Happy 150 years Colorado.
I like imagining the moment my Great Great Grandfather’s wagon came just far enough over the prairie to see Pikes Peak and the Continental Divide piercing a horizon of tall grass.
I can only imagine, as they traveled closer to what would become the Queen City of the Plains, they undoubtedly figured this a wonderful place to end their journey and plant the foundation of a new home and life.
My Great Great Grandfather and Grandmother, Benjamin Franklin and Mary Ann Wadsworth who would be the founders of Arvada, Colorado.
We look back on 150 years of pioneering, gold mining, cities come and gone, oil and gas booms, and of course, a growing population of the many who have joined my Great Great Grandfather in making Colorado their home.
But as much as we love our mountain tops and towns, our Hot Springs and endless natural beauty, I think Benjamin Franklin and Mary Ann Wadsworth discovered perhaps a type of gold not measured in ounces, but in kindness, compassion, and community.
And I’m proud to say he was one of those humans.
What makes a state and city great?
Truly, it’s people. And how much they care, not only for the natural beauty, but for one another.
Our history has not always been kind, equitable or just. We need to tell the truth about those stories.
But I’d say there’s no better place to swap the truth and our stories than over a long table of Olathe sweet corn succotash, cornbread and smoked chicken – because the table reminds us, no matter how different we are, we are all just human.
Welcome to the table. And cheers to 150 more years of a Colorado not only known by it’s purple mountain majesty, but by its people – how they cared for one another and worked together to create a flourishing place for all.
Tim Jones Executive Director,
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Longer Tables is committed to seeing cities, organizations, companies and neighborhoods become places where humans experience true connection and belonging.
We believe the common table and shared meal holds the catalytic potential to rehumanize people, battle loneliness, fight division and empower collaboration.
Through our Leadership Journey, we are forming leaders who are creating cultures of belonging, hospitality and health through whole-hearted, true-self leadership.
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