January 28, 2016
Voluntary Contribution
VOLUME 92 | ISSUE 24
PROGRAM
See ad inside for details LakewoodSentinel.com J E F F E R S O N C O U N T Y, C O L O R A D O
A publication of
A DAY FOR THE COMMUNITY
The National Sports Center for the Disabled brought its obstacle course to Lakewood’s Gold Crown Field House on Jan. 18. Josh Thurmond, project manager with the center, encourages students over the low beam. Photos by Clarke Reader
Kaiser Permanente employees volunteer on MLK Day By Clarke Reader creader@coloradocommunitymedia.com In the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Kaiser Permanente employees didn’t have a day off — they had a day on. About 60 employees spent Jan. 18 at Lakewood’s Gold Crown Field House, working with the National Sports Center for the Disabled and some 120 area children with disabilities. “We’re working with kids who have all different levels of abilities and creating a kind of field day for them,” said Maureen McDonald, senior director of community benefit and relations at Kaiser. “We’re really excited to be honoring Martin Luther King Jr. by showing what community service means to us.” The sports center set up a field day obstacle course for the participating children, and staff Volunteers continues on Page 9
COWBOYS UNITE A crowd turned out for the 27th annual Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering, and we’ve got plenty of pictures from the event on PAGE 5.
Seniors struggle to find housing Affordability is crucial issue for Colorado’s aging residents By Clarke Reader creader@coloradocommunitymedia.com
While touring Arvada’s Blackjack Pizza with her Significant Special Needs (SSN) class a few years ago, Kathy Jackson, a para-educator at Arvada West High School, thought: “What if our students could work here?” Now, three days a week, eight of her students travel across 64th Avenue to the pizza parlor and Gluten Free Things bakery, learning essential skill sets that can only be taught outside the classroom. ”We’re trying to do our best to prepare them for the world — whether they’re self-sufficient or need a little help,” said Jana Downing, fellow special needs para-educator. Every day, students in Patti Molholm’s Significant
The senior population is expected to double in the next 20 years, but many may be out of luck when it comes to finding a place to live. “The biggest challenge for this aging population is finding housing they can afford,” said state Sen. Jessie Ulibarri, D-Adams County. “Most folks in the state have experienced the housing crunch. But seniors don’t have a lot of options.” Developers are focused on providing affordable housing along transportation corridors, like Lakewood’s West Rail or W Line, the Gold Line, which is coming through Arvada and the B Line, which would pass through Westminster and Adams County. These projects are all part of RTD’s FasTracks program. The Gold and B lines are part of the 41-mile Northwest Rail Line project from Denver’s Union Station to Longmont. The hope is to provide living options for those looking to make use of multimodal transportation, like at Lakewood’s West Line Flats, which had a groundbreaking on Jan. 21. “This is a dream come true for West Colfax because we can offer this to people of all ages,” said Bill Marino, board member of the West Colfax Community Association. “There is a strong demand for studios and one-bedroom apartments in the area.” West Line Flats is the first all-marketrate apartments along the W Rail, with a cost of $1,100 a month for studio apartments, $1,350 for one-bedrooms and $1,700 for two-bedrooms. Although this kind of development is important, it provides only minimal options for seniors, Ulibarri said. Senior-specific options are coming to these
Youths continues on Page 8
Seniors continues on Page 9
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, volunteers from Kaiser Permanente joined the National Sports Center for the Disabled to bring some fun to Lakewood’s Gold Crown Field House. Volunteers like Dr. Lee Schelonka worked with Kati to help her complete an obstacle course.
Youths with disabilities learn work skills Class takes workforce readiness to a new level in community By Crystal Anderson canderson@coloradocommunitymedia.com
Preparing and folding pizza boxes helps Arvada West junior Hunter Sauer practice math skills while giving him a sense of independence. Photo by Crystal Anderson