore years meaningful for others, and the pathways, obstacles and opportunities they face in designing a meaningful next chapter. One fellow told us that part of the power of the program is the collective connections that participants o er each other.

Fellows engaged with guest speakers on topics ranging from personal storytelling to combatting ageism to the power of intergenerational connection. ose who also audited academic classes — from modernist art to human-centered design — were inspired by interesting professors and the diversity of thought that comes from learning with a mixed-age group.

ey told us the program helped spark ideas and new ways of thinking about their next chapter. And they’re already planning to continue meeting monthly to keep the conversation going.

e program is now accepting applications for the fall semester that begins in August.

Providing participants with the time, space and support to think about what they want next is something universities have traditionally done for people at the start of their careers. Why not later in life as well?

Michelle Marks is the chancellor of the University of Colorado Denver. Learn more about the Change Makers program at ucdenver.edu/ change-makers.

already doesn’t? journalist

as anytime

was only

A Saturday in Washington Park

Warm weather has arrived at last, drawing yogis, paddleboaters and basketball players to Washington Park

Photos by Tim Collins

Garry Appel left a 36 plus-year career as a corporate lawyer to practice and teach yoga. In the summertime, his Saturday morning vinyasa yoga class in the Smith Lake Boathouse attracts up to 100 flexible “yogis,” as Appel describes his students.

Local talent turns out for pick-up basketball in the western section of the park. Two larger, improved basketball courts replaced the park’s old courts four years ago. The city of Denver hopes to transform the old courts into a picnic area overlooking the lake.

On a breezy day, energetic boaters pedal their way across Smith Lake’s 17 rippling acres of water. Pedal boats can be rented at a marina near the boathouse. The lake also attracts stand-up paddleboarders and many anglers on the hunt for trout, yellow perch and largemouth bass.

Humans are not the only ones who enjoy picnics on the shores of Grasmere, the southernmost lake in Washington Park. When lunch is over, this furry, four-legged visitor may well opt for a splash in nearby Smith Ditch, a historic canal that supplies water to the both park lakes and the Lily Pond, a children’s fishing hole.

Smith Ditch meanders through Washington Park, enticing park visitors for a stroll along its grassy banks.

A space for BIPOC moms to discuss parenting

The Black Millennial Mom Podcast wraps up season one

BY CHANCY J. GATLIN-ANDERSON SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

At the height of the pandemic in 2020, Denver-based radio personality Mercedes Howard was pregnant with her rst child. She was living in Denver, but most of her family was in California where she grew up.

Like many people around the world during quarantine, Howard found the experience isolating and lonely. On top of the uncertainness that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, Howard was trying to maneuver her rst pregnancy journey without a support system and was feeling scared about the future. erefore, she often turned to TikTok and Google for pregnancy and parenting advice. She found that many pregnant millennial women her age were going through the same struggle. is sparked the idea for Howard to begin a podcast that focuses on millennial moms of color.

“Many millennial mothers I have met are the rst in their inner circle to actually have a child, and their

relationships with close friends has now become distant, leaving them

to feel more alone,” said Howard. “Other moms I know are struggling with the internal feeling of not being able to provide in the current economy — some being single and having to do a balancing act with parenting, work and sometimes school. In my opinion, the pressure that I have seen in this generation for moms has essentially increased e Black Millennial Mom Podcast promotes discussion about parenting, pregnancy and millennial

“When we create spaces where moms in BIPOC communities share their experiences and assist each other along the way, we nurture greater access to valuable tools and support systems that bene t so many parents and caregivers across Colorado,” said Wendy Allen, manager of Rocky Mountain PBS Kids, in Howard wanted to bring her personal Black experience to the podcasting world. So instead of creating just another mommy-centric podcast, she wanted to create a space for BIPOC women to have safe, informative discussions on issues that are prevalent in the community.

The Black Millennial Mom Podcast host Mercedes Howard, also known as “Ya Girl Cedes” on THE DROP 104.7, at home with her son Kyrie. COURTESY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN PUBLIC MEDIA

Mile High Happenings is a monthly column featuring community events in Denver, highlighting events in the central and central-south neighborhoods covered by the Washington Park Profile and Life on Capitol Hill newspapers.

Event submissions from community members and local organizations are welcome. Submissions should include brief details about the

June 9-Aug. 13

Code Blue: The Ocean

Time: Gallery hours: 1-4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, 5-9 p.m. First Fridays, 5-8 p.m. Third Fridays.

Location: Niza Knoll Gallery, 915 Santa Fe Drive, Denver.

Cost: Free.

Running in conjunction with National Ocean Month, “Code Blue: e Ocean” is an exhibition featuring artwork inspired by the ocean, marine life and coral reefs. It is a collaboration of seven local artists: Victoria Eubanks, Judy Gardner, Deborah Jang, Shari Regenbogen, Bonnie Ferrill Roman, Rik Sargent and Caitlin Zeller. A meet the artists reception takes place from 5-8 p.m. June 16. Conversation and stories about coral reefs with Shari Regenbogen Ross, an artist and coral crusader, takes place from 2-3 p.m. Aug. 6.

More information/reservations: nizaknollgallery.com

“Coral Reef” by Rik Sargent. Photo courtesy of an online press kit from Niza Knoll Gallery.

July 9 and Aug. 6

Streets Denver

Time: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Location: Broadway from Alameda to 20th Street, and Welton Street from 20th Street to Five Points.

Cost: Free.

Being put on by the Downtown Denver Partnership and the City and County of Denver, this new, family-friendly event entails closing about 3.5 miles of Broadway and Welton Street so people can enjoy local neighborhoods, businesses and entertainment while walking, biking, rolling, jogging, scooting and dancing in car-free streets. ¡Viva! Streets Denver dates are May 14, June 4, July 9 and Aug. 6. More information/reservations: vivastreetsdenver.com.

event and a photo or event logo. Deadline is the 20th of each month for the event to be listed the following month. Submissions can be emailed to Christy Steadman at csteadman@coloradocommunitymedia.com.

For more Mile High Happenings, visit lifeoncaphill.com or washparkprofile.com.

July 21

Candlelight concert: A

Tribute to Selena at St. Cajetan’s

Time: 6:15 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Location: St. Cajetan’s on Auraria Campus, 101 Lawrence Way, Denver.

Cost: $35-$60

Candlelight concerts are a multisensory live music experience. is one will feature the music of Selena performed by e Adelaide Band. e concert is for ages 8 and older, and attendees younger than 16 must be accompanied by an adult.

More information/reservations: feverup.com/en/denver/candlelight Image courtesy of the Candlelight Concerts in Denver webpage on the feverup.com website.

July 20 and July 21-23

Colfax Indie Bash andIndependents Day

Time: Varies.

Location: Colfax Avenue in Denver.

Cost: Free.

There are two events that celebrate everything local that are happening on Colfax Avenue from July 20-23. The weekend will kick with Colfax Indie Bash from 6-9 p.m. July 20 at Bruz Off Fax, 1495 York St. in Denver. This event will highlight food and drinks from local businesses, live music, art and the annual Characters of Colfax awards. This is a free event, but RSVPs are required. Independents Day takes place July 21-23. This event includes local businesses offering specials and promotions, pop-ups from local artists and performers, and a scavenger hunt that provides a tour of the latest public art.

More information/reservations: colfaxave.com/ independents-day

Jul 21-Aug. 10

Visible Planets: Renowned Rappers and their Visual Art

Time: Varies.

Location: Bitfactory Gallery, 851 Santa Fe Dr., Denver.

Cost: Free entry for the art show, concert tickets sold separately. is show is the brainchild of Denverbased visual artist Dan Drossman and rapper Homeboy Sandman of New York, and features a variety of artists and rappers for a two-day event that includes an art show and concert. e free opening reception for the art show takes place at 6 p.m. July 21. e main two-day event takes place beginning on Aug. 4 with the free Visible Planets Art Show Artist Reception from 6-9 p.m. at Bitfactory Gallery. e Visible Planets Hip-Hop Show takes place at 8 p.m. Aug. 5 at Herman’s Hideaway, 1578 S. Broadway, in Denver. Concert tickets cost $35 if purchased in advance and $40 on day of show. Tickets can be purchased online at HermansHideway.com. e concert is an 18+ event. e event is sponsored by KGNU, Artist Proof Collective, Abstract Denver and Ashley Garrett. More information/reservations: bitfactory.net; @ visibleplanets2023 on Instagram

“Airport” by Aesop Rock. Photo courtesy of an online media kit.

July 22-23

Colorado Dragon Boat Festival

Time: The festival takes place from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on July 22, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 23. Race start time is 8 a.m.

Location: Sloan’s Lake Park, 5055 W. 17th Ave., Denver.

Cost: Free.

e Colorado Dragon Boat Festival is an annual event in its 23rd year celebrating Asian and AsianAmerican heritage. In addition to the boat races, the festival will include live art demos, three stages of performing arts and live music, the Asian Marketplace featuring a variety of vendors and crafts, and the Taste of Asia food vendor booths.

More information/reservations: cdbf.org

Image courtesy of the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival’s website. Artwork by Jamison “Jamey” Padilla.

July 29

Denver Arts & Venues Cultural Runway Series: FashionAbility

Time: 7 p.m.

Location: McNichols Civic Center Building, 144 W. Colfax Ave., Denver.

Cost: VIP $44.80; General Admission Rows 2-3 $25.40; General Admission Standing $8.80 (as listed on tix.axs.com)

is Cultural Runway Series fashion show will highlight clothing designed with ability and disability in mind. It will showcase designs by Lexie Bader, Rachael Levine and Rob Hill. A Vendor Market is included, which will feature o erings by artists and designers with disabilities. is fashion show coincides with the “Vibrant Accessibility” exhibit, which is free and open to the public, and runs through Aug. 27.

More information/reservations: mcnicholsbuilding.com

Image courtesy of the Denver Arts & Venues Cultural Runway Series’ webpage.

July 29

History Colorado’s Tours and Treks: The Wonders of the Whittier Neighborhood Walking Tour

Time: 9-11 a.m.

Location: Whittier neighborhood in Denver.

Cost: $40 nonmembers, $30 for members.

is walking tour will explore Denver’s Whittier neighborhood and the numerous changes of its cultural and economic makeup over the decades. It is a moderate walking tour that includes about two miles on streets, easy trails and climbing stairs. Attendees will provide their own transportation to the starting location.

More information/reservations: historycolorado.org/toursand-treks

Aug. 4-6

Denver Days

Time: Varies.

Location: Multiple.

Cost: Free.

July 29-30

VegFest Colorado

Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 29, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 30

Location: Tivoli Quad on Auraria Campus, 1000 Larimer St., Denver.

Cost: Varies (daily, weekend and weekend VIP passes available)

VegFest Colorado celebrates “plant-based living, respect for our planet, sustainability and kindness toward our fellow earthlings,” states its website. is all-vegan event will feature more than 100 vendors and no animal products of any kind will be sold, served or sampled.

More information/reservations: vegfestco. com

Logo courtesy of the VegFest Colorado website.

Aug. 1

History Colo- rado: Colorado Day!

Time: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Location: History Colorado Center, 1200 N. Broadway, Denver.

Cost: Free.

History Colorado is inviting the community to a free, family-friendly event to celebrate the state’s 147th birthday. (Colorado entered the Union on Aug. 1, 1876.) e carnivalesque celebration will include arts and crafts, live music, snacks, alpacas and much more.

More information/reservations: historycolorado.org

Image courtesy of the event’s page on History Colorado’s website.

Getting its start about 11 years ago, Denver Days is a time for neighbors to connect and get to know each other. Events take place across the city and can include block parties, community picnics and small-area service projects, for example. ose wanting to host a Denver Days event must register their event by July 21. (Permit fees for park picnics and block parties are waived.) ose wanting to attend a Denver Days event can nd a list of registered events on the webpage below.

More information/reservations: tinyurl.com/DenverDays2023

Logo courtesy of the Denver Days 2023 webpage on the city’s website.

BY DEB HURLEY BROBST DBROBST@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Search-and-rescue dogs embody the mail carrier motto: “Neither snow, nor rain nor gloom of night” will keep these trusty canines from their appointed rounds — searching for people or items with single-minded purpose.

For the dogs and their trainers who are part of the Colorado branch of SARDUS — Search and Rescue Dogs of the United States — training is a weekly, if not daily, endeavor to prepare dogs to certify in an area of search and rescue or to keep the dog’s skills sharp after certi cation.

“ e training continues for life,” said Cathy Bryarly, a retired Boulder sheri ’s deputy who trains search-and-rescue dogs. “ is has to be part of your life. It goes way beyond a hobby,

or it’s not going to work. It’s a calling.”

SARDUS members agree that it’s a labor a love based in their strong resolve to help others. Not only do the dogs and their handlers train multiple times a week, enlisting family and friends to hide, so the dogs have someone to search for, but handlers also attend seminars on a variety of topics and work together by laying trails for others to follow.

Trainers are always learning, so they can improve their canines’ ability to help in emergency situations.

Search-and-rescue dogs and their handlers are not paid; in fact, handlers spend a lot on the dogs, the equipment, the training and more. e goal is to be certi ed to go on missions, the term for helping law enforcement nd people, bodies or objects needed in an investigation.

Call the people trainers or handlers, but

more importantly, they’re dog lovers who want to work as a team with their pets to help others.

The humility of training e trainers say it simply: Training their canines is humbling.

“Our dogs don’t make the mistakes,” Anjie Julseth-Crosby of Morrison said. “We do. ere’s so much to remember. e training is about me trying to understand what (the dogs) are saying. e human fails, not the dog.”

In fact, Julseth-Crosby, who started training her bloodhounds two years ago, has compiled a 19-page document called “ ings I wish I knew two years ago.”

Training involves having a dog follow a scent for several miles, helping the dog return to the

SEE DOGS, P15

TYPES OF SARDUS CERTIFICATIONS

• Trailing: Dogs who can find scents by putting their noses to the ground.

• Air scenting: Dogs who find scents by putting their noses into the air.

• Avalanche: Some dogs are good at smelling human scents through snow.

• Water: Some dogs are good at smelling human scents through water.

• Disaster search: Dogs can smell through debris to find people.

• Human remains: Dogs can be certified to find human remains.

• Wilderness: A type of trailing in remote areas.

• Urban and suburban: Looking for missing children or older adults in cities.

scent trail if needed and rewarding the dog when it nds the person or item it is directed to follow.

Training can be messy as canines follow the scent wherever it takes them over all sorts of terrain in all kinds of weather.

Julseth-Crosby said the number of hours can be whatever trainers can put in, but at a minimum eight hours a week, and some weeks, she trains or prepares for training as much as 40 hours a week.

The right breed

While just about any breed of dog can become a search-and-rescue dog, bloodhounds, shepherds and retrievers are the typical dogs people think of, but other breeds — if they have the nose for the work — can be certi ed.

“It works better to start with a breed that is bred to do this,” Bryarly said. “In fact, there are some breeders who breed speci cally search-and-rescue dogs. But sometimes you nd a dog that is good at this, and it’s a breed you never would have guessed could do this work.”

e most important thing, Bryarly said, is the bond that the dog and handler have with each other.

“People have told me over the years that they are amazed at something their dog does,” she said. “People think they are the smart ones, but the dog is the smart one. We are just trying to keep up with them.”

Starting early

Training starts early — when pups are a few weeks old.

“Start with a dog who has a high drive,” Bryarly said. “A high-drive dog is always busy and always wanting something to do. If that energy is not channeled right away, the pup will tear your house apart.”

Most canines prefer one of two types of rewards: food or toys. Once you gure that out, then trainers must convince the dog to do what they want

the pup to do for the reward. It begins with what is called a puppy run-away, where you get the pup to run after a person, and when the pup nds the person, the pup gets a reward. at transitions to following a scent to nd a person.

“It’s just a matter of making it harder and harder to the point where a dog is searching 120 acres for one person or that trailing dog is following a 24-hour-old scent through a subdivision,” Bryarly said.

No matter what or who the dog is nding, it must go to it, stay there, lay down and point its nose, so the handler knows the dog is saying that the item or person is there.

Dogs cannot certify to be searchand-rescue dogs until they are at least 18 months old, but it usually takes two years or more for the rst certi cation, Bryarly said.

“Search-and-rescue dogs that are out in the public have to be just perfect,” Bryarly said. “ ey have to stay focused and not get distracted by other dogs, animals or people.”

Getting involved irty years ago, Julseth-Crosby made a pledge that she would own

a bloodhound and train it to be a search-and-rescue dog. at’s because Ali Berelez, 6, who had been kidnapped and murdered in 1993, was found four days after her abduction by bloodhound Yogi.

Julseth, at that time a single parent with a 6-year-old, felt kinship with Ali’s family. However, as a full-time teacher, Julseth-Crosby decided to wait to train when she retired in 2021. True to her word, she began training her bloodhounds Bruno and Miley.

Niamh Coleman of Nederland was looking for something to do with her dogs, thinking it was a casual pastime. Now search-and-rescue dog training is closer to an obsession.

Melanie Weaver of Lafayette knew her dog, Lego, a German shepherd, needed a job to have a ful lling life, and Weaver was looking for something practical. Little did she know that training Lego would be a multiple-day-a-week job.

Jayne Zmijewski, who taught outdoor skills to rangers most of her life, said search-and-rescue dogs were a natural progression. She’s had four search-and-rescue dogs in the last 30 years, most recently her chocolate Labrador Kodi.

Teresa Verplanck of Bailey is training Lilo, a border collie mix, for wilderness searches. She called the SARDUS group she trains with wonderful, and trainers and dogs have become a big family.

Jake Udel, who lives near Rustic, Colorado, is a volunteer firefighter and medic, and he trains his dog, Java the Mutt, a Czech shepherd, “for the love of dogs, helping people and the activity.”

Udel figures he’s been on 75 to 100 missions since he certified his first dog in 2005.

SARDUS

SARDUS, one of several searchand-rescue dog organizations in the country, helps smaller organizations test and certify dogs. To get the trailing or air-scent certification, which is usually the first certification a dog earns, the canine must follow a 24-hour-old trail to find a person. SARDUS only works with law enforcement, so a person cannot request a searchand-rescue dog.

Bryarly said about 30 dogs in Colorado are certified by SARDUS with most of them trailing dogs — the most of any organization in the country.

Membership in SARDUS is $25, and some people join who don’t own dogs, but they want to help in other ways such as creating tracking trails or hiding from dogs, Bryarly said.

Trainers must be physically fit since they follow their dogs through all sorts of terrain, plus they take classes such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s incident command courses, so they understand the structure of incidents and managing evidence.

For the SARDUS trainers, the work is definitely a passion.

“If you think of it as work, you won’t do it for 20 years,” Udel explained. “You have to adopt the (search-and-rescue) lifestyle. It’s a life-and-death commitment for some people — certainly the people we are looking for.”

Jayne Zmijewski and her chocolate Labrador Kodi take a break from training.

PHOTO BY DEB HURLEY BROBST

BY CHRISTY STEADMAN CSTEADMAN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Polly Coleman donned a huge smile as she walked into Saint Joseph Hospital to begin her volunteer shift.

Coleman celebrated her 97th birthday the day before. But as she entered the hospital on June 20, about 30 sta and volunteers gathered to celebrate her for a di erent milestone — Coleman had completed 20,000 hours of volunteer work at the hospital over the course of 32 years.

“Volunteers are a big part of what we do here at the hospital,” said Yusuf Hassan, director of volunteers and guest services for the hospital. “She believes in our mission (and) she loves giving back.”

Coleman, of Broom eld, started volunteering at the hospital in Denver’s City Park West neighborhood because she knew she wanted to stay active and involved after retirement. Also, her dad had a friend that was chief of surgery at the time.

So, she began in 1991. Since then, Coleman has volunteered in the surgery waiting room, as a board member, as an event co-chair, as a mentor and trainer, and much more.

Hassan recalled that Coleman loves serving at the hospital so much that during the COVID-19 shutdowns — when nobody but patients and sta were allowed in hospitals — Coleman was one who called every day asking when she’d be able to come back.

Currently, Coleman spends two days a week in the hospital’s gift shop. “It’s because of love,” Coleman said. “I love what I do.”

Supporting Saint Joseph Hospital has become somewhat of a tradition for Coleman’s family, as there are three generations who dedicate time. Coleman’s granddaughter, Sarah Owen, started volunteering at the hospital when she was 12, simply to be able to hang out with her grand-

to the hospital gives her an additional sense of purpose,” Owen said. “She’s there (in the gift shop) with a smile, getting to know everyone.”

e hospital hosts a variety of volunteers — people who dedicate their time to do everything from communion to pet therapy. e hospital has about 162 active volunteers who, combined, provide an average of 1,500 hours per month. is equals the work of nine-and-a-half full-time employees and pay value equivalent to $50,000, Hassan said.

e gift shop is run completely by volunteers, and since 2012, it has invested $1.33 million into the hospital, Hassan said.

He added that while Coleman’s 32 years is the longest out of all the volunteers, there are about 10 who have been volunteering at Saint Joseph Hospital for more than 20 years, and several more who have been volunteering at the hospital for more than 10 years. Nine volunteers are former employees.

e volunteers are “extremely valuable,” Hassan said. “And not only the dollar value. Just their presence alone makes such a di erence.”

Polly Coleman, 97, wears her celebratory tiara as she organizes the stu ed animals in the gift shop at Saint Joseph Hospital, where she currently volunteers. Hospital sta threw Coleman a surprise celebration on June 20 to commemorate her 20,000 hours and 32 years of volunteering at Saint Joseph Hospital.

A crowd of Saint Joseph Hospital’s volunteers, sta and caregivers surround Polly Coleman outside of the gift shop on June 20 to celebrate Coleman’s 20,000 hours of volunteering at the hospital.

PHOTOS BY CHRISTY STEADMAN

Three generations celebrate Polly Coleman’s 32 years of volunteering at Saint Joseph Hospital in Denver. Coleman, center, is pictured with her daughter Dianne Montanari, and her granddaughter, Sarah Owen.

A LETTER TO OUR READERS AND ADVERTISERS

To our supporters:

At Colorado Community Media, we’re proud to be your go-to source of local news and advertising in the rich tapestry of growing communities in the Denver metro area and beyond. In recent weeks, we’ve brought you the news of spring ooding and its a ermath, the growing number of property valuation appeals and celebrations surrounding the Nuggets’ historic win.

We know our subscribers appreciate getting their news in many ways, from digital newsletters to timely updates on our website to printed newspapers delivered to your door. We’re committed to ensuring that continues, even as the media industry evolves and faces challenges.

We recently learned the facility that prints all of CCM’s newspapers, located in Pueblo, will be closing in August. In recent years, as newspaper circulation has declined, the costs associated with printing and distributing newspapers have increased dramatically, forcing press facilities across the country to close or consolidate.

is press closure presents a challenge for us, to be sure, but our commitment to continuing to print the newspapers you depend on remains unwavering. We have not yet identi ed a solution to ful ll the demand starting in August, but we are determined to nd innovative ways to solve it.

And we aren’t alone: We’re working toward a long-term approach by collaborating with partners throughout Colorado. By joining forces, we believe we can identify solutions that not only address this immediate challenge but also provide for future viability.

What does this mean for our subscribers and advertisers? Our goal is to nd a solution that ensures a seamless transition for your reader experience. We are evaluating every available option, and we are committed to keeping you informed as we go through this process.

We’re proud to be part of your community, and we know news plays an essential role in informing, engaging and empowering us. Please consider joining our mailing list, sharing articles, or donating to to help us continue this tradition.

ank you, as always, for your support of local news. We welcome questions and comments, and we’ll be sure to keep you informed in the weeks ahead as we identify a new printer.

Linda Shapley Elizabeth Hansen Shapiro Publisher, Colorado Community Media CEO, e National Trust for Local News

Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s mobile Curiosity Cruiser brings education to all

BY CLARKE READER SPECIAL TO COLORADO COMMUNITY MEDIA

Wh en the Denver Museum of Nature & Science was looking for different ways to engage with the community, staff kept receiving a similar request through its community outreach.

Feedback included statements such as: “We love going to the museum, but we will love it more if it comes to us” and “Can you imagine the museum showing up in our neighborhood like an ice cream truck, but with science?”

“These comments inspired us to explore ways to bring the museum experience directly to the neighborhoods, making it more accessible and convenient,” said Daniel Ville, the museum’s manager for community engagement.

The newly launched Curiosity Cruiser is the museum’s response to these requests. It is a kind of museum on wheels — one that brings activities and education to the inquisitive of all ages.

“There was a massive amalgamation of ideas, prototyping, design, redesign and collaboration, with not just our internal staff and partners,” said Zack Garvin, community event specialist. “We did our homework with the community as well. So, the Curiosity Cruiser was designed for multigenerational groups involving adults and families.”

Currently the Cruiser has three different exhibits to offer visitors: Wonder-osity, Flavorology and Spicy: Revealed. Experts travel with the vehicle to connect with visitors and run the exhibits.

Wonder-osity provides participants with the opportunity to solve a mystery centered on missing hikers, and encourages critical thinking and the power of keeping an open mind. Flavorology immerses participants in the world of the five tastes — bitter, spicy, umami, sweet and sour — to teach about the differences between taste and flavor. And Spicy: Revealed delves into the science behind spicy foods and flavors.

“There are so many basic things that people do all day, everyday with fascinating scientific explanations,” Garvin said. “Our three themes explore how you interact with the world around you and understanding it through the scientific method.”

Designed to be highly mobile and adaptable, the cruiser has already appeared at events such as Adams County Pride, the Juneteenth Music Festival and Denver PrideFest. In addition

Look for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Curiosity Cruiser at these summer events in Denver:

Cherry Creek Arts Festival

July 2: 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Colorado Black Arts Festival (City Park West)

July 7-8: 3-8 p.m.

July 9: 2-7 p.m.

Family Nature Adventure Day at Bluff Lake

July 15: 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Mile High Flea Market

Aug. 6: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Huerta Urbana Farmers Market

Aug. 11: 2-6 p.m.

Cherry Creek Farmers Market

Aug. 19: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Find more information on the cruiser, including stops that are outside of Denver, at dmns.org.

to large community events like these, it can also be brought to smaller-scale happenings like block parties and breweries.

“The activities offered on the Curiosity Cruiser are carefully crafted to ensure they appeal to a wide range of interests and abilities,” Ville said. “From fun personality quizzes to hands-on experiments, the experiences provided are designed to spark curiosity, foster learning and encourage active participation.”

Not only does the cruiser meet residents where they are, it also provides a critical service by demystifying scientific concepts and offering informal ways to learn about complicated concepts.

“Providing everyone with the understanding that you, too, are indeed a scientist — by very definition — can help inspire and foster creativity,” Garvin said.

“Everyone deserves to know just how brilliant they are. If we can come bring that to your neighborhood, all the better.”

It isn’t often that an institution like the DMNS can respond directly to community feedback and meet people exactly where they are, but the Curiosity Cruiser allows the museum to do both.

“The Curiosity Cruiser’s content has been thoughtfully created to address community voices and provide welcoming spaces,” Ville said. “The goal is to leave people with smiles on their faces, fostering a love for learning, and nurturing their curiosity for the world around them.”

Year round, play based programs focusing on social development and academic enrichment for toddlers through Private Kindergarten. Popular Summer Adventure Camps for post Kindergarteners-age 12.

A group of people participate in an activity inside the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Curiosity Cruiser last year.

PHOTO BY JULIO POLETTI/DENVER MUSEUM OF NATURE & SCIENCE

BY TAYLER SHAW TSHAW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

When people think of horses, they might associate them with ranch living, horse racing or recreational riding, but horses can be therapeutic, too.  erapy takes many forms, from physical to mental. Some people travel to a ranch to work with horses as part of the therapeutic process.

Equine-assisted therapy was something Arvada native Kelsey Petitt discovered while studying occupational therapy at Pima Medical Institute in Denver. Having grown up riding horses, it immediately caught her attention.

“I just, kind of, was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the coolest thing ever. I can combine my true passion of horses and really being able to help and assist participants and patients with doing therapy and reaching their functional goals while also having fun with horses and having that relationship,’” Petitt said.

Although she knew immediately that equine-assisted therapy was something she wanted to pursue, she did not do so immediately. Following her schooling and clinical internships, she quickly began working and then had her daughter.

However, in 2021 Petitt, who now lives in Brighton, decided to establish the Brighton-based Prestige erapeutic Equestrian Center, o ering an occupational therapy program that brings the four-legged companions into the practice.

“Now, I’m going on 11 years of being

a therapist and so it’s taken me a little bit of time to get back to, really, what I wanted to do,” said Petitt, who also works as an occupational therapy assistant for a company called erapeutic and Rehabilitative Associates.  Her purpose, like many other therapists incorporating horses into their practice, is clear: “Transforming lives through the therapeutic power of horses.”

Bringing horses into occupational therapy

Occupational therapists help people develop skills so that they can perform day-to-day tasks such as bathing, dressing and eating, as well as techniques to aid in memory and concentration, according to the American

Occupational

erapy Association.

For example, occupational therapists may work on a person’s ne motor skills, such as being able to button a jacket or holding a fork, Petitt said. ey also work on sensory integration, which she said usually comes up when working with someone who is on the autism spectrum.

Another example of work they do is helping someone with their feeding skills, such as for patients with Parkin-

son’s disease who experience a lot of tremors. Improving core strength may also be a focus for patients, such as for someone who struggles to put their shirt on due to a lack of strength.

“ ere’s an array of di erent settings that you can get into in the occupational therapy eld, but I think for me, the equine-assisted movement is just something that I’ve always loved,” she

A young girl works on her skills at the Prestige Therapeutic Equestrian Center.

Therapists describe how they incorporate horses into their practice

Sage is one of the horses at the Prestige Therapeutic Equestrian Center.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF PRESTIGE THERAPEUTIC EQUESTRIAN CENTER

HEALING

said. “Horses are just so therapeutic in general, for anybody.”

e term “hippotherapy” refers to how occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology professionals use equine movement as a therapy tool, according to the American Hippotherapy Association.

To use hippotherapy in treatment, a person must be a licensed therapist who has completed continuing education in the inclusion of horses and equine movement, per the association. Petitt has gotten her rst level of training with the association, and she plans to continue with her training this fall.

However, Petitt explained that she does not refer to herself as a hippotherapist because hippotherapy is not its own therapy.

“We’re not hippotherapists,” she said. “Hippotherapy is utilizing the horse. All of our treatments are either occupational therapy, speech therapy or physical therapy, and we’re just using the horse as a treatment tool, basically.”

With her clients, she said she is working on all of the same therapy interventions that she would be in a therapy gym or in an outpatient program, but instead she’s now doing it by having her clients get onto a horse and incorporating the horse’s movement into the treatment.

“We work o the horse’s pelvis, so their pelvis is very similar to ours,” she

“We’re working on that constantly, so when we have our riders on the horse, they’re also working on that. And it’s one of the most multi-dimensional movement(s) that’s rhythmic and repetitive,” she said.

For someone experiencing conditions such as limited mobility, limited core strength, cognitive delays, or

improve all of those elements,” she said

According to a study published in the international journal, Physiotherapy eory and Practice, there are “signicant positive e ects” of equine-assisted therapy on exercise tolerance, mobility, interpersonal interactions and quality of life of people with disabilities.

Another study focused on the effects of equine-assisted activities and therapies for individuals on the autism

spectrum and concluded that these programs “substantially improve” the social and behavioral functions of people who are on the autism spectrum.

“Communication is pretty key, too … because horses mirror us, so a lot of our participants can learn a lot more speech and communication successfully with the horses, which is really great,” she said.

Petitt has three horses she works with. e horse a client is paired with is dependent on their individual needs, she explained.

“Part of what’s so cool is because we can kind of tailor it to that participant, that patient, and kind of really work on what we need to work on with them,” she said. “ eir postural control, sensory systems, motor planning.”

In a typical therapy gym for occupational therapy, Petitt said there are tools such as a swing, a ball and a mat to use for the session. However, these do not provide the same level of sensory input and rhythmic, consistent movement that equine-assisted therapy can, which she said is great at building overall strength, control and balance.

“We can work in the therapy gym all day but the bene ts and the outcomes that we’re seeing while doing therapy on the horses are just so much more transformative and more meaningful than we can get in the gym,” she said.

Looking ahead, Petitt said she hopes to soon expand her team to include a physical therapist.

“And then I’m really hoping to hire a

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Kelsey Petitt established the Prestige Therapeutic Equestrian Center in 2021.

COURTESY OF PRESTIGE THERAPEUTIC EQUESTRIAN CENTER

speech therapist as well, because riding the horses … there’s so much to do with our respiration rate when we’re riding them,” she said. “What that can do for speech language pathologists is really help with that physiological system of how we talk.”

At the Prestige erapeutic Equestrian Center, Petitt also o ers “therapeutic horseback riding,” which she explained is not a professional therapy service but is rather like a recreational sport where individuals learn riding skills. is experience can, in turn, lead to other bene ts such as helping deal with anxiety.

However, when it comes to getting professional therapy treatment for mental health conditions like coping with trauma, grief, abuse, or other challenging experiences, community members have an equine-based option — the therapists with Rocky Mountain Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, LLC.

Horses and psychotherapy

Carina Kellenberger and Dana Schultz, both licensed clinical social workers who grew up loving horses, established Rocky Mountain Equine Assisted Psychotherapy in 2013.

Schultz, who lives near Superior, and Kellenberger, who lives in Longmont, primarily practice at the Happy Dog Ranch in the Littleton area and at Medicine Horse in Boulder.

“We are licensed clinical social workers that have a trauma-specialty focus in … equine therapy,” Schultz said, explaining they do formal intakes and development clinical-based treatment plans.

ere is a di erence between equineassisted therapy and equine-facilitated therapy, Kellenberger noted.

“When we rst started our business back in 2013, the word ‘equine-facilitated learning and psychotherapy’ did not exist, but that is the work we are doing,” Kellenberger said. “Equine-facilitated psychotherapy and learning means that the horse — the relationship with the horse is the vehicle for change.”

Under the practice of equine-facilitated psychotherapy, it is the client’s relationship and connection with the animal that is moving the sessions forward, she said.

“ e di erence between the learning and the psychotherapy are, like, a lot of the group work is mainly more learning because we’re not really diving into personal issues and we’re keeping it a little more surface level,” Kellenberger said. “But (in) the psychotherapy … we go as deep just like any o ce therapist would.”

Equine-assisted therapy is di erent because while horses are incorporated into the practice, the client’s relationship with them is not the driving force, she said. Rather, the horses are more of a tool component of the therapy.

“ ey might be being used more as a metaphor or as a way to help move through an activity, but they’re not — the relationship with the animal isn’t

the central piece,” she added. “In the facilitated work that we do with our clients, it’s the relationship as the primary drive and the connection with the horse.”

Kellenberger and Schultz may use an equine-facilitated or an equine-assisted therapy approach when treating a client, as it depends on what the client is seeking, Schultz said. Kellenberger added that equine-assisted therapy is bene cial as an assessment tool.

Both Schultz and Kellenberger received certi cation in animalassisted social work from the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Social Work, as well as completed training through the organization Natural Lifemanship in trauma-focused equine-assisted psychotherapy.

“A lot of our clients, they’re coming to us because they’ve experienced trauma, and so we’re making sure that everything that we’re doing is through that lens as well,” Kellenberger said.

Schultz noted their approach is always using a clinical, evidencebased lens and horses are a part of the team. She works with clients to identify their primary goals and the horse becomes their partner in that journey.

“We know that therapy is hard and incredibly personal, and it’s a di cult journey for people to admit, like, ‘Hey, I

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HEALING

need help.’ And so one of the things that we always do is provide our potential clients with a free meet-and-greet,” Schultz said, explaining the person can visit the ranch to meet her and hear the elevator pitch.

“Part of that elevator pitch is recognizing how di cult the therapeutic process and journey can be for some, and that the relationship that you have with the therapist is as important as the relationship that you are going to form with your horse,” she added.

Most of the work during therapy sessions is unmounted, Kellenberger said, explaining the clients may do things like grooming the horse, leading the horse or doing other things that help them feel connected to the horse.

Once sessions begin, Schultz said herself and Kellenberger are skilled at identifying patterns in people’s behaviors.

“We basically say, ‘I’m noticing this pattern. Is it helpful or not?’” Schultz said, explaining they use the identi cation of patterns to build rapport and trust with clients before then delving deeper into working through their trauma.

e trauma a lot of their clients experience is a ecting the way they show up in their human relationships, Kellenberger said.

“Working with the horses — who are prey animals and are highly sensi-

tive and attuned to our intentions, our emotions — they make excellent partners in this work, because they are able to kind of mirror or … show the patterns that people have in the same way that a human would,” Kellenberger said.

Schultz noted that the work being done during these therapy sessions happens in the moment, providing an opportunity for real-time change.

“Our horses … they are not magical unicorn creatures. ey are going to ignore our clients. ey are going to resist,” Schultz said. “And the client is going to, you know, respond or react.

“And that’s kind of what we’re observing and saying, ‘Hey, is this pattern helpful for you? Because it’s happening right here, right now. So, right now, in this moment, you’re feeling frustrated, you’re feeling abandoned, you’re feeling unheard, (or) you’re feeling whatever. What can we do right now in this moment to help shift the way that you’re feeling to a more balanced thought?’” she continued.

ese therapy sessions provide a way for clients to, in a safe space, start to make changes to those patterns and feel more comfortable not only in their relationship to the horse but in their relationships with people, explained Kellenberger.

“ e actual brain starts to change while they’re working with the animal,” Kellenberger said. “And horses are really great at this, also, because they are prey animals. ey are looking for vulnerability and congruence from us because that’s how they keep them-

selves safe in the wild.”

“If a client is really holding back an emotion, they’re being incongruent, you’ll see the reaction from the horse in that way,” she continued. “As soon as … our clients are able to start to be more congruent in their own bodies, that feels very safe for the horse and that’s where the connections really start to form.”

It is through this real-time therapy work with the horse that the clients can begin to learn how to transfer the shifts in their approach into their everyday lives, Schultz explained.

“Having done this for 10 years, I can tell you, we have seen so many clients who come in and they’re like, ‘I’ve tried everything else. Nothing else works,’” Schultz said. “We see clients, I think, for a shorter period of time, I think, on average, than maybe what a traditional talk therapist in an o ce setting would see because it isn’t so retroactive or future-oriented.”

Kellenberger added, “It’s kind of just eye-opening, and it can unlock patterns that people didn’t know that they had that they’ve been working on for years in the o ce. So I would say that the horses are amazing partners because they are so sensitive and they can show us a lot about ourselves pretty quickly.”

Spreading the word

All three therapists expressed a desire to raise awareness of the existence of their practices and how it can help people.

“It’s as good as … any other therapy,

and you don’t need horse experience to do it,” Schultz said. “It’s not just for any speci c type of person.”

Schultz said when she and Kellenberger entered into the industry, it was small and many people did not really understand it.

“ ere were so many people, especially when we were rst getting started, that were just kind of doing backyard therapy that were not therapists,” Kellenberger said, explaining that she and Schultz wanted to put their mental health degrees at the forefront of their work and help the eld gain notoriety.

“Because we were seeing the really great work that can be done when you’re doing it correctly,” she added, advising people to do their research and look for licensed therapists.    Schultz highlighted that this type of therapy is for everyone, saying they have clients ranging from the ages of 7 to 78.

“It’s inspiring. I’m inspired by my clients to, you know, for me to keep my training up, to be the best I can be because they’re showing up to do the hard work,” Schultz said.

In her work in occupational therapy, Petitt shared how powerful it is to see clients transform throughout equineassisted therapy sessions.

“It’s just so cool to see them being able to accomplish the things that they weren’t able to accomplish before,” she said. “Raising awareness of what we do is so important and amazing to help our riders grow.”

“It’s just amazing what horses do for us,” Petitt said. “ ey’re so inspiring.”

PARENTING

“I think it’s important to have Black representation in podcasting because it opens the doors and provides resources to my community that often can be hard to obtain. Black reparation in the mommy sphere, especially in

Colorado, is essential,” said Howard. “Being able to join forces with Rocky Mountain PBS Kids not only showcases the diversity but opens the doors for women like myself to have outlets and resources they might not have been able to find before this.”

The podcast just wrapped up its first season and was a roaring success. Currently, listeners can find the podcast on YouTube, Google

Play, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and the Rocky Mountain PBS Kids website.

Howard expects season two of The Black Millennial Mom Podcast will have deeper conversations and cover more topics. Howard and her team have been working to add more music artists to their lineup of podcast guests. Listeners will also hear from more resources in the parenting atmosphere here in

To learn more about The Black Millennial Mom Podcast, visit Rocky Mountain PBS Kids at rmpbs. org/kids/bmmpodcast/

You can also hear Mercedes Howard on her show, “Chilling With Ya Girl Cedes,” from 10 a.m. to 2:59 p.m. on Denver’s 104.7 The Drop. To learn more about her show, visit thedrop303. org/members/yagirl-cedes/ Follow Mercedes Howard on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @ yagirlcedes

Colorado, including therapists and daycare representatives.

“The reaction behind (The Black Millennial Mom Podcast) has exceeded my expectations,” said Howard. “Women from all over have reached out and given encouraging thoughts and love to me. The conversation about parenting has truly opened my eyes on how everyone’s journey truly does not look the same.”

Mercedes Howard, center, talks with Jay Cain, left, and “Co” Courtney Hysaw about being millennial dads. The two dads were guests on Howard’s The Black Millennial Mom Podcast. COURTESY OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN PUBLIC MEDIA