Denver and Jefferson Counties

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