4-Color
4 The Sentinel
January 30, 2014
YouthRoots aims to change the world Local teens helping out the community By Tammy Kranz
tkranz@coloradocommunitymedia.com Seventeen-year-old Phillip Vo said he always wanted to help others, but wanted to do more than small everyday things like holding open doors. “When I was younger, people would always ask me, `What would you do if you could change the
world?’ but I’ve never heard anyone tell me that they would teach me how to,” said the Thornton teen. Then he discovered YouthRoots, which aims to do just that — teach teenagers how to change the world for the better. Vo and two other Thornton teenagers — Veronica Fernandez, 18, and Lorena Gonzales, 16 — are part of YouthRoots, which helps teenagers define their leadership style, assess community needs, lay out a plan, raise funds and give out
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grants to nonprofits. Fernandez said she was compelled to join the group after hearing YouthRoots founder and executive director, Lacey Books, speak at her school. It was not only about changing lives for a few hours, but about developing our skills to change the world throughout our lives,” she said. “After the few months I have been part of this life-changing program, I am confident that not only is it possible to change the world, but also that age is not and should never be a determinant of one’s ability to do just that.” Books said she founded the organization after realizing that so many people lose their passion to change the world the older they get. “YouthRoots shows the teens that they can change the world now, they can change the world tomorrow,” she said. “We give them the scaffolding and the tools to do just that.” One of the major projects the 15-member group does is raise money for nonprofits. So far the group has given out $20,000 to local nonprofits that included Children’s Outreach Project, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless and Denver Kids Inc. This year, the group aims to raise $10,000. “The 2013-2014 Youth Board narrowed down what current problems are on the rise in the community,” Gonzales said. “We have chosen to fight against gang
Denver Mayor Michael Hancock speaks to YouthRoots about leadership on Jan. 14. Three Thornton teenagers are part of the group that seeks to change the world in positive ways. Courtesy photo by YouthRoots violence, encourage education, help fund mental health research for suicidal teens, and reduce childhood poverty. Although we have not started fundraising yet, we have come up with several ideas we feel would raise the most money.” Some of those ideas include restaurant nights, collaborating with other nonprofits or schools on an event, a dance performance and selling items, Fernandez said.
The teens sift through the grant applications and determine who the finalists are. The group then chooses winners for the grants after the nonprofits give them a presentation. “It’s really something to see these adults asking these teenagers for this money,” Books said. “It’s empowering for them to be able to donate the money.” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock recognized the group on Jan. 14 at the His-
tory Colorado Center and talked to them about leadership. Books said meeting the passionate, hard-working teenagers in the group is an inspiring experience for people. “If you are every worried about the future, come to a YouthRoots meeting, you’re faith in the future will be restored,” Books said. To learn more about YouthRoots, visit www. youth-roots.org.
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Budget guide to foster better financial understanding By Ashley Reimers
areimers@coloradocommunitymedia.com Learning about school finance can sometimes feel like learning a new language. Navigating through a multimillion dollar district budget is not only time consuming, but confusing at best. To help parents and the community better understand these topics, the Adams 12 Five Star School District is now offering an online budget guide. “The budget guide takes information that has always been available and presents it in a manner that fosters a better understanding of a complex subject,” superintendent Chris Gdowski said. The guide will answer questions concerning where the money for the
district comes from, what the money pays for and how the money is used. Shelley Becker, district chief financial officer, said it is no secret that school finance can be very confusing and tough to grapple. She’s hoping with the help of the guide, people can feel more comfortable with school finance and also feel more comfortable asking the district budget questions. “The budget guide is really an important tool to help foster collaborative understanding and knowledge of our district’s finances,” she said. An online survey is also offered after one finishes reading through the guide. Becker said the survey will enable the district to continue to improve the guide over time. She said the district has been working on the guide since August and since the rollout, she’s already had positive feedback
from the community, which is very encouraging. “It was a collective effort from many people in the district to create this guide and it’s really exciting to have a tool like this be provided to our district community,” Becker said. Gdowski said he’s very pleased with the positive response the guide has received already. “Majority of people who read the guide and completed our survey said they now have a better understanding of how the district receives funding and how dollars are used,” he said. The district also created a supplementary two-page summary of the budget guide and a short informational video. The budget guide, summary and video can be found at http://www. adams12.org/financial_accountability/budget.
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