Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods values community partnership and works with stakeholders who place an emphasis on local, corporate social responsibility. CHUN is partners with individuals, organizations, agencies, and other thought-leaders with a demonstrated track of investing in Denver-based nonprofits, participating in city enhancements, and prioritizing initiatives at the local level and within CHUN’s geographic boundaries.
CHUN works closely with city agencies and service providers to deliver resources to neighbors in need, participates in community service projects, invests in the community, supports ballot measures to boost financial support for city initiatives, and we issue policy recommendations to influence decision making.
CHUN works closely with city agencies and service providers to deliver resources to neighbors in need, participates in community service projects, invests in the community, supports ballot measures to boost financial support for city initiatives, and we issue policy recommendations to influence decision making.
CHUN Hosts May Cheesman Park Clean Up
[May 2024] Thank you to everyone who supported the third annual city-wide park cleanup day, Parks, Rivers, Trails & Trees!
On Saturday, May 11th, 474 volunteers spread out across 17 parks throughout the city to ensure our parks remain vibrant, sustainable, and accessible to all. Together, they collected 233 bags of trash, planted 1,200 perennials and 15 trees, and completed other activities like weeding, preparing garden beds, and sidewalk cleaning. Denver Parks and Recreation, hosted by a local partner organization, help recruit volunteers and lead the cleanup. CHUN hosted and supported the Cheesman Park clean up again this year. CHUN and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Collect More Than 1,000 Food Items for the Youth of Denver!
[January 2024] More than 22 million children go home each weekend without food or a plan for food outside the free or reduced lunches provided at school.
THANKS to everyone who brought food items to our December Community Food Drive! Together, we collected more than 1,000 easy-to- prepare and easy-to-eat food items. We were able to distribute much-needed weekend meals to students in our area. Presentation and Discussion on Proposition HH
[October 2023] Thank you to our speaker, Scott Wasserman of the Bell Policy Center, and CHUN's Urban Planning committee, who hosted a special presentation in October on Proposition HH, a property tax measure appearing on the November ballot.
The presentation and discussion addressed how we arrived at this measure, what it means for property owners and renters and what rent relief proposals may be tackled in the 2024 legislative session. CHUN leads Cheesman Park Clean Up with Denver Park Trust
[May 2023] THANK YOU to everyone who participated in the Parks, Rivers, Trails & Trees Park Clean Up! Held on May 13, 2023, the second annual Park Clean Up is a city-wide volunteer park stewardship day and community celebration.
With 13 parks and more than 300 volunteers, this year's event was a smashing success. Special thanks to those who participated in the Cheesman Park Clean Up lead by CHUN. Want to get more involved? Visit denverparktrust.org for more opportunities to volunteer, donate, and give back to Denver's parks. Municipal Election Candidates Respond to CHUN Questionnaire
[February 2023] CHUN reached out to all the candidates in the Mayoral, At-Large, and Districts 10, 9, 7 and 5 electoral races and asked them to respond to questions regarding key issues facing Denver. These issues included housing, homelessness, historic preservation, transportation, public safety, economic development, and climate. We thank all candidates for their participation and for their contributions to Denver’s democratic process.
Candidate responses are provided in this document. They are organized by question, electoral race, and then in the order in which they were received. CHUN Endorsed Four Ballot Initiatives To Support A Sustainable and Equitable City
[November 2022] Denver voters will consider a number of important initiatives on this year's ballot. Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods is please to announce its support for these initiatives.
CHUN Joined Denver Park Trust for City Cleanup
CHUN 2022 Earth Day Recycling Event
[April 2022] CHUN is committed to promoting environmental stewardship and sustainability at the local level.
On Saturday April 23rd, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods partnered with its friends at SustainAbility, Ridwell and First Baptist Church to host our 2022 Earth Day Recycling Event. Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Presents at March CHUN Board Meeting
[March 2022] Flavored tobacco products are putting a new generation of kids at risk to a lifetime addiction to tobacco. More than one in four Colorado high school students use e-cigarettes and 85% of youth e-cigarette users report using a flavored product in the past month.
At CHUN's March board meeting, representatives from Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids presented an overview of this endemic and their efforts to push for the end of sales of flavored products with a state-wide ban. House Bill 22-1064 would ban, starting July 1, the sale of all flavored tobacco and nicotine products, including vapes, e-cigarettes, menthol cigarettes, Hookah, chewing tobacco and cigars, in Colorado. Denverite calls CHUN a 'political heavyweight' in its work to address homelessness and other issues facing city
[March 2022] CHUN is proud to be working side by side with a growing coalition of solutions-oriented community leaders across Denver to address homelessness and offer real, actionable steps to improving conditions for both our unhoused and housed neighbors.
In a recent Denverite article on life in downtown Denver, it talked about the coalition of RNOs working with the city to address homelessness. It states that "...That group includes political heavyweights like one of the oldest RNOs, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, powerful newcomer the RiNo, River North Art District, the Baker Historic Neighborhood Association and Uptown on the Hill. The coalition has an unflinching awareness of safety concerns and the proliferation of encampments, but it takes into account the needs and issues facing the unhoused population, regardless of whether addiction or mental illness plays a role in their situation." CHUN board members volunteer at Urban Peak
[January 2022] Giving back to those in need is an important part of the holiday season.
Special thanks to Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods board members Nikki Racelis, Vickie Berkley, and Travis Leiker for volunteering and preparing meals for homeless youth at Urban Peak. CHUN invests in affordable housing at Warren Residences
CHUN Celebrates Denver Days with a Neighborhood Ice Cream Social
[August 2021] CHUN partnered with City Street Investors and Milkbox Ice Creamery to host a neighborhood ice cream social at the historic Tears-McFarlane located at 1290 Williams Street.
CHUN SEED Award Funds Neighborhood Community Clean Up
[August 2021] The Harm Reduction Action Center (HRAC) promotes public health by ensuring that people who inject drugs are educated and equipped with the tools to reduce the spread of communicable diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis C and to eliminate the proliferation of fatal overdoses.
HRAC is invested in the health and safety of their community and in August, HRAC and Rocky Vista University conducted a neighborhood clean-up that was mutually beneficial for both organization as well as being a great outdoor, socially-distanced opportunity for the community during the pandemic. HRAC is a recipient of a 2020 CHUN SEED Award that helped fund this clean up. To volunteer, donate or just learn more about HRAC click here www.harmreductionactioncenter.org. Meals for Safe Outdoor Spaces
[March 2021] Judy Trompeter, Uptown on the Hill RNO Sunday, March 14, 2021, was probably not the easiest day to provide a meal at the Safe Outdoor Space at Denver Community Church. But we did it! After digging our car out of a snowbank we picked up the food from Sullivan Scrap Kitchen and took it to the SOS. There several residents helped us unload, and volunteers from Uptown on the Hill and Old San Rafael neighborhood organizations set up and served the meal. A steady stream of residents came to the tent for their dinner, and there was plenty of delicious chicken, mac ’n cheese, salad, cookies, and flavored sparkling water for all residents and staff. It was clear from their faces that the residents looked forward to eating this particular meal! Thank you again to INC, CHUN, and many others for supporting this project. |
CHUN Awarded Community Benefit Fund from Chris Hinds
[January 2024] In 2023, District 10 Councilman Chris Hinds implemented a Community Benefit Fund in his district that provides financial support to community-based groups.
Groups can apply for up to $2,500 that will go toward community-benefiting projects such as neighborhood beautification and safety concerns, increasing civic engagement or cultivating community building. CHUN was recently awarded $1,000 from this fund - thank you District 10! CHUN President Christopher Mansour quoted in Westwood Article on new Bike Infrastructure
[August 2023] Westword journalist, Benjamin Neufeld, reached out to CHUN to get our input on the new bike infrastructure in our area, part of Denver's 'community transportation networks" campaign.
An article published on August 3 talks to neighbors and regional neighborhood organizations (RNO) about the changes and the level of engagement from Denver Department of Transport and Interior (DOTI). This is CHUN's input and coverage: "But according to the other RNO representing the area, Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods, the city's public engagement process on this particular project was more than sufficient. "We’ve worked with DOTI since early 2020 and engaged our membership and other neighbors to do the same," says CHUN president Christopher Mansour. "This included sharing early concerns that were voiced by residents and passing them along to city planners. CHUN is committed to being thought partners around these and other issues. The number of pedestrians and bikers currently being injured or killed on Denver’s streets is unacceptable." Click here to read the full article. CHUN Supports a 'YES' Vote on 2M and 2N
[March 2023] CHUN endorses the “Good Governance” referred questions on the Denver municipal ballot, 2M and 2N. We believe that a “yes” vote on these questions will support accountability and transparency.
CHUN and Metro Caring Come Together for a Day of Volunteerism
Ribbon Cutting for New Community Fridge
August CHUN Webinar: Activities of Nonprofits to Help Those Affected by Homelessness{August 2022] CHUN partnered with Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Colorado Village Collaborative, and WellPower to present a webinar focusing on the activities of nonprofits who work with those affected by homelessness.
Presenters included Cathy Alderman, Chief Communications and Public Policy Officer at Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Cuica Montoya, Safe Outdoor Space Program Director at Colorado Village Collaborative and Chris Richardson, Project Manager at Mental Health Center of Denver - WellPower. The work of these wonderful organizations should give us hope that there can be a brighter future for our fellow Denverites without permanent housing. Supporting Our Neighbors who have Food Insecurity
Alamo Placito Park Clean Up Event
CHUN builds partnership with Five Points Neighborhood Association
[March 2022] Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods' president and executive director Travis Leiker joined The Heart of Five Points - Neighborhood Association as part of the organization's ongoing outreach efforts to build partnerships with those neighborhood groups near or within our geographic boundaries.
CHUN President Travis Leiker speaks out on Public Right-of-Way
[January 2022] Rights-of-way are the areas between the street and the sidewalk -- usually grassy, sometimes with trees, and in Denver, increasingly filled with unsanctioned homeless camps.
"This just came up in a conversation that I had with the city earlier this week concerning our residents' concerns around what they're calling hostile landscaping, hostile architecture," said Travis Leiker, president of Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods. As head of the nonprofit organization, Leiker met with city leaders last month to discuss rights-of-way and how to best mitigate resident concerns--pertaining to both encampments or what others call hostile architecture/landscaping. "Folks are concerned with, and responding to, unsanctioned encampments," said Leiker "What you see is a number of private property owners trying to triage what they think is a concern, or an issue, in terms of public right-of-way enforcement." He also pointed out that there ways to make right-of-way enhancements or modifications through a permitting process established by Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI). Here is what you need to know. The installation of temporary features in the right-of-way (e.g. fencing) requires a Revocable Street Occupancy Permit. The application can be completed online and has a quick turnaround time (normally less than 3 days). There is a $50 permit issuance fee and depending on length, size and duration of the permit, the cost can range from $50 to $100’s.
CHUN calls for #BetterSidewalks in the Mile High City
[September 2021] Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods and our partners at the Denver Streets Partnership toured a number of our neighborhood sidewalks to spotlight the community's immediate needs for better sidewalk infrastructure.
The lack of safe, accessible sidewalks and pedestrian friendly transit networks in many parts of Capitol Hill requires immediate attention. But, the need is not isolated to our own community. It is especially prevalent in Denver's communities of color and other historically underserved neighborhoods. Collectively, we along with other partner organizations, are calling on the City and County of Denver Government, Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, and Denver City Council to invest more in safer thoroughfares and improved sidewalk infrastructure. Hear more about it in this City Cast Denver podcast. E-Waste Recycling Event - 2500 lbs of Success
[May 2021] The electronics recycling event that CHUN and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church co-sponsored on Saturday, May 8, was a resounding success.
With the help of SustainAbility, a local recycling company whose diverse workforce includes individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities, area neighbors cleared their homes of more than a ton’s worth of computer towers, modems and routers, laptops, tablets, printers and used cartridges, televisions, DVD players and stereo equipment and cellphones. Some of the more unusual items included microwaves, blenders, digital cameras, earphones and even electric toothbrushes; by the morning’s end, charging cords and cables alone filled up an entire bin! Our sincere thanks to the very efficient crew at SustainAbility, to all neighbors who availed themselves of this opportunity, and most especially to Bonita Bock, longtime CHUN member and a member of Our Savior’s, who paved the planning way with SustainAbility and provided several church volunteers to boot. |
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Join Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods today, and help improve the greater Capitol Hill community.
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