EDGEWATER MAYOR Remember Less Fortunate This Holiday Season Page 4
WEST METRO FIRE West Metro Receives Lifesaving Award
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NEIGHBORHOOD NEWS Who Is Providing Shelter And Help To Our Homeless? Page 12
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| SLOAN’S LAKE | WEST COLFAX | TWO CREEKS | WEST HIGHLAND December 17, 2018 – January 14, 2019 • ngazette.com • FREE
Predictions And Wishes For 2019 In The District By Nancy Hahn
D
o you enjoy visiting the 40 West Art District, exploring the galleries, and enjoying the variety of art? What would you predict will be new and interesting in the district in 2019? What would you wish to see, or change, or add to the district? Artists, gallery owners, and the 40 West Board shared predictions and wishes for the district in 2019, Liz Black, 40 West Arts District Executive Director, pointed out that the district has grown exponentially with new galleries, growing numbers of visitors, and the addition of the popular ArtLine. She expects that growth to continue “in 2019 (and beyond).” The ArtLine “speaks so much to our vision and goals for the corridor, a free outdoor amenity filled to the brim with art and installations, and something that ... transforms, unites and inspires our community.” Black adds “We hope to see our events grow with new attendance numbers at First Friday opening receptions and a continued focus on different and multi-sensory forms of artwork.” Continued on page 8
THE 40 WEST ARTS DISTRICT HAS GROWN EXPONENTIALLY IN 2018 with new galleries, growing numbers of visitors, and the addition of the popular ArtLine. PHOTO BY DAVID REIN
Tennyson Center Stands In The Gap For Kids ■ By
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Laurie Dunklee
he need is elevating. In 2017 we had more than 211,000 cries for help,” says Brandon Young, chief advancement officer at the Tennyson Center for Children, referring to the number of calls made to Colorado’s child abuse and neglect hotline. Child welfare referrals have increased 46 percent over the past 10 years, according to the Tennyson Center’s website. The Tennyson Center, at 29th Avenue and Tennyson Street, helps kids ages 5 to 18 who have been traumatized by abuse and neglect. “These kids have experienced a lot in a short time, but they will change the world if we can help them reintegrate into society,” said Young. Residents and 29th Avenue commuters recognize the Tennyson Center’s grassy campus with its two-story building and small cottages. This fall, several cottages on 29th got new roofs and other upgrades following 2017’s destructive hailstorm. Beginning in October the buildings were wrapped with plastic during the construction to prevent curious children from climbing the scaffolding. Upgrades included new paint, windows and patio shelters. Approximately $15,000 in materials and labor was donated, according to ACK Construction, the project contractor. The Tennyson Center’s neighbors might not know about its rich history or its diverse programs. Begun in 1904 as the Colorado Christian Home orphanage, the Tennyson Center now addresses the needs of kids and families through both residential and daytreatment programs, which include an onsite school. The nonprofit’s largest program is Community-Based Services, providing inhome therapy and support to children and families. Tennyson’s model of care is changing
rapidly in order to meet the challenges facing children in Colorado. “Our approach is to get further upstream from the issues, to keep families together and kids safe, rather than removing them from their homes,” said Young. “We see about 175 kids in their living rooms and schools every month, helping to stabilize homes and help families in their healing journey.” Community-Based Services is the Tennyson Center’s fastest growing program and has expanded to El Paso and Weld
counties. Families remain in the intensive in-home program for three months to one year. New this year, Tennyson began providing one-on-one support to specific children in Denver Public Schools classrooms. Specialists from CommunityBased Services help teachers to interact with the child effectively; specialists also attend meetings as liaisons between parents and the school. “Our intent is to keep children in their school, to keep them a part of the school
community,” said Young. “If that can’t work, we bring them into our school at Tennyson Center for a while and then they go back to their own school.” Tennyson’s on-site school serves both residents and students who live at home. The kindergarten-through-12th-grade school offers individual instruction in academics and social skills so that students can return to a public-school setting. Another new program is No Kid Waits, Continued on page 9
N E I G H B O R H O O D F E AT U R E
Prisoners’ Lives Enhanced By Bookmobile And Writing Program ■ By
Ken Lutes
U
ntil you open a book or have one read to you, you will never know its magic or power,” says Cecilia LaFrance, Jefferson County Public Library’s public services coordinator for its Library 2 You department. Library 2 You is “mobile services for taking the library to people,” said LaFrance. Library 2 You specifically targets people with barriers to library access, whether of distance, geography, physical disabilities or incarceration. “For group residences, we can use a bookmobile. Our bookmobile travels to 30 sites two times a month.” One of those sites is the Intervention Community Corrections Services men’s facility, a low-security community corrections agency at 1651 Kendall St., that provides a variety of rehabilitation services to the criminal justice system. JCPL’s association with the ICCS men’s facility began four years “
Continued on page 2
IN JANUARY, THE INTERVENTION COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS SERVICES MEN’S FACILITY, a lowsecurity community corrections agency at 1651 Kendall St., will offer its residents a writing program hosted by Lighthouse Writers Workshop. PHOTO BY KEN LUTES