August 6, 2015 VOLUM E 127 | IS S U E 2 | 75¢
Festival Guide Inside A R A P A H O E C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
LittletonIndependent.net
WHAT’S INSIDE
Roll out: Microsoft Store hosts Park Meadows concert to promote Windows launch. See Page 5
Dive in: Colorado cuisine has much more to offer than just an omelette. See Page 13
Daniel Rodrigues, 12, tests out his new bike, followed by his little brother, 9-year-old Tristan. Photos by Jennifer Smith
A criterium for a cause
Playing it forward: Englewood team sends equipment to Nicaraguan school. See Page 25
United Healthcare team helps change lives of two boys By Jennifer Smith
jsmith@colorado communitymedia.com POSTAL ADDRESS
LITTLETON INDEPENDENT
(ISSN 1058-7837) (USPS 315-780) OFFICE: 7315 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 603 Centennial, CO 80112 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Littleton, Colorado, the Littleton Independent is published weekly on Thursday by Colorado Community Media, 9137 S. Ridgeline Blvd., Suite 210, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT LITTLETON, COLORADO and additional mailing offices.
“Can I leave now?” asked a very excited Tristan Rodrigues, 9, after patiently answering questions about how new hearing aids had changed his life. Then off he flew on his brandnew bike, donated by the same organization that helped him and his brother, 11-year-old Daniel, hold on to the gift of hearing. “He’d never heard the birds before,” said their mom, Debra. “The help is amazing.” The Rodrigues family has health insurance, but they found out the hard way it often doesn’t cover medical hardware like hearing aids and mobility products. When both boys failed hearing
tests administered at their school, Debra realized there was a problem. “And Tristan would get loud,” she said, another sign of trouble. Doctors suspect it’s a genetic condition, so their little sister, Ellen, will be tested eventually, as well. But with two boys in need of hearing aids, they had to find some help, said Debra. Enter the United Healthcare Children’s Foundation, which provides grants to fill the gap between what a child needs and what their benefit plan will pay for. Tristan and Daniel were selected for the honor because of their “inspiring perseverance in dealing with childhood hearing loss,” said Amber DiGiallonardo, publicist for the foundation. But the boys were just as excited about what was to come next. On Aug. 1, the United Healthcare pro cycling team competed in the Littleton Twilight Criterium, with Bikes continues on Page 4
Wendy Gunther keeps a hand on her son, 17-month-old Carson, as he conquers a ramp set up by The Axel Project,a nonprofit dedicated to introducing and nurturing a lifelong passion for cycling to children and their families.
Blind teens take ‘The Right Step’ Summer job with horses builds youths’ confidence By Jennifer Smith
POSTMASTER: Send address change to: 7315 S. Revere Pkwy., Ste. 603 Centennial, CO 80112
jsmith@colorado communitymedia.com
DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legals: Fri. 11 a.m. Classifieds: Mon. 5 p.m.
PL E ASE RECYCLE T HI S C OPY
Bronwen Tedesco, 16, returns Louie the horse from a trail ride to the stables at Coventry Farms, where she spent two weeks working as part of the Colorado Center for the Blind’s Earn and Learn program. Photo by Jennifer Smith
You might not think it’s a big deal for three teenagers to get a summer job cleaning stables and grooming horses at Littleton’s Coventry Farms, especially when you hear that all three had previous experience riding and taking care of the animals. But does your perception change when you hear that all three are in various stages of blindness? “It’s a real confidence builder to be with this big, large animal and make a connection with them,”
said Dan Burke of the Colorado Center for the Blind, where the kids were part of the Earn and Learn summer program. “I think they learn they can do things here that they didn’t think they could do,” said Cheryl Clossen, who is with The Right Step, a therapeutic riding program that operates out of the rustic Coventry Farms, tucked into a secluded valley southeast of Mineral Avenue and Santa Fe Drive. And that’s the point, said Burke. CCB’s focus is on teaching its students to be independent, and to completely live in the world in any capacity they want. “I like it there a lot,” said Marie Frackiewicz, who volunteers at a horse ranch in her hometown of Horses continues on Page 4