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Friday, June 17, 2016
ESTESPARKNEWS.COM
“Estes Matters” Article Series To Begin
Summit Kids Camp Begins June 20 Summit Church is inviting all children entering grades K-6 to Summit Kids Camp. This summer, Kid’s Camp will take your kids on a Deep Sea Adventure where they can explore the depths of Jesus’ love. Children can enjoy an entire week of games, crafts, stories, snacks, music, and more. Different activities will be available for different ages. Kid’s Camp begins Monday morning, June 20th, from 8:30 a.m. to Noon and continues through Friday, June 24th. Each camper will receive a camp shirt and a drawstring bag to carry their supplies in throughout the week. Kid’s Camp will conclude on Friday, June 24th with a Family Night from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This is an evening of games, dinner, and activities for friends and family of our campers. Everyone is welcome to attend. All events will be held at the Estes Park High School. Summit Kids Camp and the Friday Fun Night are free of charge. Parents and grandparents can register their children online or receive more information at www.estesparkchurch.org/kids/summitkids-camp.
The Estes Valley Suicide Awareness Task-Force has made some amazing progress this year with their new community wide initiative called “Estes Matters.” The Estes Valley Suicide Awareness Task-Force (EVSAT) is a team of individuals who came together to identify the current resources for the entire Estes Valley in regards to mental health, wellness and resilience. In January of 2016, the group held their kickoff event, where world renowned guest speaker Sally Spencer Thomas of the Carson J. Spencer Foundation shared her powerful message of envisioning a community that is committed to sustaining a passion for living. In addition, several of the local community organizations came for an open house afterwards to share their resources and information with attendees. Meeting monthly, the goal of the EVSAT is to accumulate the resources available and identify the gaps that could use more attention in the Estes Valley. These four main areas were identified as: 1. Education and Awareness: to recognize signs and reduce stigma that often surrounds mental health, to provide resources and outreach. 2. Identify Resources: Gather the resources and get those providers talking to each other. By creating a unified presence, they could provide access and awareness of those resources in our community and the Larimer County. 3. Assess and Advocate: Identify and promote strength in our resources and identify where the major gaps lie so that we can build a stronger and more complete support system.
4. Build a culture of openness and support; create a culture of mental wellbeing, be proactive rather than reactive, and make mental health a priority to our community. While the task force can appreciate that summer is an extremely busy time for everyone, they would like to keep their finger on the pulse of the momentum that the group has built and the progress that has been made through collaboration. As a way to accomplish this, the EVSAT group is putting in place is a monthly article forum to be published in the local newspapers that will touch base on a topic related to the different fields in line with their mission, generally an extension or special topic from each of the organizations that make up the task force. As summer winds down, the EVSAT team looks forward to continuing the work they have done and will begin planning their fall event centered on Grief and Loss. Estes Park has certainly seen its fair share of tragedy over the past year and this topic is one that we can all benefit to hear more about. In addition, the EVSAT will continue to collaborate and develop ways to meet the needs identified in the four main areas established. The strong partnerships that have been formed during the past six months have proven to be extremely beneficial to the common cause. If you are interested in hearing more information or becoming involved with the Estes Valley Suicide Awareness TaskForce, please contact Heather Gooch at 970-586-2361 ext. 3001 or heather_gooch@estesschools.org.
Senior Services Day Trip To Coors Field: Rockies Vs. Tampa Rays Each year the Town of Estes Park’s Senior Services Division offers day trips to Denver to enjoy Colorado Rockies baseball at Coors Field. It’s an amazing deal that includes round-trip transportation, parking, and a reserved seat game ticket for only $41 for EPSCC, Inc. members or $43 for non-members. The third trip of the 2016 season is Wednesday, July 20 to see the Rockies play the Tampa Rays. The trip will depart the Senior Center, 220 Fourth Street, at 10:30 a.m. and return approximately 6:30 p.m. Register at the Senior Center with cash or check payable to the Town of Estes Park by Wednesday, July 6. Space is limited, and all
trips require a minimum of 10 riders to go. Registration is also open for these upcoming games: • Rockies vs. Washington Nationals: Wednesday, August 17 • Rockies vs. St. Louis Cardinals: Wednesday, September 21 For more information, please contact the Estes Park Senior Center at (970) 5862996 or visit the Center at 220 Fourth Street, Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Please visit the Senior Services website at www.estes.org/seniorcenter. To receive Senior Services news in your e-mail inbox, please e-mail lmitchell@estes.org