Wheat Ridge Transcript 1204

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December 4, 2014 VOLU M E 31 | I SS UE 23 | 5 0 ¢

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Jeffco kids find forever homes Families recognized for National Adoption Day

THE 10 B’S OF ADOPTION Be OK with all the emotions of today It’s OK to be happy and sad Be together Be a family that celebrates adoption Be a parent with a sense of humor Be loving Be like Elsa from Frozen and let it go Be thankful Be proud Be brave as an adoptive parent — The Mink family

By Amy Woodward

awoodward@colorado communitymedia.com The holidays are a time for bringing families together. And for 22 families in Jeffco, they celebrated the seasonal reunion early during National Adoption Day through Jefferson County Human Services. Twenty-nine children found permanent homes with their longtime committed foster parents on Saturday, Nov. 22. “Today we don’t make families, we recognize families,” said Justice Brian Boatright of the Colorado Supreme Court. “Adoption isn’t an event, adoption is a promise that is acted out over a lifetime.” National Adoption Day started in 2000 when hundreds of children were adopted on a single day which brought awareness to children in need in foster care. Since that time, National Adoption Day has had more than 40,000 children who have been adopted on this special day. Chris and Trivinia Barber who have two biological children and one adoptive child; Miranda, 4 were present on Saturday to adopt Miranda’s sister, Elyse who is 22 months old. “She (Elyse) has a great story in that ad-

dition to Miranda who she is placed with, she has three other siblings that are places in two other adoptive homes,” Trivinia Barber said. “Both of those families are really open to relationship so she gets to see all of her siblings and just really have a life-long relationship with them. It’s really important to us.” The Barbers were influenced to adopt through their church which spotlighted the need for adoption of local children. “I really wasn’t aware of how much need there really was for foster and adoptive kids just locally,” Chris Barber said. The Barber’s church introduced the couple to Project 1.27, a local Christian foster care and adoption services program that helps to train and support foster and adoptive parents. The program has been connecting foster children with families

Noel Mink talks about what its like being an adoptive family with her husband Chris, not pictured, and their two children; Lexi, 6, and Jerimiah, 9, at the Jefferson County Courthouse on National Adoption Day, on Saturday, Nov. 22. Photo by Amy Woodward for nearly 10 years after it was reported in Dec. 2004 that 875 children were legally available for adoption in the Colorado foster care system. Christopher and Noel Mink, along with their children; Lexi, 6, and Jerimiah, 9, spoke about their experiences as being an adoptive family to a large crowd of eager parents and children before their official courtroom appearance. The Mink’s created the 10 B’s of Adop-

tion to help adoptive families through the positive and often trying times of making a family whole. “Jerimiah wrote No. 8, he said it’s OK to be happy and to be sad,” Noel Mink said. “He said being in a foster home is lonely but being adopted gives you people to play with. You might feel sad for other kids still in the foster home but you can be happy that you were adopted.” “Yes, that is true.” Jerimiah said.

Commuter rail cars on display POSTAL ADDRESS

WHEAT RIDGE TRANSCRIPT (ISSN 1089-9197)

OFFICE: 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 PHONE: 303-566-4100 A legal newspaper of general circulation in Jefferson County, Colorado, the Wheat Ridge Transcript is published weekly on Thursday by Mile High Newspapers, 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210, Golden, CO 80401. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT GOLDEN, COLORADO and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address change to: Wheat Ridge Transcript 722 Washington Ave, Unit 210 Golden, CO 80401 DEADLINES: Display: Fri. 11 a.m. Legal: Fri. 11 a.m. | Classified: Mon. 5 p.m. GE T SOCIAL WITH US

New trains at Union Station for viewing By Vic Vela

vvela@coloradocommunity media.com Commuter rail transit is a couple of years away for much of metro Denver, but folks this week can view the high-speed train cars that will soon operate in suburban areas. The 70-ton, 85-foot long commuter cars currently are on display at Denver’s Union Station. There, the public can tour and learn about the Denver area’s soon-to-be newest mode of transit, through Dec. 6. The trains are located on the commuter rail platform, directly behind Union Station, and will be on display 11-7 p.m. each day. The vehicles are among 66 commuter cars that will operate along four new rail lines that have been developed from a Regional Transportation Division FasTracks

project. Three rails will operate beginning in 2016: The East Rail line will connect to Denver International Airport. The Gold Line will travel to Arvada and Wheat Ridge. And the Northwest Rail will serve Westminster. The North Metro Rail Line to Thornton will operate beginning in 2018. “Our community has been looking forward to this happening for a long time,” City of Thornton

spokesman Todd Barnes said of the North Metro Rail Line. “We’re glad to see it starting to happen.” Each commuter car can carry up to 232 passengers. The roomy cars will feature overhead storage areas as well as luggage and bicycle racks. And don’t confuse the commuter cars with the familiar light rail vehicles that have been operating in Denver since the 1990s. Similar to light rail vehicles, the commuter cars will also be pow-

ered by overhead electric lines. But the commuter cars are heavier and are capable of traveling up to 79 miles per hour. The vehicles can go longer distances and will make fewer stops than a light rail system. RTD spokesman Kevin Flynn said he’s not worried about any potential public confusion over the two modes of transit. “The bottom line is it doesn’t really matter what they call it as long as they ride it,” he said.

Hospital awarded for quality Lutheran Medical Center hits high marks Staff Report

P L EA SE R ECYC L E T H I S C OPY

The first four electric commuter rail cars that will be part of the RTD 66-car fleet starting corridor operations in 2016 recently arrived in Denver. Courtesy photo

Lutheran Medical Center announced on Nov. 13 it was recognized as a 2013 Top Performer on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of health care organizations in the United States. Lutheran was recognized as

part of The Joint Commission’s 2014 annual report “America’s Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety,” for attaining and sustaining excellence in accountability measure performance for: heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care. The Top Performer program recognizes hospitals for improving performance on evidencebased interventions that increase the chances of healthy outcomes for patients with certain condi-

tions, including heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, surgical care, children’s asthma, stroke, venous thromboembolism and perinatal care, as well as for inpatient psychiatric services and immunizations. Lutheran is one of only 712 hospitals to achieve the Top Performer distinction for the past two consecutive years. “We understand what matters most to patients at Lutheran is the quality and safety of the care they

receive,” said Grant Wicklund, Lutheran president and CEO, in a statement. “That is why we have made it a top priority to improve positive patient outcomes through evidence-based care processes. Lutheran is proud to be named a Top Performer as it recognizes the knowledge, teamwork and dedication of our entire hospital staff. For more information about the Top Performer program, visit www.jointcommission.org/accreditation/top_performers.aspx.


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