community news Keep families safe, healthy and thriving
Water and gun safety, school supply donations, child development resources THERESA BAER
SEE YOUR CHILD’S STORY PERFORMED AT THE LINCOLN CENTER The Lincoln Center’s free Children’s Summer Series continues on Wednesdays at 10am through July on the Lincoln Center lawn, 417 West Magnolia Street in Fort Collins. Great for children of all ages, this series features hour-long presentations of comedy, music, dance and culture. The last event in the series features The Story Bakers, a professional improv troupe, that takes original stories written by local kids and brings them to life on stage. If your child has “cooked up” a story, submit it online at www.lctix.com/ story-bakers-2021 for a chance to see it performed live on July 21. PLAY IT SAFE ON THE POUDRE With the hot weather here, NoCo residents and visitors often visit the Cache la Poudre River to help cool down. But many people don’t understand the power and dangers of moving water and in-river structures that represent hazards. To promote safe and sustainable recreation on the Poudre this summer, the Cache la Poudre River National Heritage Area has launched the Play It Safe on the Poudre program at https:// poudreheritage.org/play-it-safe, which offers: • Safety tips and river access maps in English and Spanish • Reports on daily river levels • Real-time flood warning map • Colorado stream and river flows and • River safety guidance from Poudre Fire Authority
DIAPER BANKS PROVIDE MUCH NEEDED ESSENTIALS TO NOCO FAMILIES The Nappie Project, a Loveland nonprofit working to ensure northern Colorado communities have access to diapers 14
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is transitioning to one of its provider partners, The Food Bank of Larimer County. The acquisition is final this month and will allow for greater storage and distribution to accommodate increased demand and make it easier for families in need to get food and diapers in one stop. There is a significant need for diapers in Weld County also, so United Way of Weld County’s Family Support program partnered with the National Diaper Bank Network to establish the Covering Weld Diaper Bank. This diaper bank distributes diapers to agencies, so that they can distribute the diapers to their clients in need, which contributes to helping children be healthy and thrive and helps parents move toward financial stability. SUPPORT YOUR CHILDREN’S’ DEVELOPMENT WITH THE PLAYBOOK! Colorado’s Office of Early Childhood understands that children learn best through play and exploration, and created The PLAYbook! Learning Through Play for Colorado’s Families
and Caregivers. The 50-page guide is available in English (https://sforce. co/3gt0tYF)and Spanish (https://sforce. co/3xk7rpX), and “includes comprehensive tips and insights on everything from brain development to activities to do with children at various stages of their development from ages 0 to 5 years old.” Parents, siblings, grandparents, babysitter—anyone caring for young children—can find helpful information and activities that prepare kids to be successful when going to kindergarten and using what they already have around the house. GUN SAFETY AND TEEN MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS Teen suicide is the leading cause of death of young people in Colorado, and teenagers often don’t show warning signs at home. To create awareness of gun safety and teens struggling with mental health issues, the Larimer County Juvenile Gun Safety Coalition partnered with many organizations to produce the “It Only Takes a Moment” campaign. Included in the campaign
