Volume 40, Edition 5

Message from the President

Greetings Friends and Neighbors, 

I hope this note finds you well. Welcome to the Urban Dweller...the Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods monthly e-newsletter. Here is the latest from one of Denver’s oldest and largest neighborhood organizations and community advocates:

CHUN has endorsed the City and County of Denver's proposed Expanding Housing Affordability Plan. Our organization is committed to working with the myriad stakeholders to onboard more affordable housing, and we are focused on encouraging multifamily development near and along major transit corridors. This plan, coupled with our own track record in neighborhood planning and development, will help Denver achieve these shared policy priorities. 

Harm Reduction Action Center Denver recently worked with more than 25 people to clean up the streets and alleyways from Acoma Street to Logan Street and between 4th and 11th Ave. CHUN, and our partners at the Golden Triangle Creative District, would like to extend our gratitude to HRAC for being good neighbors and for their help in cleaning up parts of Capitol Hill.  

I recently attended Warren Village's Annual Gala. The organization, located just a few blocks from our own Tears-McFarlane property, provides housing support for low-income, single-parent families who are working to emerge from poverty to economic self sufficiency. Congratulations to CEO Ethan Hemming and the entire Warren Village team for organizing a terrific event. Warren Village has received funding from CHUN in prior years, and they remain an essential neighborhood partner. 

Congratulations to the Alexander Foundation for hosting its inaugural Queer Prom at the historic Turnverein in the Uptown Neighborhood. Several members of the CHUN board of directors attended this very welcoming, inclusive event. The Alexander Foundation raises critical resources for LGBTQ+ scholarships and crisis support. Special recognition also goes to the Turnverein staff for their exceptional customer service and staff support. Please consider the Turnverein for your next party, gala, or other special event. 

Congratulations to Morey Middle School and Denver Urban Gardens, recipients of a 2022 CHUN Seed Award. The school along with scores of students recently transformed an empty plot on the school grounds into a community garden and outdoor classroom. This neighborhood-level funding and impact grant making remains one of the cornerstones of CHUN's work.

Denver's Landmark Preservation staff has released a public review draft of the Phase 1 update to the Design Guidelines for Denver Landmark Structures and Districts. The Phase 1 draft of updates is currently available on the project webpage for review and comments through May 31, 2022. ​CHUN members and others in the community are encouraged to weigh in with their perspectives. 

Many thanks to First Baptist Church of Denver for hosting our 2nd Annual Electronics Recycling Day. Their parking lot was the perfect site for our event. Thank you to business member Barbara DeJong for spearheading this project again this year. To our new community outreach organizer Katie Swick, we thank you for hitting the ground running and supporting our work in the community. Bravo and keep up the good work. 

Finally, two small businesses have closed in recent weeks in the Governors' Park Neighborhood. Turin Bikes, which had operated at 7th Avenue and Lincoln, closed after 50 years of supporting Denver's biking community. Ivy on 7th also closed earlier this month. This closure is particularly sad, as it has been operated and managed by our dear friend and board colleague Noemi Ramos. Please take a moment to thank Noemi Ramos and her team for making our neighborhood even more special. These losses are a reminder of how much the small business community adds to neighborhood vitality. Be sure to shop local, support your local businesses whenever possible, and leave a heafty tip if you can. Small businesses are the backbone of our City and essential to neighbor successes. 

For Denver, 

Travis Leiker, MPA
President and Executive Director

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Member of the Month

Women's Press Club

Denver Woman’s Press Club is where professional women writers connect. 

Since 1898, the club has provided a gathering place for professional women newspaper journalists and published authors to organize, socialize, and earn a living through writing.

​Members gather at their historic 1912 clubhouse on Denver’s Capitol Hill to share stories of their myriad writing lives, learn from one another, become better writers, and, at the direction of their founders, “drive dull care away.” https://dwpconline.org/

@DenverWomansPressClub 

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CHUN Events in May

May 12: ​Business and Nonprofit Partner Happy Hour

​Join fellow CHUN business members and community partners at our first Business Member Happy Hour:
May 12, 2022
5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Hooked on Colfax
​3213 E. Colfax Ave.
Cash bar.
If you are a CHUN business or community partner member, please RSVP here Business Happy Hour (5/12)

​May 19: General Member Happy Hour

​Meet new neighbors and friends at our next General Member Happy Hour:
May 19, 2022
4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Route 40 Cafe
​255 E. Colfax Ave., next to Tattered Cover
Cash bar. Snacks provided.
If you are a CHUN general member, please RSVP here Member Happy Hour (5/19)

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CHUN News and Events

CHUN 2022 Earth Day Recycling Event

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. 

This was a fun, simple way to ensure that neighbors can come together to recycle old and used electronics, as well as hard to recycle plastics--helping to reduce pollution and keeping our neighborhoods clean. Thank you to all who supported the event. ​

52 Volunteers Came Together to Clean Up Alamo Placita Park

Fifty-two volunteers from the Alamo Placita neighborhood, Denver Park and Trust, and CHUN came together to clean up historic Alamo Placita Park.
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Denver Park Trust Executive Director Frank Rowe welcomed participants and CHUN President Travis Leiker spoke about the CHUN SEED Grant program that made the day possible.

The goals of the Alamo Placita cleanup were to improve the safety, beauty, and utility of the park while also strengthening community ties, deepening commitment to the neighborhood, and increasing engagement among neighbors.

Together, we spread mulch on nearly 90 percent of the trees, collected 18 bags of trash and debris, and added a fresh coat of paint to the gazebo. The park is cleaner and the trees are healthier thanks to everyone's efforts.

CHUN SEED Award Recipient Morey Middle School celebrates Earth Day

Students at CHUN SEED recipient, Morey Middle School, celebrated Earth Day by planting seedlings that they had grown from seeds over the last weeks.

The students are growing vegetables, herbs, fruit, and Colorado native plants.

​The school will use the garden as an outdoor classroom and a unique was to teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) that involves the students directly in each step of the growing process.
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​The school will use the SEED awards funds to put a bench in this garden area. 

Volunteers from Ardent Mills also helped as their contribution to Earth Day.​

CHUN Hosts First 2022 Lunch and Learn Webinar

​Many thanks to the Denver Parks and Recreation department for participating in Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods first Lunch and Learn webinar of 2022. Participant speakers included: Jill Coffman, Director of Parks Operations; Eliza Hunholz, Director of Park Rangers; and Owen Wells, District Planning Supervisor

It was great to hear more about forthcoming projects, including a return to 100% planting levels, at parks like Alamo Placita Park and Cheesman Park. CHUN loves our Denver Parks and Open Spaces.

​See their slide-deck HERE.

CHUN Highlighted in The Denver Foundation Spring 2022 Newsletter

Excerpt from article 'By the Numbers': Capitol Hill United Neighborhoods (CHUN) holds two endowments at The Denver Foundation, totaling more than $1 million, which support the long-term financial sustainability of one of Denver’s oldest neighborhood organizations. Established in 2021 with proceeds from the sale of the Tears-McFarlane Mansion along Cheesman Park, CHUN’s endowments include an agency-advised fund and operating reserves. Investment returns will support CHUN’s annual budget and a new series of microgrants, known as SEED Awards. So far, CHUN has distributed SEED Awards to six organizations that serve Capitol Hill. "We have been incredibly pleased with this process and worked closely with The Denver Foundation team to diversify our funding strategy while building in safeguards to prevent unwise financial decision-making in the future,” says Richard Wilson, CHUN’s board treasurer.

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CHUN Organization Reports

Community Engagement

Morey Middle School and Denver Urban Gardens, recipients of a CHUN Seed Award, had over two hundred students help till, mulch, and plant seedlings as part of Earth Day activities on April 22nd. CHUN Community Engagement Committee members Rachel Griffin, Debbie Young and Vickie Berkley came by to help and to get interviews and photos for CHUN publications. Parents, teachers, and employees from Ardent Mills, headquartered in Denver, joined the waves of students that were at work expanding the community garden to include vegetables and native plants.

CHUN Community Engagement Committee members Peggy Randall and Vickie Berkley joined the E-Recycling event held on April 23rd at First Baptist Church, along with Travis Leiker, Barb DeJong and CHUN’s community outreach coordinator, Katie Swick. This is the second CHUN sponsored E-Recycling event in partnership with SustainAbility, a recycling and composting company that combines a “passion for the environment with an understanding that every human being has gifts and talents to offer our communities and our planet.”

Denver Park Trust, another SEED Award recipient, orchestrated more than 52 volunteers from the neighborhood to paint, plant and clean up at the April Alamo Placita Park Clean-Up Event. Special thanks to CHUN board member Molly Williams for promoting this event to her fellow neighbors and helping make this a great partnership with Denver Park Trust! 

History Matters

CHUN's History Matters group continues to have conversations with people in the Governor’s Park area to understand what could be done to main some of the historic buildings. Business owners in Governor’s Park are considering putting together a Business Improvement District (BID) by putting together the right people. CHUN could play a role in helping convene the right people and by providing some expertise and direction.

​Smiley’s Laundromat on Colfax was a nice example of 1930s era art deco architecture but unfortunately the building has been completely torn down after being vacant since 2013. There may be an opportunity for CHUN History Matters group to work with the new developers.

History Matters Vice Chair Peggy Randall organized the April History Matters Webinar with guest speaker: Rowena Alegria.  Alegria is Chief Storyteller for the City & County of Denver, founder and director of the Denver Office of Storytelling and the citywide storytelling and cultural preservation project, I Am Denver. Alegria introduced a new documentary, ¡Qué Viva la Raza!, that honors the Chicano and Latino roots of many Denver neighborhoods.

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Denver and Colorado News and Events

Volunteer for Citywide Parks, Rivers, Trails & Trees Cleanup Day and Tree Planting

Spring is here at last and 'Parks, Rivers, Trails & Trees' is just around the corner on Saturday, May 21st!

​They have a great day planned and your help is needed to make the citywide cleanup day and tree planting a success!

Please join the team to volunteer from 10-12pm, followed by a celebration at City Park Pavilion from 1-4pm. If you haven't already, register today by clicking here. 
 
Parks, Rivers, Trails, & Trees is our chance to say thank you to all our volunteers for your hard work and dedication to our shared outdoor spaces. With free food from on-site food trucks, beverages, music, and games, we hope you’ll join us for a beautiful spring day of fun!  

Saturday, May 21
City-wide clean up at 5 locations: 9 am – 12 pm
​Community Celebration at City Park Pavilion:  1 pm – 4 pm

​Sign up here to reserve your spot and free meal ticket today.

I AM DENVER Invites You to Join Their 3-year Anniversary Celebration

In 2019, Denver launched the Denver Office of Storytelling to literally change our city’s recorded history by honoring those too often left out of the narrative.
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Since then, through the #IAmDenver community storytelling and cultural preservation project, they have recorded hundreds of video stories, all in community voices, and hosted several sold-out screenings.

Join the Denver Office of Storytelling and partners Colectiva, Latin Fashion Week Colorado, Village Exchange Center, and Viva Colorado to learn more and enjoy refreshments and a short #IAmDenver film!

Tue, May 24, 2022
5:30 PM – 9:00 PM 
Village Exchange Center, 1609 Havana Street, Aurora
​Register here

Refill is the New Recycle

Off the Bottle is a minimal waste ‘refillery’ in the heart of Capitol Hill.  They take great pride in offering environmentally friendly, non-toxic, plant-based, cruelty-free, reusable, and refillable home and body products. 

Thier mission is to offer alternatives to single use plastic consumption by refilling already existing containers. Bring in your own bottles and jars or choose from their large selection of new glass or aluminum containers (or peruse their “freecycle” section). 

Check them out here and visit them at 220 E. 15th Ave in Capitol Hill.

New Denver Program Aims to Increase Homeownership among Communities of Color

Denver’s Department of Housing Stability (HOST) is proud to offer a new housing program that aims to increase homeownership in communities of color that were historically targeted by discriminatory practices, like redlining. The metroDPA Social Equity program provides down payment assistance of either $15,000 or $25,000 to qualifying households.

Denver Restaurant-Up: Program Helping Denverites Open a Restaurant

Denver Economic Development & Opportunity (DEDO) is partnering with Eat Denver and the Colorado Small Business Development Center to launch Denver Restaurant-Up, a new accelerator program designed for Denver residents with extensive experience in the restaurant industry who are looking to strengthen their business knowledge and launch their own venture. The program will provide participants with access to resources and mentors, as well as opportunities to network with other like-minded individuals.

Participants who fulfill all the program requirements will be eligible to receive a grant award of $30,000 to put toward the opening of their restaurant – grants will be distributed as reimbursements for approved start-up expenses, not in the form of cash.