September 10, 2015 VOLUM E 70 | IS S UE 44 | 50 ¢
2015 Festival Guide Inside A DA M S C OU N T Y & J E F F E R S ON COU N T Y, COLOR A D O
A publication of
WestminsterWindow.com
Westminster teen part of national team helping people with disabilities Adriana Gonzales wants to help them find long-term employment By Corrie Sahling csahling@coloradocommunitymedia.com High school students often worry about finding jobs, a challenge even more difficult for those with disabilities. Westminster resident and high school senior Adriana Gonzales wants to help change that by helping bridge the gap between job training and long-term employment for people who have disabilities. “They go through training programs and after that there is no final step to connect them with a job,” said Gonzales, who attends Colorado Connections Academy. Gonzales is part of a group called The Bridge Initiative, launched in summer of 2014 by a group of high school students from throughout the country. Founder Russell Reed is a senior in San Diego. The organization is working on launching the project in Chicago because three team members live there and initial relationships have been made in the area.
Adriana Gonzales, a Westminster resident and Colorado Connections Academy senior, is working with a nationwide team of other high school students to launch a program called The Bridge Initiative. The program is designed to bridge the gap between job training and long-term employment for people with disabilities. Courtesy photo The team is working with a local program to find the best fit as far as employment for those in need. “Once we’re situated there,” Gonzales said, “we want to move this to more cit-
ies.“ The project is still working to get off the ground and, Gonzales said, communication is key. “We communicate closely with our
smaller teams and we Skype once a week with everyone,” said Gonzales, who is part of the public relations team. Being so spread out, the team has to trust everyone is doing his or her work. “It can be challenging at times,” Gonzales said about the physical distance among team members. “It seems silly, but even coordinating time zones can be hard.” Sydney Blocker, a high school junior from Kentucky who also works on the public relations team, agreed that challenges exist. A simple one is the fact they are all students with a lot going on. But there are positives to that, too. “It’s working out so well because we are giving everything we can,” Blocker said. Being the same age also has its perks, according to Blocker, because team members speak to each other on the same level. The project’s ultimate goal is employment, Gonzales said, but it’s about so much more, “It’s not just about getting people jobs — it’s about ending the stigma,” she said. “We want to get a conversation going about integrated employment.”
The rundown on the Thornton Harvest Fest POSTAL ADDRESS
WESTMINSTER WINDOW
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PL E ASE RECYCLE
What’s new, returning and what not to miss
Germany, Canada and Costa Rica. There will be crafts, songs and dance from each country.
By Corrie Sahling csahling@colorado communitymedia.com
Returning favorites: Playful City USA Play Day at the northeast end of Community Park. The kid’s area offers carnival inflatables, pony rides, a petting zoo and face painting and more for the little ones. Most activities will be free. Skatepark competition 9 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the skate park area. Crowds always gather to watch the kids compete. There are three divisions — scooter, bike and skateboard. Each group gets a chance to warm up before competing, and helmets must be worn. Harvest Fishing Derby from 7 to 10 a.m. at Grandview Ponds, 4750 E. 104th Ave. Although this event is offsite, it is worth the trek and kids ages 4 to 12 wielding their own fishing rods can participate. Prizes will be given for the longest fish in each age division
Thornton Harvest Festival is Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Community Park, 2141 E. 95th Ave. On-street parking will be available on York Street and Thornton Parkway where the lanes closest to the festival will be blocked off for parking. Here are the new attractions, returning crowd favorites and what you should be sure not to miss, according to festival’s organizers. New for this year: The newest addition comes in the form of kayaking. In the Cultural Expedition area this year, you can hop into a small kayak and paddle around a 50-by-25foot pool. Also in the expedition area is a journey through Mexico,
The Kid’s Zone at the 2014 Thornton Harvest Festival was a crowd favorite, organizers predict it will be a big hit again this year. Photo courtesy of the City of Thornton (4-6, 7-9 and 10-12 years old). There will also be a prize for the most authentic fisherman. Not to be missed: Chile Roaster — Follow your nose to the chile. Back by popular
demand, the chile roaster is not something your taste buds will want to pass up. Farmers Market — Near the Chile, you can smother the heat with fresh produce available for purchase.
Aviation event promotes mental health awareness Warbirds over Rockies informative, entertaining By Crystal Anderson canderson@colorado communitymedia.com Eighteen percent of adults nationwide suffer from some kind of a mental disorder, a number Brian O’Meara and Andrew Romanoff are trying to lower through education —and a little fun. “Mental illness is something as Americans we brush under the carpet, because if it’s not affecting you, it’s easy to ignore,” said O’Meara, organizer of Warbirds over the Rockies, a model aviation event that combines plane mod-
Warbirds over the Rockies organizer Brian O’Meara and his wife, Bonnie, sit next to their P-47 Warbird, which has a 12-foot wingspan and includes a 420 CC engine. Courtesy photo eling with mental health awareness. Held Sept. 11-13 at the Arvada
Modelers Airfield, 7608 State Highway 93, Warbirds brings together more than 300 modelers
and model aircraft to entertain and educate attendees about modeling, wartime aircraft and mental health issues. “This is a patriotic, educational and entertaining event,” said Romanoff, president and CEO of Mental Health America, the beneficiary of the three-day event. “We have 5 million potential supporters in Colorado — everyone in this state is affected by this issue.” O’Meara and Romanoff — whose lives have been touched by suicide, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease — said their goal is to reduce the stigma around mental health and to bring light to the Aviation continues on Page 22