A little Volume 6, Issue 3 A Monthly Publication by A Little Help March 2017 Senior Day at the Capitol A Little Help is once again a sponsor of this special event organized by Colorado Senior Lobby. Our support of the Colorado Senior Lobby helps to preserve senior funding in the state. Attending or tuning in to this event will give you an opportunity to hear from legislators, elected officials, and Senior Day at the Capitol sponsors like A Little Help that serve seniors in Colorado. What a great opportunity to learn more about programs and legislation affecting older adults in our communities. Governor Hickenlooper is also invited! Ways to participate: 1. At the Capitol: There is a morning session from 9AM to Noon that is hosted at The Capitol in the older supreme court chambers. This event should start streaming right around Fiesta De Mayo! A Little Help’s annual fundraiser, Fiesta de Mayo, will be held on Thursday, May 4th at Space Gallery, located in Denver’s Art District, 400 Santa Fe Dr. VIP ticket holders will receive early entry at 6 p.m., with standard ticket entry at 6:30 p.m. We’re excited for another great event with VIP cocktails from Suerte Tequila, delicious Mexican food from Appetites Catering, soul music from Mile High Soul Club, great auction items like mountain get-aways, catered backyard BBQs with Leon and the Revival, and a first-class NYC trip, all emceed by Gregg Moss of 9NEWS! • VIP Tickets: $100 • Standard Tickets: $75.00 • VIP 10-Pack: $800 • Standard 10-Pack: $600 We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate A Little Help’s growing community and all your hard work to make it possible! Start planning for our Spring Service Saturdays! In Denver, our service dates are May 20th at and June 3rd. In Jefferson County, we’ll be kicking off Service Saturday on June 10th. Members, please call in your requests for Service Saturday, and volunteers, please RSVP if you are able to attend your local service day. 9AM. The afternoon session is a luncheon from noon to 2PM, and it will include a presentation on citizen lobbying and resources for older adults. RSVP on the Colorado Senior Lobby website. 2. Watch the live streaming event from your home via the link found on the Colorado Senior Lobby website, www.coloradoseniorlobby.org 3. Watch a live stream with a group at the following location: Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus, 2435 S Quebec St, Denver. Streaming starts at 9AM to Noon with light refreshments from 8AM to 9AM. RSVP to Debra Kirsten at 303-753-2100 Chaffee County Fundraiser Looking for a good reason to experience the beauty of Salida, CO? A Little Help in Chaffee County is planning a great fundraiser, so surround yourself by a dozen of the state’s 14ers and join us: Hubbub Brewing, 248 W. Hwy 50, Salida, CO Fri, March 31st from 6pm – 10pm Hubbub Brewing is hosting this fundraiser for A Little Help. We will have live bands, food, drinks, and loads of fun. Hubbub is being very generous by sharing the majority of their proceeds from the evening to support A Little Help. We hope to see some friends from the Denver area there! Deaths: It’s not our significant successes or accomplishments that linger, but rather our kindness and caring that people will remember. Our condolences to the family and friends of Verna Clay, Joy Hoehler, and Richard Roth. www.alittlehelp.org Member Spotlight Tanya K. Matthias, Member Coordinator I was just recently in Salida, Colorado and had the wonderful opportunity to meet a few of our A Little Help members and volunteers. The overwhelming feeling and message I received is the importance of friendship and companionship no matter the stage or age in life. Marlene Givan, an 85year-old member of A Little Help, took some time to share her story with me, emphasizing how friendships have helped her through the stages of her life. Marlene first moved to Salida from Grand Junction when she was in the 7th grade. The year she graduated high school, Marlene decided she should check out the big city of Denver. She got married and raised four children, two girls and two boys, while living in Denver. In 1955, while still in the city, Marlene bought her mom a house in Salida so she would always have a home. Marlene divorced in Denver and decided that, since the kids were grown and she needed a new start, she would move to Winter Park. She loved skiing so it seemed as good a place as any to start fresh. She worked in a ski shop during the winter months and in odd jobs, from cleaning to construction, during the summer months. Sometimes it was tough to make ends meet, but thanks to her friends and owners of the shop, she made it work. Once, while working in the ski shop, she went out of her way (and from what I can tell, generosity seems like a norm for Marlene) for a gentleman looking for a special snow suit for his wife. She thought nothing of it until a year or so later, when that same gentleman tracked her down after she had moved back to Denver and offered her a job with him in the oil industry. Marlene commented after telling her story, “You never know what will happen in your life and you can’t go through it without friends.” In the mid to late 1980s, Marlene’s mom passed away and she decided it was time to move back to Salida to the home she had purchased for her mother back in 1955. Marlene had an accident and some health issues three years ago, and had to spend time in a rehabilitation home. She told me that time really motivated her to get back to her home in Salida. Marlene also told me that she honestly would not still be in her home if it weren’t for A Little Help and all the new friends she has made through us. Not to mention all her wonderful old friends in Salida, who are always there for her. Cheryl McBride, one of A Little Help’s wonderful volunteers and friend of Marlene’s wrote this about their relationship: “Many years ago, my Fort Worth dentist asked where we were going to camp out that summer. When I told him Salida, he was very surprised and told me that his mother lived there. It wasn’t until we built our home here in 2007 that I looked up his mother, Marlene, and introduced myself. We’d run into each other at one restaurant occasionally where we’d share photos of our grandchildren. In the early 80s, my daughter babysat for Marlene’s granddaughter in Fort Worth. I found out from my massage therapist (Marlene’s next door neighbor- it’s a small and caring town) that Marlene wasn’t driving anymore, so I stepped in to help out. Since then, as part of the A Little Help service, Marlene and I do the town on Wednesdays for her weekly hair appointment, groceries, the bank, anywhere she needs to go, and we often have lunch. Marlene and I have decided we are going to start watching her DVDs of Downton Abby. That is, if either of us can figure out the DVD player! She is my very special friend.” Marlene, thank you from A Little Help for your friendship! And thank you for sharing your story with other friends and neighbors in Salida. Th a nks to you, we even have a great new volunteer, Brian. Marlene is the perfect example of compassion and friendship: the exact words I would use to explain A Little Help’s model in all the areas we serve. March 2017 Mike Rengel A Little Help 288 Clayton St. Suite 202 Denver, CO 80206 720-242-9032 alittlehelp.org Sean McBride, CPA Board of Directors Alan Walker A LITTLE NEWS Volume 6, Issue 3 A Monthly Publication by A Little Help Board Chair Steve Davis Treasurer Angela Lichtenberger Secretary Cori Keeton Pope Lori Tolle, JD Dr. Paul Leon Ramsey Executive Director Hilary Lenz, MPH Program Director Mission: Connecting neighbors to help seniors thrive. Vision: Neighbors connected across generations engaged in strong communities. TAX ID #83-0494129 Headshot photo credit: Eliza Donley Nolte Paul’s Perspective This year, we have had one of the sunniest, and most mild winters I can remember. However, each period of beautiful (somewhat scary) sixty degree stretches is interrupted by winter. It seems that a long spell of cold can bring with it the blues that can be difficult to shake. There are times in late winter that I wish the holidays took place a month later. If they did, we would Paul Ramsey be able to leave our lights up and our Executive Director trees decorated for a month longer, and would only have to bear two months of winter storms and gray skies without cheer and carols. But even if we came to a worldwide agreement to hold the holidays in January instead of December—probably just a little unrealistic—that still wouldn’t make up for the gloom and cloudiness of deep winter, which contributes to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in adults. Luckily, here in Colorado, we experience warm, sunny days in the depths of the winter season, which can help dispel the effects of seasonal depression. But as any longtime Colorado resident knows, there are still often days, even weeks, where the chill and gloom of winter persist. It’s normal to have days of sadness, especially as snowstorms make it harder to get out and engage socially with friends and family. But if those feelings linger, or if they’re coupled with a loss of energy, changes in appetite, or a sense of exhaustion, they could be symptoms of SAD, a type of depression that cycles with the seasons and typically affects people in the winter. This condition is even more prevalent for seniors who can be more homebound due to frigid and slippery conditions. The condition is caused by several factors: Vitamin D deficiency, a drop in serotonin (caused by a decrease in sunlight), or a disruption in normal sleep schedule (also caused by changing levels of sunlight). These factors make the condition easier to diagnose and treat than clinical depression because the condition is temporary. One effective treatment of SAD is light therapy, in which a person sits in the sun or under an indoor sunlamp to take in the nutrients offered by sunlight. Translation: when those nice 65 degree midwinter days do strike, sit out on the porch and take in that Vitamin D! (You can also supplement your Vitamin D intake with oral vitamins if 65 still isn’t warm enough to bask outdoors.) Whether or not you have SAD or are just a bit sad from being stuck inside, I hope you will use A Little Help to keep connected to your neighbors, get rides to appointments, have a volunteer come over for coffee, or take a stroll through the neighborhood. If you are one of our gracious volunteers, please let us know if you are available to provide companionship visits and help our members take advantage of Colorado’s glimmers of sunshine. We all know that one of the best cures for the winter time blues is warm conversation with a friendly neighbor. Celebrating Growth in Jefferson County A Little Help continues to build momentum in Jefferson County with the hire of the Director of Member Growth. A part of the Director’s job is to continue the work that has already started in this County where 25% of the total of 565,230 in population are currently age 60+ and continued growth is expected. Outreach efforts are in many different areas including engaging local churches, continuing the great partnership with Mile Hi Church, talking with Elks, Kiwanis and other service oriented clubs and groups. Additionally, the City of Lakewood has been engaged and continues to assist in opportunities to spread the word. In celebration of National Older American Month, A Little Help is planning a Jefferson County Festival, entitled, Engaging in Aging. The Festival will be hosted by Mile Hi Church on Wednesday, May 17th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Community Center (9077 W. Alameda Ave, Lakewood). This event will be an afternoon of engaging social activities for local older adults including interactive presentations appealing to the social, spiritual, physical, and emotional aspects of aging. There will be live music, food, art, and much more. This event will be a one of a kind. The event is free to the public, look for upcoming Save the Date - please spread the word. If you have any ideas for outreach in Jefferson County, please contact Amanda Gregg at [email protected] or at 720-220-6079. www.alittlehelp.org 288 Clayton St. Suite 202 Denver, CO 80206 March 2017 SUNDAY MONDAY Mark Your Calendars TUESDAY WEDNESDAY 1 THURSDAY 2 FRIDAY SATURDAY Clyfford Still Museum Free evening (every Friday) Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys Free Day 5 Caregiver’s Support Group 12 2nd Sunday of each month 3-5:00 p.m. Mile Hi Church – Vogt Center Chapel 9077 W. Alameda Ave, Lakewood 19 6 13 Denver Museum of Nature and Science Free Day Spring Begins 20 Memory Cafe: 7 Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support Group 1:30pm-3:00pm Ford-Warren Branch Library 2825 High St. 720-865-0920 9 10 Four Mile Historic Park Free Day Lakewood-Healthier 14 Living Colorado. 5:00pm7:30pm, Centura Belmar Neighborhood Health Center 7551 W. Alameda Ave. Helps people deal with living with ongoing health issues. Contact Maripat Gallas 303-984-1845 or maripat@ coaw.org 15 21 22 16 Alzheimers & Dementia Support Group: 6:00pm, Agape Hospice & Healthcare 720-482-1988 Declutter and 17 Organize: Space Mgmt 11 a.m. at Rodef Shalom, 450 S Kearney St 23 24 30 31 Denver Art Museum Free Day 11 The Longmont Museum - Free Day 18 25 Denver Botanic Gardens Free day Death Café Third Sundays Tattered Cover- Colfax 3:30 p.m. 26 8 4 3 27 28 29 Please RSVP to the office for all events in yellow: (720) 242-9032
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