Colfax Community Network

Home Intro Text

admin — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 18:36:12 +0000

Many families living in poverty in the Denver area are forced to live in motels as a temporary solution to homelessness. While motels provide immediate shelter, the high cost of motel rent and the inability to secure the necessary funds for permanent housing often hold families in the “motel trap.”

Conditions are often unsanitary, dangerous and overcrowded, leading to great distress for families, especially those with children.

The Colfax Community Network advocates for and works on behalf of children and families residing in low-income, transient housing (primarily residential motels) along Colfax Avenue. By providing information, services and programs, we strengthen and improve family and community life.

Current Announcements:

Colfax Community Network is officially a member of www.goodsearch.com. If you are an online shopper whether it be for flights, flowers, a new outfit, etc…www.goodsearch.com should be added to your favorites. Not only does the site provide a categorized online adventure, but also a percentage of your purchase goes to your favorite charity – this is where CCN comes into play. Just follow these easy steps.

1) Type www.goodsearch.com into your url.
2) Look for the gray lowlighted area that states ‘Who do you goodsearch for?’
3) Type in or search for ‘Colfax Community Network’ (a red note below the box will state you are ready to search)
4) Go back up to the box above near ‘Yahoo search’ and click on shopping.
5) Begin shopping.

Yes. It is that easy to support your favorite charity!

How you can help today:

1) Use Goodsearch.com
2) Mention CCN when purchasing wine at Above the Rim Fine Wines (1936 Pennsylvania) and they will donate 10% of your purchase to us!
3) Donate much needed food for our food bank and can openers
4) Check with your employer to see if they match donations

Thank you!

Letter from the Executive Director

Emily — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:31:44 +0000

Dear Community Members,

On December 31, 2007 I was appointed by the Board of Directors as the new Executive Director of Colfax Community Network, replacing Maggie Tidwell who had served in this position since founding the organization in 1999. I accepted the position with a sense of honor and humility, aware that responsibilities and challenges would be significant, and require the support of many individuals and groups in our community.

I am committed to ensuring the same high level of programming and service delivery that the agency has become known for, while working to develop new services that effectively respond to the changing needs of our fellow neighbors who primarily live in motels along the 40-mile stretch of Colfax Avenue.

CCN has been blessed with generous assistance and cooperation from the philanthropic community and network of steadfast volunteers and noble donors. I look forward to seeing these relationships prosper and grow in the future.

With your continued support, we will strengthen and enhance our programs and expand our outreach services so that we can be a strong resource and agent of change to every family and child in need who seek improved lives, a desire for community, and hope.

I look forward to meeting all of CCN’s friends and supporters. Please call or stop by to say hello and see our incredible staff and volunteers in action! I am available by phone at 303.360.9175 and email at brooke.ccn@gmail.com.

Warm Regards,

Brooke Davidson, MSW

Museum Acrostic Poems

Maggie — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:42:04 +0000

The following poems were written by the children in the CCN after school program after a visit to the Denver Natural History and Science Museum.

Rocket by: Isaac

R ockets are fast
O bject that is fast
C heck out the rockets
K eep your
E ars peeled &
T oss

Bees by: JJ

B ees, Bees, Bees
E ver been stung?
E ees, Bees, Bees
S ummer

Diamonds by: CJ

D iamonds
I n my mind
A re worth
M ore
O pportunity for my eyes
N ice
D iamond dinosaurs

Tia by: CJ

T ime
I love her
A very lot

Rockets by: Olivia

R ockets with Danielle
O nce launched
C areful
K eep your
E yes on the
T arget

Rockets by: Danielle

R ockets with
O livia
C areful
K eep your
E yes on the
T arget

Diamond by: Brandon

D iamond was shining
I ce china people eat rice
A rt makes Donny want to fart
M oney smells just like honey
O n and his nickname is Ron
N ine makes me want to shine
D riven that’s why I’m climbing

A Hundred by: Theresa

H appy Day
U nder the blue sky
N ot impossible
D on’t tell me
R emember my rocket hit one hundred
E veryone was surprised
D ead people were too.

Ninety Feet by: Jaime

N inety feet
I mpossible, no way
N ot at all,
E veryone was surprised
T onight I broke the record
Y ou rock, Therea”, I said.

F ive, High five
E veryone shouted, “You Rock!”
E ven old people
T onight me and Theresa had fun

Jupiter by: Jerry

J upiter
U ranus
P luto
I n a planet
T rapped
E ither side
R ubber inside

Bees by: JJ

B ees
E at
E veryone
S orry

Rockets by: Donny

R ockets hit 80!
O nly 4 times
C an’t make it to the wall
K eep trying
E very
T ime

Rockets by: Angel

R ockets can be red
O nly sometime
C an you see the rocket
K icking in the air
E ating it would be gross
T aking it apart would be cool!

Grace

Maggie — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 21:35:55 +0000

I was late to an appointment downtown, and because I’d left the office without any money, I was driving around trying to find a meter with time left on it and not having much luck. Finally, I gave up, parked in the nearest spot and put the last of my change in the meter…not near enough time but I had to chance it. At that moment, a woman approached me and asked if I needed change for a dollar. She appeared to be homeless. I thanked her and explained that I didn’t have a dollar on me to even get change. She started to walk away, then turned back and handed me 76 cents. As I started to protest, she answered smiling, “People always give me stuff, I guess I can give you something.” Then she walked quickly away.

What a world this is…

-Maggie Tidwell

My Community

Maggie — Mon, 04 Dec 2006 16:34:24 +0000

When my children and I first moved into the motels on Colfax there were feelings of guilt and shame. No one from my past would ever understand, my family must be so disappointed, and how could I have let it come to this? All the negative thoughts were stifling.

A few months later, my friend Francis asked me was I going to “Family Night?” She was another mother living in the motel that I felt accepted by. It was late in the month so I was out of food stamps and was wondering what to feed my kids.

“What’s that?” I asked.

“CCN’s Family Night,” she replied.

I looked at her bewildered and she said, “You’re coming with me. It’s great food and company. You won’t have to cook dinner.”

Well, anytime I don’t have to cook, I’m there. So when Matt pulled in the parking lot, Francis and I loaded up our kids and went to the church for dinner. I still remember what we ate that night, Tammy’s fried chicken. I don’t think I have missed a “Family Night” since. That was two and a half years ago.

I told Maggie a few months ago how important “Family Night” is me. I love the social aspect. It is a great place to acquire new information about services and to talk to all my favorite CCN people. The best part about “Family Night” is that I have never felt excluded or judged. All the people there are my community. Every month there is a mix of old timers, like myself, and a few new scared faces. After filling our bellies, getting new information, and possibly playing our own version of BINGO, new faces are no longer scared. They feel how strong our community is.

I’m now proud to be a resident of the motels. I know I have a purpose here. CCN played a major part in making my self and my children feel a part of something. Our community is what it is.

Perspective

admin — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 06:14:03 +0000

One day last summer, a woman was walking into Denver Health Medical Center and stopped to admire the beautiful flowers that lined each side of the doorway. She then turned to the man who was digging in the garden and said, “Thank you, sir, for these beautiful flowers! You have made the hospital a much more friendly and welcoming place. I sure appreciate your hard work.” Then she continued on her way.

Amendment 42 passed. With the help of hundreds of volunteers and the understanding of 53% of Colorado voters, the minimum wage has been raised from $5.15 per hour to $6.85 with annual increases tied to inflation rates. It is a crucial first step in eradicating poverty in this state and one that calls for celebration. However, as we celebrate, we should not overlook the fact that while the new minimum wage provides a worker an annual income of $14,250 (for 52 weeks of work), the poverty threshold for a family of four is $19,875 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005). There is still work to be done.

In America, we are taught from childhood that hard work and persistence is rewarded with prosperity. This belief is a cornerstone of our democracy and a major influence on our attitudes and policies concerning the poor. When we encounter someone who is not prosperous, the assumption is that he/she does not work hard enough. Herein lies a central flaw. Anyone who is familiar with the backbreaking minimum wage jobs available to the marginalized in our society knows that hard work does not equal financial success. In fact, if work were measured by the amount of physical labor put forth, the exact opposite would hold true. The physically harder an individual works, the less they earn and the more likely they are to live in poverty, sustain serious injury on the job and suffer long-term disabilities related to the physical nature of their work.

The time has come for us to value the physically hard work that makes life easier for the rest of us and to demonstrate this appreciation in meaningful ways . We can do this by insisting on a living wage and decent housing for those who build our houses, care for our children, clean our homes, and grow our food. We can do this by ending the invisibility of those who do the “hard” work in our culture. We can do this by saying, “Thank you!”

-Maggie Tidwell