Nonprofit News Your Community Connection
May 2016 • gazette.com/nonprofit Seniors
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Volume 2, Issue 5 • FREE Youth
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Springs families save on utility bills with help from Energy Resource Center BY MADELEINE MELLINI Energy Resource Center
All community members are invited to attend the Sky Sox “Home Runs for Mental Health” night at 6:35, May 20 at Security Service Field, 4385 Tutt Blvd. Proceeds will benefit the local Mental Health First Aid program. Photo by JP Arnold
Nonprofits team up to serve community this Mental Health Awareness Month BY MICK PATTINSON AspenPointe
This Mental Health Awareness Month, AspenPointe is partnering with Peak View Behavioral Health and Cedar Springs Hospital to spread the word about mental health care and reducing its stigma. All community members are invited to attend the Sky Sox “Home Runs for Mental Health” night at 6:35, May 20 at Security Service Field, 4385 Tutt Blvd. Bring the entire family out for fun, franks and
fireworks while we cheer on the Sky Sox and raise awareness for those battling mental illness. Proceeds will benefit the local Mental Health First Aid program run by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), a nonprofit dedicated to building better lives in our community. Learn more at aspenpointe.org or purchase tickets at skysox.com. One in four Americans struggles with mental illness. Whether individuals need immediate
crisis care or to talk to someone while going through a difficult time, there are services in our city that can make a difference. Several Crisis Stabilization Units were established by the governor of Colorado in 2014 to help those dealing with mental illness or tough situations. Help is available to anyone 24 hours a day, every day of the year via text, phone call or walk-in assistance, regardless of ability to pay. – CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 –
Springtime in the Rockies is unpredictable, especially for vulnerable neighbors who can’t afford their energy bills. Take Nona. At 86, Nona is living on Social Security and last year had additional expenses for her husband’s hospital and nursing home bills. “We had no resources at all to pay for things that needed to get done around the house,” said Nona, who was relieved to learn she qualified for the free energy efficiency and safety improvements provided by the Energy Resource Center (ERC). ERC ’s licensed weatherization crew installed a new furnace, insulation, carbon monoxide and smoke detectors, long-lasting light bulbs and an energy-efficient refrigerator in Nona’s home, and she has since saved hundreds on utility bills. Christine, a local single mother, had no idea there was a small fire smoldering in her attic. Thankfully, the free carbon monoxide detectors installed by ERC alerted Christine in time to call the fire department, just minutes before her home ignited. More than 95 percent of all funds received by ERC go directly into servicing homes. – CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 –
Look inside for this month’s nonprofit calendar FEATURING 50+ LOCAL EVENTS