SENIOR FOCUS Should I Stay or Should I Go?
SCHOOL VISITOR’S PASS New Principal at Wheat Ridge High School
WEST METRO FIRE West Metro Crews Deploy to Fires Across Country
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NEIGHBORHOOD
WHEAT RIDGE | APPLEWOOD | MOUNTAIN VIEW | LAKESIDE October 17 – November 13, 2017 • ngazette.com • FREE
Trunk or Treat Turns Seven, Oct. 28, on The Green n By
J. Patrick O’Leary
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hat started as two parents’ attempt to continue an annual children’s Halloween party after Martensen Elementary School’s closure has grown into a communitywide celebration attracting crowds of more than 3,000 people. Trunk or Treat will mark its seventh year on Saturday, Oct. 28, 4 to 6 p.m., on The Green, 7101 W. 38th Ave. Billed by Localworks as a fun, safe trick or treat for kids and their families with participation from firefighters, the police, businesses and community members, the free event boasts a haunted house, car-trunk-decorating contest, “Thriller” zombie dancers and, of course, candy. Kim Harr served on the local PTA when Martensen closed down, which put an end to the school’s annual Halloween party. She and her husband, Chad, wanted to continue the celebration, which featured candy distributed from the trunks of automobiles decorated for the holiday. “We could try this in the parking lot of the (Wheat Ridge) middle school,” Kim recalls. “That’s when they started revitalization of 38th Avenue, so it was a good idea.” The couple organized the event, and paid for printing Continued on page 2
TRUNK OR TREAT WILL MARK ITS SEVENTH YEAR of fun, safe trick-or-treating for kids, with participation from firefighters, the police, businesses and community members, on Saturday, Oct. 28, 4 to 6 p.m., on The Green, 7101 W. 38th Ave. PHOTO COURTESY LOCALWORKS
Mental Health First Aid Classes Offer CPR for the Mind n By
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Gwen Clayton
he Jefferson Center for Mental Health is offering free Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) classes to the public through the end of 2017. “One in five people in their lifetime will experience a mental health problem,” said Stephanie Schiemann, Director of Marketing and Public Relations for the Jefferson Center for Mental Health. “If you look around and think about your five neighbors or your family, chances are very good that you know somebody who’s got depression, anxiety, substance use or other mental health conditions.” MHFA teaches people how to recognize, respond to and assist with potential mental health issues and crises using a five-step action plan. The classes are provided free through Dec. 31 to Jefferson County residents, courtesy of the Community First Foundation’s Lutheran Legacy Fund. The Foundation awarded the grant to the Jefferson Center to facilitate the MHFA Jeffco Collaborative – a group of 13 organizations that have a shared vision and commitment to deliver free MHFA training to employees, family, friends and members of the public. “Community First Foundation wanted to take all of our initiatives to the next level and really saturate Jefferson County with mental health first aid, and take it to all corners, with the goal of making it as common as CPR in Jefferson County,” Schiemann said. “Coming together was a really nice way of us creating that shared mission and then the strategic plan for how to move it forward.” Once the group established a strategic plan, the members started talking about specific audiences that hadn’t yet been
reached with mental health first aid. They developed target audiences and through the networks of the collaborative, sought opportunities to offer the class. Members of the Collaborative include Community First Foundation, Jefferson Center for Mental Health, West Pines, Jeffco Public Library, Jeffco Public Schools, Metro Community Providers Network (MCPN), Vietnam Veterans of America, Jeffco
Public Health, Jefferson County Housing Authority, Edgewater Mayor, City of Westminster, Lakewood Police Department, Arvada Police Department and The West Chamber of Commerce. “Mental Health First Aid training has increased knowledge and improved recognition skills of our staff, providing tools for real-world application – both professionally and personally,” said Belinda
T. Smallwood, Manager of Professional Development for Metro Community Provider Network. “Staff who complete the program often comment regarding the value of the training, sharing they feel more prepared to offer support and get appropriate help for those who might be experiencing a mental health crisis. As a Continued on page 14
P E O P L E W E S H O U L D K N O W – W H E AT R I D G E
Britta Fisher, The Force Behind Localworks n By
Elisabeth Monaghan
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ave you met Britta Fisher? Until Sept. 29, she was the executive director for Wheat Ridge-based nonprofit Localworks, an organization where Fisher spent the last 11 years. The Neighborhood Gazette had an opportunity to meet with Fisher just before she left Localworks to discuss how she came to be the organization’s executive director. Fisher’s path towards Localworks began in 2005, when she and her husband were looking to purchase their first home. Not finding anything in Denver, Fisher and her husband decided to heed their Realtor’s advice and expand their search by “crossing Sheridan Boulevard.” In doing so, the Fishers found a ranch house in Wheat Ridge that was perfect for them. Because Fisher believes in actively participating in her community, she quickly set out to familiarize herself with her new LOCALWORKS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FOR 11 neighborhood and learn about its people and policy makers. Among the first individuals Fisher spoke with while exploring her YEARS, Britta Fisher is leaving to be the executive di-
rector for Mpowered, a financial health nonprofit. PHOTO COURTESY LOCALWORKS
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