Denver

Stories of Community Support

Student Interfaith Peace Project

Eighteen high school students had the opportunity to participate in a new pilot program in Denver that builds relationships between young people of different faiths, nationalities and cultural backgrounds. The Institute for the Study of Israel in the Middle East is developing this program at the University of Denver in an effort to build a network of peacemakers among high school students in the Unites States and those living in Israel and Palestine. The students will meet monthly throughout the school year and attend related community events together, then complete the program with a ten-day trip to Israel and Palestine next summer. The introductory retreat that took place in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains in October was a great success, with 28 students in attendance. While the organizers were thrilled by the response, these unanticipated numbers required more funding to cover the cost of transportation for the students, extra food, supplies, etc. Bread for the Journey stepped in at the last minute and gave them a grant of $1,200 to make sure that all these enthusiastic peacemakers could participate in the retreat.

The Food Lady

Minnie Rhodes does not live a lavish life, but she is willing to share what she does have. She “came up” in Alabama — with her mama passing away before she knew her — and knows what it is like to be hungry. Minnie told us that, “it grieves me to know people are hungry,” and so she does something about it. For the past 16 years, she has run her own informal food pantry out of her garage. People know her as the “food lady,” so when they know someone is in need, they call Minnie. She has a network of individuals and businesses who keep her stocked with essential dried and canned goods.

Among Minnie’s claims to fame are her cinnamon rolls, which she makes each week and sells at her church. The income from the cinnamon rolls allows her to buy meat and protein, food items that are not easily donated. Minnie has three industrial-size freezers in her garage for food storage. Around the holidays, she also likes to purchase some turkeys (always on sale) as a special treat for those in need. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Minnie $600 so she could take a week off from baking cinnamon rolls and some of her other tireless efforts to help others.

Refugees Find a New Home

A small community of refugees from Burma (formerly Myanmar) is developing in Denver. After the Denver Post published an article about the challenges these people are facing in adjusting to their new lives, Bread for the Journey contacted their group leader to see if we could help.

Few people in Denver speak their language, making it particularly difficult for them to find and hold down a job. As a result, these families continually struggle to get food and basic supplies, such as diapers, clothing, rent, etc. A Baptist Church in Denver has come to their aid, and now offers space for the refugees to worship, as well as other needed support.

International news reports in the fall of 2007 described the horrific conditions that people in Burma are struggling with, and brought certain issues into the public eye. While some of the Burmese are fortunate to be political refugees, it became evident that life in America is not easy for these immigrants either. Bread for the Journey gave the Colorado Burma Roundtable Network a small grant of $600 to help with the refugees’ basic living expenses.

Common Tables

Two couples that were friends were discussing what they would like to do in the coming years, now that they had reached mid-life. Through a series of conversations, they discovered a mutual desire to help bring people together in ways that would lower perceived barriers, and promote respect and understanding between traditionally disconnected communities. They came up with the idea of Common Tables, a new Denver-based nonprofit that brings diverse groups of people together around the dinner table to get to know each other and better understand each other’s core values and practices. The idea has caught on quickly through the Internet and now has interested participants in over 36 countries worldwide.

Common Tables facilitates the dinner groups by mixing people from different backgrounds and giving out each other’s contact information. Each participant agrees to host one dinner and attend four dinners over a six-month period. Common Tables also provides tips on conversation starters and conversational taboos and traditions from various cultures. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Common Tables $1,500 to hire a consultant that would help them prepare materials for the groups on a process called Appreciative Inquiry — a way of asking questions that results in positive outcomes for all.

Together with the Children

Together with the Children is a non-profit in Denver that works to help impoverished and street-involved children and their families living in Mexico. Their hope is to help the children achieve positive futures full of hope and opportunity. In order to help get the word out about these children, the Denver group is planning a photo exhibit that will be shown in an art gallery in Denver once it is complete. Volunteers will work with the children in Puebla, Mexico, to photograph their lives and environment.

Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Together with the Children a grant of $750 to purchase cameras, film and framing supplies. The exhibit will help raise funds for this organization so they can continue their efforts to improve the lives of many Mexican children.

Young People Go Global

“When it comes to preparing young people for living as an integral part of a community, the classroom can only take our students so far,” says Peter Downing, a supporter of Denver’s Center for International Studies, a middle/high school in the Denver public school system. Peter believes that young people need more opportunities to step out and experience the complexity of real world issues. He is working to create an events program with a schedule of internationally focused exhibitions, shows, demonstrations, discussions and festivals that students and members of the larger community can all participate in, and learn from, together.

Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Peter $1100 to apply for non-profit status (501c3) and cover other start-up costs to get his idea off the ground. This program has the potential to enhance the school’s current curriculum and help the school itself become a centerpiece for global thought, activity and experience.

Alzheimer’s and Art Appreciation

While Maureen Wells works with Alzheimer’s patients as part of her paying job, her commitment to those suffering from the disease doesn’t end there. In her free time, she has created an art appreciation program that she takes to group homes and assisted-living facilities.

After being involved with the creation of art programs at her children’s schools, she decided to design a similar program for the elderly. She collects art posters and groups them according to themes, then finds music and poetry to fit these same themes. Maureen schedules appointments at homes throughout Denver, then loads up her car with these posters and takes her show on the road. She has found that there are very few resources for bringing art, music and poetry to the elderly and disabled, particularly those who are homebound. Her experience has shown that art can be very therapeutic. One woman with Alzheimer’s was practically nonverbal until she came to Maureen’s presentation and saw a Van Gogh print that had always been one of her favorites. The woman cried, then became quite animated as she recalled the time in her life when she had first become familiar with that painting.

However, Maureen’s poster collection was badly deteriorating after nine good years of use. Bread for the Journey of Denver was glad to give her $1,500 to renew and add to her print collection, as well as to purchase other supplies so that she could continue to bring joy to the elderly and disabled.

Diversity as a Community Asset

As kind and caring community leaders, Carla Ficke and Ayn Fox have for years been involved with various community-building activities in Denver. A few years ago, they were introduced to the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) and their work in developing a leadership network that combats racism and discrimination across the globe. They immediately saw the relevance and transferability of NCBI’s practices to mediating conflicts within all types of groups, including law enforcement, government, education, business and religion. By listening to and valuing individual stories, NCBI workshops help people see that differences can be a community asset.

Carla and Ayn formed a NCBI chapter in Denver and are now working to train more people in the Denver Metro area to use the techniques employed by NCBI. Bread for the Journey of Denver was pleased to grant them $1,000 to start their fundraising efforts, enabling them to offer a training session in Denver in the fall of 2007.

Part of the Atmosphere

Marta Burton believes in the power of music to inspire, heal and transform both performers and audience alike. Her vision is to create performances throughout the Denver area and beyond that use ethnic folk music from many different traditions to awaken people to our shared humanity. She states, “Folk music, by its very nature, can transcend the boundaries of race, color and creed. Once a song is sung, it becomes part of the atmosphere – it is for everyone.”

Her performances will often be part of larger events where people come together to celebrate and share ideas. A grant of $800 from Bread for the Journey of Denver will allow Marta to begin to build a roster of performers, to attend other local performances and events to identify performers and music, and to create her model at upcoming events. She is already signed on to create a performance for the Interfaith Alliance National Leadership Convention in May and the Interfaith Music Festival in October of 2007. Marta and her band performed a beautiful holiday concert in December, which in her generosity, she offered as a benefit to Bread for the Journey of Denver.

Youth School Reform Institute

Brian Barhaugh has been empowering youth through real-work experiences for many years. He recently started the Youth School Reform Institute (YSRI) to train young people to make sure that their voices are heard regarding school reform and improvement efforts in Denver. It’s Brian’s belief that too often, their valuable ideas and insights are left out of school improvement discussions. When included, they can help to build community trust and to develop culturally engaging school designs.

Bread for the Journey of Denver met with three of the young people working with Brian, and were very impressed with their ideas. The chapter gave them a grant of $1500 for stipends to pay the youth that are involved. Through YSRI, they will be trained to gather and analyze data and help educate adults on how to incorporate their ideas in reform efforts. Lee — one of the students involved — says, “When the voices of students are routinely unsolicited or ignored amid reform planning and implementation, the directions assumed by teachers and administrators can be misguided, particularly when their efforts directly clash with the students’ own concerns.”

Assistant Coach, Inc.

Tyrone Buckmon and Chuck Sproling grew up in northeast Denver. Unlike most of their friends in Manual High School, they were fortunate to be able to finish high school, go on to college and pursue professional careers. They credit this good fortune to the positive adult role models in their lives, including their parents, community leaders and coaches. Now in their 30s, they have both decided to do the same for others, so they started Assistant Coach Inc. to give back to the community that they grew up in. They began helping kids in Denver’s suburbs to learn life skills through basketball training, and now want to start another program in their old Manual High School neighborhood. This neighborhood had gone through some very challenging times recently when the Denver Public School system decided to close this school because of low test scores.

Bread for the Journey of Denver is honored to support these men with a $900 grant to create a brochure and to sponsor three young people into the program. It is our hope that Tyrone and Chuck will help to empower kids to do well in school and in the process help to rebuild this struggling neighborhood.

Derailer Bicycle Cooperative

After four years of operating out of a 500-square-foot leaky-roofed garage in Denver’s West side, the Derailer Bicycle Cooperative is ready for a new home. Bread for the Journey of Denver was pleased to give them $1,200 to pay for four months of rent in their new location. A small group of young adults started the collective with one incomplete set of tools, seven bikes and four volunteers. At first, they were open just one day a week, making bikes available to those who needed them, and helping others get parts and repair their own bikes. A few years later, the persistence of two 8-year-olds from the neighborhood compelled them to add another day to their schedule.

The program has now grown to include monthly classes for people who want to learn about bike repair; a build-a-bike course where people can build their own bike from the frame up over four sessions: a bicycle library where people can borrow bikes for free; an extensive bike shop with a variety of tools; and classes that are offered at local schools and organizations. Bread for the Journey of Denver is pleased to help them continue to provide this important service to the citizens of Denver.

Youth Biz

DaShara Ross and Tyquela Davidson

Youth Biz’s vision is to help young people develop the character, ethics and skills to become productive, fulfilled and responsible members of their communities. They do this by helping kids start and run their own businesses. Screen-printing t-shirts is one of their most successful moneymaking endeavors. While learning business skills, these young people also improve their academic performance, acquire computer and public-speaking skills, and complete a community leadership project.

DaShara Ross and Tyquela Davidson came to Bread for the Journey of Denver to ask for help in starting a new Youth Biz internship program. They wanted to begin to pay kids who demonstrate leadership potential to learn specific skills, which they could then share with other community groups and organizations. Bread for the Journey of Denver was very impressed with these girls’ business acumen, and gave them a grant of $1,100 to fund two intern positions for the 2006/2007 school year.

Grupo Vida

Ellie Valdez Honeyman met Maria Castillo more than ten years ago. Their friendship grew quickly based on their shared experience of raising children with disabilities. Maria often struggled to find written information about the services she needed in her native Spanish language. So the two friends decided to do something about it and formed Grupo Vida, an acronym for “Venciendo Incapacidades y Desabiliidades con Amor,” which translates as “Overcoming Handicaps and Disabilities with Love.” Many years later, the group is still run entirely by volunteers and has grown to provide a variety of services for families of children with disabilities throughout Colorado. They educate parents on available resources, provide emergency assistance, and organize an annual conference. All information is provided in both English and Spanish. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Ellie and Maria a grant of $1,000. With this grant, they could begin to publish a bilingual newsletter three times each year to better connect parents to information and resources that will help them advocate effectively for their families.

Summer Drummers

Rhythm Vision and Butterfly Hope, two small non-profits in the Denver area, found that they share the same goals of strengthening the social and academic skills of young people through artistic exploration. They decided to join forces and create a summer program as part of Cheltenham Elementary’s enrichment program.

Bread for the Journey of Denver gave them a grant of $1200 that will help 40 kids to experience drum making, drumming circles, drama, as well as songwriting and recording over four weeks this summer. Past experience with drumming has shown that it can help kids channel anger constructively and overcome low self-esteem, as well as help them develop leadership skills and learn how to work as part of a team. One young man who had extreme difficulty engaging in conversation was able to find his voice through a Rhythm Vision program last summer. His growing confidence in writing and performing rap lyrics helped to diminish his speech impediment so much so that, by program’s end, he was a lead musical contributor.

Gateway to Access Resources

Brenda Mosby knows how challenging it is to seek employment, and having an emotional, physical or psychological disability must make the prospect even more daunting. So she started Gateway to Access Resources (http://gatewaytoaccess.org) in order to support people of ALL abilities in contributing to their neighborhood and community through employment.

Brenda and her colleague Lynda Drake work very hard to find a good match between employer and employee. They offer coaching, counseling and assessments, training and adaptive technology. But most importantly, they offer that personal touch of ongoing friendship and support to both the employer and employee as the working relationship evolves over time. If a client needs help in picking out what to wear for a job interview, they are there to help. If better speaking skills would help a client get a certain job, they take them to Toastmasters to help them learn to better express themselves. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave these two dedicated women $1300 to purchase computer hardware and software that is specifically designed for the disabled.

Montbello Charter School

A small group of community-minded leaders has been working for the last year to create a charter school in Montbello, one of Denver’s most diverse neighborhoods. Working their way through the Denver Public Schools’ charter approval process, they meet each month to further define how Denver Collegiate Academy will serve its fifth- through eighth-grade students. Their mission is to create an “environment of academic excellence, respect, resilience and community responsibility, [where] Denver Collegiate Academy students will affect change in their local communities and, eventually, the world.”

Bread for the Journey of Denver gave this hard-working group $1000 to purchase a high-quality printer and pay for other board of director-related expenses that will move them closer to their goal of opening a charter school.

Saving the Earth

Many of us feel overwhelmed when faced with what to do about global warming and ongoing reports of how our lifestyles are damaging to our earth, but not Jennifer White and Diane Dandeneau. Because of their commitment to help us “live sustainably from the heart,” they started an organization called ConservED (http://conservedproject.com). Together they are working to provide sustainability education for small businesses and individuals in the Boulder-Denver area. Change is needed and conservation is critical to the health of our future. Through classes, workshops, presentations and consulting, they help us learn what each of us can do to truly make a difference through the products we choose and the businesses we support.

Bread for the Journey of Denver gave them a $1000 grant to support their efforts and help them publish the Green Heart Guide, a listing of businesses that have made a commitment to the sustainability of our planet (see www.GreenHeartGuide.net).

Building Community Through Schools

Co-coordinators Leta Sharpe and Allison RankinWhittier Elementary School student artists

Bird houses created by students Art teacher Marie Henan with artist/ co-coordinator Jennifer Mosquera

Leta Sharpe and a group of her neighbors love their eclectic neighborhood in central Denver. As new homeowners and parents, they realize how important a strong public school is to their community. So although most of their kids are not yet of school age, they decided to work together to support their local elementary school, Whittier Elementary. Their first fundraising effort is called, “I Believe I Can Fly: A Celebration of Community and the Arts at Whittier Elementary.” They are bringing together local musical performances, kids’ art, an auction with goods and services from local businesses, and all kinds of family fun in order to strengthen their community ties and support their local school and its arts program, in particular.

Bread for the Journey of Denver gave them a grant of $1,300 to create a website and handle publicity for this exciting and worthwhile event.

New Parent Resource Center

After working for PBS and the Ready To Learn program for young children, Jocelyn Miller decided to take her skills in working with parents and young children to a new level. She is opening a parent resource center to “help adults and youth develop strong self-esteem in order to positively establish themselves in their school, workplace, home and community.” Through workshops and activities both in the center and with other community organizations, Jocelyn will focus on building skills for success and confidence, as well as strong family relationships.

Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Jocelyn a $1,000 grant to purchase furnishings and supplies for the resource center. Jocelyn hopes that, through her efforts, she will be able to carry on the legacy of social awareness and community involvement that she learned from her father, Robert A. Miller.

Ricardo Flores Magon Academy

Marcos Martinez has been working with a community group for the last year to start a charter school in north Denver. The Ricardo Flores Magon Academy Charter School will serve kindergarten through eighth-graders, and will provide an academically rigorous, tightly structured and highly disciplined curriculum and school culture. Marcos lives in north Denver and has been a community organizer for a number of years. His research showed that kids in northwest Denver consistently underachieve and that high school graduation rates are very low. He wants to create a school that helps to turn those numbers around. At this time, the group is trying to complete their application to become a charter within the Denver public school system. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave them a grant of $1500 to apply for their non-profit status. This status will allow them to receive grants from other organizations and to cover the costs of incidentals such as copying, office supplies and board meeting expenses.

Momma Jean

Jean Wood saw a story on “60 Minutes” that changed her life about the Lost Boys of Sudan, who survived approximately 20 years of civil war and were left without parents or family. These boys joined together and walked over 1,000 miles to Kenya where they were placed into refugee camps. In 2001, the United States selected 3,800 of them for resettlement in this country. Jean was touched by the story, and upon hearing that 70 or so of the Lost Boys were coming to the Boulder/Denver area, she jumped at the opportunity to help them. Jean started talking to her employer, church and friends about pulling together resources to help these men begin their new lives in America. Upon meeting them, they told her of their dream of returning to Sudan with an American education and helping to rebuild their struggling country. Now they call her “Momma Jean,” because she helps them with whatever they need, primarily with educational expenses that are not covered by grants and scholarships. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Jean a grant of $1,800 to start a book fund, since books are a significant expense each semester.

Medicine Horse Center

Located in a remote part of southern Colorado, the Medicine Horse Center has little access to resources to support their work. They use horses to help adults and kids who have suffered from trauma, abuse and/or neglect, and told us the following story about one of the children they helped.

“A ten-year-old girl was referred to us from hospice. Her father had committed suicide and her mother was in drug rehab, so she was sent to live with her grandparents. Her grandfather was dying of cancer and the grandmother was in deep grief. The girl was completely shut down and would not speak to anyone. The therapist called me and asked if I thought that horse therapy might help this child. When she came, I introduced her to Alex, a little mustang who’d been tied to a fence post and beaten until nearly dead. We rescued him and have used him to help children, as he loves kids but distrusts adults.

“I told this child about Alex before taking her out to the paddock to meet him. She marched up to Alex, threw her arms around him, and told him her entire story while sobbing into his neck. The therapist and I stood in amazement as we watched the two of them ‘talk.’ I left them alone for quite awhile, then as I stepped closer, this beautiful little pony-tailed blond told me to ‘stay still and be quiet – Alex has something to tell me.’ She then put her forehead to his as they stood there head-to-head. (This is amazing because, having been beaten, Alex does not like to have his head touched.) Then she stepped back and told me that Alex had said he had been very sad like her, but that he was better now, and that she’ll get better too if she’ll just trust us.”

Bread for the Journey of Denver was happy to support their program with a grant of $500.

San Luis Wild Dog and Cat Care

After one feral dog was hit by a car, these dogs became a concern of a caring group of neighbors in San Luis County of southern Colorado. Two of the women drove the dog to a vet and paid for his care out of their own pockets. They contacted local officials to find out what might be done about these dogs, and in speaking with the vet, they quickly realized that the only real solution was to neuter the dogs to prevent them from reproducing. They tried to capture a group of puppies by enticing them with food, but realized they didn’t have the right equipment to transport them, even if they were lucky enough to catch them.

They asked Bread for the Journey of Denver for $1100 to purchase traps for wild cats and dogs and to help with the costs of neutering.

Hope Pride Day Cookout

Unique Irvin, an African American girl, moved with her family to a primarily Anglo suburb of Denver, where she began to attend a new middle school. She was shocked at the racial slurs that were directed at her within her first few days at the school. Even though the offending child was disciplined by the school, the harassment continued. Unique’s mother was concerned about her daughter and worked with the school to get it to stop, but saw a larger opportunity here to educate her new community about diversity. She contacted the boy’s mother and, once the young man expressed genuine remorse, they brought the two kids together and encouraged them to become friends. Unique’s mother, LaTonya, decided to go one step further and form a group called H.O.P.E. - Helping Others [recognize me as a] Person through Education. LaTonya worked with the kids in deciding how to best educate their community. They chose to hold a H.O.P.E. Pride Day Cookout where the community would come together to taste various ethnic foods, watch performances and make crafts from different cultures.

Bread for the Journey of Denver admired how the kids were working together to turn a negative experience into a positive one for their whole community, and gave them $750 to cover expenses for their celebration.

Mountain Chamber Music

Laura Shulkin has taught disadvantaged kids for many years and has always found ways to share her joy of music with her students. In recent years, she has become interested in finding new ways to help kids learn, so she founded Mountain Chamber Music to create a curriculum that teaches critical-thinking skills through music. Through her extensive networks in the education and music communities, she creates interactive performances for elementary school kids in the Denver Metro area. Colorado’s state-mandated tests put great pressure on educators, so she also has the documentation that shows how her curriculum raises test scores. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Laura $600 to apply for her non-profit status, support the development of a logo and purchase the Colorado Grants Guide, helping her to move a few steps closer to realizing her dream.

Capital Heights Community Kiosk

There is a church In Denver's Capital Hill neighborhood that uses its building space well, housing three different congregations that meet on Sundays at various times. In addition, a wide variety of community-based activities are held there during the week, from Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to home-cooked lunches for the mentally ill members of the neighborhood. The three congregations have talked for many months about building a kiosk on the corner of 11th and Filmore to advertise events at the church as well as to provide a space for neighbors to advertise other activities. One church member made sketches of how the kiosk might look along with possible locations for it. Another volunteer took the project to the City of Denver for approval, since the kiosk would be placed in the sidewalk right-of-way.

Capital Heights Presbyterian came to Bread for the Journey of Denver to ask for help toward the $3000 in estimated costs. We were pleased to grant them $1500 with the hopes that some of the other congregations and groups would also contribute to this community-building effort.

El Centro's Proyecto Mujeres

A few years ago, a group of community members started El Centro Humanitario para los Trabajadores in Denver as a more humane place where day laborers could gather to find work. The center is now housed in a donated garage near downtown Denver and offers a variety of services for the city's significant population of day laborers. In the last couple of months, a number of women have started showing up at the center looking for work too, so a new program was started called Proyecto Mujeres. Ten to twelve women meet every Thursday (those who do not get jobs that day) to discuss how to best support each other in finding work.

Many of these women are confined to low-paying, inconsistent and physically demanding work in the cleaning industry. So they came to Bread for the Journey of Denver to request $990 to fund first aid certification training through the Red Cross, in the hope that this training will help them to expand their work opportunities into child-care and geriatrics. Travis Ning, a graduate student from the University of Denver who works with the group, says that, "there is no other viable source of funding to address this need. This grant can empower 10-15 women to continue to reach toward their economic and personal hopes and dreams." Bread for the Journey of Denver is happy to provide the funding to support this training.

Cole Middle School Community Service Projects

Each year, Earth Force works with the sixth graders at Cole Middle School in central Denver to help them learn a process to improve conditions within their community. Cole is one of the highest crime and lowest income neighborhoods in Denver. These kids have many struggles in their lives, but we were heartened to hear all the great plans they came up with to make their neighborhood a better place. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave eight student groups a small grant of between $85 and $150 each for their community service projects. This spring, the students will be tackling tough issues such as homelessness, immigrant education, the use of bio-diesel fuels, and education about sexually transmitted diseases. Bread for the Journey of Denver was pleased to give a total grant of $1000 to support their efforts.

Circles of Success

Modeled after a national program, Mother to Mother is a grass-roots organization designed to meet the needs of women from diverse racial/ethnic and multi-class backgrounds through friendship and support. After working with women in friendship circles for a number of years, they had a new idea for bringing women together across racial and economic barriers. They created a program called Circles of Success, designed to educate women on topics of interest to all. With a grant of $975 from Bread for the Journey of Denver, they will launch a three-month pilot speaker series that will bring in knowledgeable women from the community to present information on "Women and Money," "Knowing Your Body and Spirit," and "Self Defense for Women and Girls." They are partnering with a number of other groups and non-profits in Northwest Denver to bring women together around these issues. They hope to continue the program through 2005 and 2006.

Montview Elementary ESL Babysitters

Patti Capps, the principal of Montview Elementary in Aurora, Colorado, has worked with parents over the past few months to start a community room near the entrance to their school. Montview's population is predominantly Hispanic and many of the families are immigrants from Mexico. Patti and her staff had long recognized how few parents came into the school, due to language barriers and unfamiliarity with the school system in this country. They hoped that a community room would provide a welcome place where parents could meet together or with teachers in an effort to build relationships that would support their children's learning. A couple of enthusiastic parent volunteers took the lead, and before long realized the desire on the part of many parents to learn English. They found a local non-profit called Focus Points that would offer ESL (English as a Second Language) classes to them for free. As soon as they offered the first class, there was a waiting list for another. The only problem was what to do with the kids while the parents were in these early morning and evening classes. Three of the parents came to Bread for the Journey of Denver to ask for $600 to pay for babysitting services for the rest of the year. We decided to give them $1200 to cover the costs for next semester too, so that the ESL classes will continue until they find more ongoing support from another community group.

Ice for the Homeless

Rita Niblack is a volunteer for Senior Support Services, Inc. of Denver, Colorado. She contacted Bread for the Journey of Denver after reading one of Wayne Muller's books. Senior Support Services is a day center that provides meals, clothing, social and recreational opportunities, and other support services for central Denver's homeless and low-income seniors. Rita says she has fallen in love with the people she has met there through her work coordinating the churches and organizations that volunteer to cook and serve the meals. We went to visit and were amazed at how many meals they could serve from such a tiny kitchen!

Rita described how an ice machine would make the lives of the volunteers and clients so much easier. "Especially for the homeless," she said, "having access to ice might not seem like a lot, but if you are living outside in 100-degree heat, a cup of ice is a wonderful treat. I buy a bag of ice for the meals, but during the rest of the day there are several ice cube trays that are cracked and rotated. An ice machine would provide a little extra luxury." Bread for the Journey of Denver was pleased to give Senior Support Services a grant of $421 as a treat for both the volunteers and the clients.

Living Well

Donna Descoteaux volunteers at a nonprofit radio station in San Luis, in southern Colorado. Her "Living Well" program offers a unique perspective on health and well-being by providing information on issues that affect us all. Its premise is that the health of the world, the nation and the earth has a direct effect on the health of each one of us. She interviews people such as Nell Newman (CEO of Newman's Own Organics) on the rewards and challenges of organic living, and Dr. Jay Cohen, MD, author of "Overdose," a book about the improper usage of prescription medications. Through these interviews and her radio program, she hopes to have a positive impact on the health of individuals and the earth. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave her $700 to begin to make this programming available to other nonprofit stations throughout the country.

Earth Force

Cole Middle School in Denver struggles to meet the needs of students in one of the city's poorest neighborhoods. This year, they've been collaborating with Earth Force, a national organization that helps children learn how to bring about positive change within their communities. Throughout the school year, sixth graders worked with volunteers to study local issues, with their final assignment to design a community improvement project. Eight student groups presented and carried out their ideas. They painted a mural at a women's shelter, wrote and recorded a rap song about pride in their community, painted trash cans, removed graffiti, painted flower pots for kids at Children's Hospital, and bought personal items for residents of a nearby homeless shelter. They also brought books and ice cream to reading buddies at an elementary school, gardened at a nearby greenhouse and, of course, planned an all-school celebration as a well-earned reward for themselves! Bread for the Journey of Denver gave each hard-working group a small grant, totalling $1,015 for the entire project.

Ethnic College Counseling Center

Pensal McCrae and her husband learned the ropes of how to get a child into college and find scholarships by helping their own four children do so. After learning the system, Pensal saw the need to share her knowledge with other children whose parents may not have been to college themselves. She started the Ethnic College Counseling Center (ECCC), where students in middle school and high school meet twice monthly throughout the school year to learn the skills necessary to get into college and be successful once there. They receive help in ACT/SAT preparedness, and in completing college applications and financial aid forms. They are also offered workshops in test-taking and study skills, and in keeping a positive attitude.

Every other year, the group tours historical black colleges and universities to expose the children to college opportunities. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave the ECCC a grant of $1500 to support their "Spring Break" trip to the south. Pensal's volunteers have been providing this service to the Denver community for over 20 years. When asked when she might retire, she replied, "There is no greater joy that an individual can experience than when he or she has had a part in helping another person to reach their full potential."

Miss Mattie

Mattie Harris owns a day spa and knows how important looking good is to a young woman's self esteem. Once a month, she takes her skills to Excelsior Youth Center, where previously incarcerated girls are being transitioned back into the community. Each visit, she brings a different topic for discussion, such as good eating habits, personal hygiene, or business and organizational skills for everyday living. But what the girls love most is how Miss Mattie pampers them. She teaches them to do their hair and nails, and brings them small gifts to help them begin new lives out on their own. Miss Mattie finds that with a little bit of care she can help to rebuild these girls' self esteem. She also takes them to church and helps them find part-time jobs whenever possible.

Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Miss Mattie $700 to help purchase some of the supplies she needs to support the girls. It was clear to our board that the care and attention that Miss Mattie gives them is invaluable in building their self-confidence and in preparing them for productive adult lives.

Mighty Muse

Rebekah Shardy is a health care consultant and freelance writer. At mid-life, she wanted to use her passion for writing to benefit other women in the community. She started the Mighty Muse writing project in Colorado Springs to help women find their own voice through writing. These women are victims of poverty or domestic violence, recovering from addictions or coming out of prison.

Rebekah collaborates with a number of other women and businesses to hold creative writing workshops, and publishes a book of their poetry and prose each year. �So many of the women who come to our workshops judge themselves so harshly. Part of this program is accepting and honoring your own story. That�s true empowerment. From there, you�re able to take all kinds of risks,� she said.

Rebekah, whose program is run entirely by volunteers, came to Bread for the Journey of Denver after receiving a number of requests from groups in Denver to expand her program to their area. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave her a grant of $1500 to print more books for distribution in Denver.

Whittier Drum Project

Neil Stone is a therapist working with youth who are required to see him by the Denver Court System. For many years, he struggled to find ways to get kids to show up for their therapy sessions each week, until he had the idea to integrate his passion for drumming into the sessions.

After successfully starting a drumming circle in Denver's Whittier neighborhood, Neil asked Bread for the Journey of Denver for support in creating a new model with the Denver Community Courts that brings a clinical component into the weekly drumming sessions. The youth offenders who choose to participate in his program will attend a 30-minute group therapy session with their families each week as well as 30 minutes of drumming practice.

Through this program, Neil hopes that young offenders in the Whittier neighborhood will come to understand, accept and carry out their obligations for restoration in that same community. He believes that "playing drums together will facilitate and deepen the therapeutic work that will take place during the 'talk' sessions. In this way, the work will translate into decreased at-risk behaviors in the community for the youth who participate." After hearing the Whittier Drum Project perform at a community event, Bread for the Journey of Denver enthusiastically gave Neil $1,820 to get his idea off the ground.

The Daydreamz Project

Starr Hogan and a group of her artist friends living in the Highlands neighborhood of Denver wanted to make the arts more accessible to everyone. The Daydreamz Project was started as a way to develop innovative collaborations between artists and communities through education, raising awareness of social issues and initiating positive change. They work with a number of community-based organizations to define short-term projects for participants that utilize their creativity, and create a sense of community through mural painting, video projects, puppet making or movement and dance. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave them a grant of $800 to purchase art supplies for upcoming programs as well as for office supplies.

Making Someone's Holiday a Little Brighter

Bread for the Journey of Denver granted $250 to Sabrina Hodges, a teacher at P.S. 1 charter school, so that a few families in need could enjoy the holidays. Sabrina solicited donations from the staff at the school and contacted Bread for the Journey to see if we might like to participate. She identified seven students at the school whose families were struggling financially and gave each of them a gift card from Target so they could shop for gifts for their families. Sabrina reports that the families were very surprised and grateful for the gift cards and that the reward in seeing their responses was priceless.

Ms. Maloney's Special Ed Class

Claudette Maloney's Special Education class at North High School in Denver had a deadline to meet. They had been learning about the environment with the help of Earth Force, an organization devoted to helping children discover and implement lasting solutions to environmental issues in their communities. There was an Earth Force fair coming up where the students were to present and demonstrate a recycling project. The school's janitor told them about some old furniture at the school that was no longer being used, so they decided to recycle this furniture with paint and decoupage, thus giving the pieces new life and a personal touch. Since they needed to quickly purchase some supplies in order to finish their project in time for the fair, we met with them and heard one student describe their ideas. Each student had made sketches of the student desks that they planned to refurbish along with their decorating theme. Bread for the Journey of Denver gladly supported their efforts with a small grant of $100 to purchase paint supplies and varnish, then enjoyed a visit to the fair to see their finished products. (see photo)

Mexican Muralists Tour

An inter-generational group of people who share a love for Mexican murals meet regularly in northwest Denver to share their knowledge and, together, learn more about the history of this art. Leo Tanguma, an acclaimed muralist whose work is displayed throughout Denver - including the Denver International Airport - was the master of the group. He shared his love for the work of Mexican muralists such as Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orosco, and shared some stories about his experiences in seeing their work first-hand in Mexico City.

Many members of the group are practicing artists who believe that by better understanding these traditions, their own artwork will be enhanced, so they decided to visit Mexico City this summer to see for themselves the works of these great artists. They asked Bread for the Journey of Denver for a grant of $1,582 to cover the deficit in their fundraising efforts. When we met with them, Randy Segura explained that none of his previous teachers had ever mentioned Mexican murals, and expressed his gratitude to Leo Tanguma for the inspiration he provided. When the group returns, they hope to work with a teacher in the Denver public school system to develop a curriculum that includes this subject matter.

Seeds of Mercy

Willa Chandler has a soft spot in her heart for prison inmates. As a volunteer in her church's outreach programs for many years, Willa has helped people who are getting out of prison get back on their feet. Now she feels called to make a deeper commitment by starting a more formal program to help former inmates and their families make the transition back into society.

Willa has found that there are not many supports available to former inmates. Something as small as a lack of transportation to get to work can be enough to push them back into the criminal justice system. So she plans to start small, by offering bus tokens as needed, or by helping them find the right outfit for a job interview. Over time, her bigger plans are to provide mentors, a food bank, life-skills classes and even housing. Her first step is to set up an office, so Bread for the Journey of Denver gave her $1200 to purchase furnishings and office supplies that she can't get by donation. A retiree from the military, Willa has just the right combination of discipline and heart to help these individuals turn their lives around and become contributing members of society.

Facing History and Ourselves, a Curriculum of Racism and Prejudice

After participating in the Facing History and Ourselves project at Wheatridge High School, students decided to apply the lessons they learned there within their own school community. Facing History and Ourselves is a national social-studies curriculum that examines issues of racism and prejudice - beginning with the Holocaust - and asks students to make a connection between history and the moral choices they confront in their own lives.

Since Wheatridge is a mostly Anglo suburb of Denver, the students wanted to encourage their classmates to understand a wider perspective of lifestyles. With a $550 grant from Bread for the Journey of Denver, they brought in two speakers who spoke to them about building tolerance and respect. Jeff Campbell, from the Colorado Coalition of Hip Hop, shared his story with the entire student body about being a gang member. Gina Otto worked with smaller groups in discussing issues of body image. After the presentations, Brittney Alred, one of the organizers, said she felt that progress had been made. In bringing all the diverse groups in the school together, the students were able to discover how much they really are all the same.

City Strings

Julie Swartwout, an accomplished violinist, believes that music can bring a family together, and she has created a program to do just that. She began offering violin lessons to two students from North Aurora in February of 2002. A year later, she was teaching 20 students each week. The parents commit to attending lessons with their children and, through this partnership, they work to "instill confidence in the students, develop their communication skills, teach them to set and reach their goals, and challenge them to go further in life than what society may present to them as their future." Julie works with the children, ages 4-14, in a space donated by Aurora First Presbyterian Church. Each child gets one private lesson and one group lesson each week. After a child demonstrates a commitment to the program, Julie lets them take home an instrument to practice on. Because of the high cost of renting violins, Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Julie $1500 to purchase instruments for the children.

Reverie

Allison Ogarek and Sarah Davison-Tracy started reverie two years ago to help women in Denver develop meaningful, reciprocal relationships with others of diverse ages and backgrounds. Through a series of cultural events that include food, art and storytelling, dialogue is encouraged between women who wouldn't normally find themselves in a room together.

During this non-profit's short existence, Sarah and Allison have successfully helped women to build both their sense of self and their sense of community. Ethnic diversity has been a hallmark of their events, yet they have struggled to achieve economic diversity. A $1500 grant from Bread for the Journey of Denver will help them to begin a new program called Caring for the Caregivers. This program will invite women who work with non-profits that serve low-income or at-risk women to reverie events as a treat for the good work that they do each day. They will begin the program by working with The Gathering Place, a day shelter for homeless women. Both the employees and the homeless women will together take part in this unique opportunity to build a more tolerant and peaceful society.

Great Plains Restoration Council

Jarid Manos knows what it means to feel disconnected from the world. As a young man, he wandered around the country, trying to find a place where he could fit in. His experiences led him to learn to care deeply, particularly about the "least among us." To Jarid, this translates into caring for the non-human (or four-legged) creatures on our continent. His focus is on the buffalo and the prairie dog, considering them to be "the bookends of the prairie. Between them once flourished one of the healthiest, most abundant and successful landscapes ever on Earth."

Jarid started the Great Plains Restoration Council in order to restore the prairie ecosystem. A grant of $1270 from Bread for the Journey of Denver allowed a group of minority youth from Denver to visit the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. These youth worked together with Oglala Lakota youth to clean up and restore a prairie stream, while discovering both the similarities and differences in one another's lives. Hopefully, some of Jarid's passion for creating healthy human communities that exist in harmony with their environment left an everlasting impression on the Denver youth.

Harrington Parent Organizing Committee

A number of local and national child kidnappings convinced parents at Denver's Harrington Elementary to organize with the intent of increasing their children's safety. Seventy concerned parents attended the first meeting, where three main ideas dominated the discussion. Parents wanted: (1) to employ crossing guards so their children would get home from school safely; (2) to create a community directory including family names and phone numbers and; (3) to start adult education classes where neighborhood families could get to know each other better.

A $1265 grant from Bread for the Journey of Denver helped them purchase equipment for crossing guards, the supplies to publish the community directory, and some additional money to help get the adult education classes started. Their long-term hopes are that these actions will strengthen their community while contributing to their children's educational advancement.

Centro Humanitario Para Los Trabajadores

Immigrant day laborers have long congregated at the corner of 23rd and Stout Streets in downtown Denver to seek jobs. When the vacant lot became a construction site, a number of caring people realized that the day laborers' lives were in danger. Together they sought out a safe place where the immigrants could meet in order to find day work. They raised some money and found a nearby garage whose owner agreed to lease it to them at a reasonable rent.

Bread for the Journey of Denver board members visited the site, and were warmly greeted by Min Sun Ji, the Executive Director of the newly formed Centro Humanitario Para Los Trabajadores. She showed them around the facility and, through an interpreter, the day laborers were able to share their stories of coming to America, the vulnerability they feel and the challenges they face each day to survive. After some consideration, it became clear that having lockers would help them feel more secure about leaving their personal belongings behind while they are working. Once they found that the cost of new lockers was prohibitive, the men decided to build their own with a grant of $1500 from Bread for the Journey of Denver. Suddenly, this simple gift became a way of creating a sense of community - a project where the men could collaborate to benefit their group as a whole.

The board members of Bread for the Journey of Denver returned to the center for a visit during the construction process, and were touched by the outpouring of gratitude from the day laborers. The men lined up to shake their hands and to express their appreciation for creating a safe place for their personal belongings. It has helped to ease their concerns while they find work in the Denver community.

Dia De Los Muertos

The completion of a new mural depicting Chicano history in Denver seemed like a good reason to celebrate! Andrea Martinez, along with the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, helped to create the Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration along Santa Fe Drive in Denver.

Traditionally, people in Mexico visit the graves of their departed loved ones on November 1st, bringing gifts and food to honor their memory. In Denver, the celebration began at the mural with speeches by leading Hispanic community members and an appearance by the artist. Then a procession of singers, dancers and children followed a path through the neighborhood, ending at an art gallery. A $1900 grant from Bread for the Journey of Denver paid for invitations, light and sound equipment rentals, as well as refreshments and face paints for the kids to enjoy at this colorful community event.

Sista's in the Spirit Lending Library

Middle age was a challenging time in Char Ferguson's life as she struggled with personal and family-related issues. In reading various self-help books, she found comfort in the realization that she was not alone. It occurred to Char that, in reaching out to other women in similar positions, she might find new direction in her own life. She decided to start a lending library, beginning with three local African-American hair salons. She spent the summer at garage sales and the local Goodwill and Salvation Army stores, filling out her collection of self-help books. Each of the salons gave her a shelf where she could leave books that might be of interest to their clients. The idea caught on and now people from around the Denver metropolitan area call Char for recommendations for themselves and their friends in need. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Char a $1000 grant to purchase books on hard-to-find topics, to create a brochure on her Sista's in the Spirit Lending Library, and to help her continue to expand her efforts throughout the Denver area.

Niu Hongjian

Niu Hongjian, a Chinese citizen, dreams of attending college in the United States. He applied to three different universities and negotiated with his government for the payment of tuition, living and travel expenses. But when it came to covering the nominal application fees required by each university, he was unable to exchange enough money to cover the fees. Providence brought him to Bread for the Journey, and the Denver chapter offered a small grant of $90 to cover his application fees. Niu Hongjian's dreams of studying in the United States will soon become a reality.

Growing Together

Tim Cairns believes that having opportunities to learn new skills and to make new friends is essential to personal growth. This is not always easy for physically challenged adults. The Association for Community Living Learning Center, near Boulder, is working to create a warm and welcoming environment where these community members can choose their own hobbies and social activities. Tim felt that a community garden would be a wonderful addition to the Learning Center. People with and without physical challenges would find a place to learn about gardening, work hard together, and enjoy one another's company as well as the fruits of their labor. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Tim $1000 to purchase supplies for the garden and to provide a stipend for a master gardener.

Mother to Mother (update)

Bread for the Journey of Denver's board of directors believes strongly in the mission of Mother to Mother. This program seeks to create a network of women who will affirm one another's abilities, reduce prejudice, and build safer and more welcoming neighborhoods. They do this by creating friendship teams, each one a group of six women who are both racially and economically diverse, and who will work together to improve each other's lives over the course of a year. In 2001, Bread for the Journey of Denver gave Mother to Mother a $620 grant, the amount it costs to form a new friendship team. The value of this program was so evident that BFJ decided to support the formation of a new team with another $620 grant for the year 2002.

Mother to Mother

A group of caring women in Northwest Denver decided to start a chapter of the national organization of Mother To Mother in Denver. They saw the need to create a network of women who affirm each other's abilities, reduce prejudice and build a safer and more welcoming neighborhood. Carla Fickey took the lead and is in the process of forming a number of friendship teams where 4-6 women meet regularly to develop relationships and help each other grow. These teams are racially and economically diverse and often derive from the women's desire to learn either English or Spanish. Susan, a participant, described the organization by saying," Through Mother to Mother I have connected with many of the diverse women of my neighborhood. Now I finally feel like a part of my community! Thanks Mother To Mother!" A $620 grant from Bread for the Journey of Denver will support the formation of one new friendship team.

Technology for Teenagers

What to do with some fancy technology that allows you to produce and edit your own videos? It only took Carla Hass Moskowitz of the Choice Foundation a few minutes to realize that this equipment would provide a wonderful learning opportunity for a group of bored teenagers over the summer. Carla works at a charter school in downtown Denver so she quickly called a few contacts to recommend kids who might not otherwise have much going on. She found a teacher and a student intern who was familiar with the technology and with a $1500 grant from Bread for the Journey of Denver, she had a summer program! Twelve kids traveled throughout Denver for six-weeks researching urban issues that were important to them and then produced a video that documented their work. Not only did these kids stay busy, but they learned some valuable computer skills too.

Returning the Favor

When an adult reached out to Connie Hammis when she was a homeless teen it changed the course of her life. This caring adult offered her a job at a climbing shop and then taught her to climb. But more important, he invited her to learn about herself by becoming part of a supportive community. Ever since that time, Connie has been determined to return the favor to other struggling youth in Boulder. She started an urban youth climbing team that seeks to support teenage girls educationally and emotionally through equal parts of climbing instruction, tutoring and community service. When Bread for the Journey of Denver met Connie she had numerous volunteers lined up, she had gym space and equipment donated and she had a middle school to work with. But she needed money to train her volunteers and to get insurance for her program. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave her $1500 to get started. Now she is working with 8-10 girls and has plans to expand her program to Denver.

It Takes a Village

Judith Snow is a severly disabled adult who miraculously has learned to live outside of the service system. With the help of many, she speaks and travels extensively to inspire and teach others but wants to be able to write about her life experiences. Bread for the Journey of Denver joined a large group of her supporters in making a $150 donation that will allow her to cut back on her travel schedule and take a 6 week sabbatical in order to write a book.

Apple Pie, Please

A desire to share classical music with those who wouldn't normally be exposed to it, inspired Carol Rankin to start Apple Pie. She believes that music should be as available to everyone as apple pie, and is dedicated to doing her part to make it a reality. Carol is in the process of starting a non-profit that will put together shows using the talents of professional artists (dancers, singers, musicians, etc.) that will perform at prisons, homeless shelters, schools, etc. After putting together an informal performance for homeless kids, she was pleased to seem them mesmerized by the music. This convinced her of the need for this type of community concert. With a $1200 grant from Bread for the Journey of Denver, Carol will apply for her non-profit status and will be able to devote more of her own time to Apple Pie.

Giving is as Important as Receiving

The developmentally disabled typically receive support from many groups and organizations in their communities. Now they have a way to contribute their own skills and talents to improving their communities. A Kiwanis club in Jefferson County decided to work with the developmentally disabled to form an Action Club. These clubs are common on the East Coast but previously there were none in the West. The Action Club, of developmentally disabled adults, partners with an existing club in order to build mutually supportive friendships and work together on service projects. Bread for the Journey of Denver gave the Kiwanis $1100 to buy t-shirts for the new members and supplies to support their club.

Art Saves Lives

A group of young people who were all interested in the arts wondered what they could do to help children find joy and grow through the arts, as they had. They started United Artists Coalition for Kids and walked the streets of Denver's Cole neighborhood inviting kids to come to a nearby community center for weekend art classes. Without any training, this group of 16-22 year olds began to work with the 8 or so kids that showed up. They created craft projects, had the kids writing in journals and playing musical instruments. Each week more kids showed up until there were 40 of them on the last Saturday. Needless to say, the community center immediately made plans for UACK to continue this invaluable community service. With a $1200 grant from Bread for the Journey of Denver they will be able to purchase supplies and expand the program to include other organizations that work with at-risk kids.

You can contact us at:

Linda Campbell
linda_campbell1@comcast.net
475 Williams St.
Denver, CO 80218
303-377-1525
http://www.breadfordenver.org/

Wayne Muller, Linda Campbell and Kristen Mylander