×‰?×B!™×‘C‘×˜š Í
 Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://BBpjAt7zqBuiqyrNqD3Xq6dvkcuTuudSpUI8V-JbgpwÎ hšÍ`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://P5rQblF-0P87UWvgSTqgEmih1O9VsWHs5FaEOyKHzdMÍncÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://7sHyidnoOzZ91VqENqFC-mGyHxsZ110D1jNRs7r2TrUÍ'Í`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://S32563BPZk-NW76a5vFk7sT4MsJa0ah49OYEHDEutwcÎ _DÍfÍ ÍTÍñ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›}‘× ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›€ Í	<ÍGÌ9×H¶http://DENVERVOICE.ORG××Ðˆ×ˆE×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›k×‰EÚh$
2
SUGGESTED
DONATION
@DenverVOICE
MUSIC
WILL W
PREVAIL
WITHOUT AUDIENCES, MUSIC
INDUSTRY PROS FIND NICHE IN
COVID RESPONSE SERVICES. PAGE 6
HEALTH
CENTERS ARE
STEPPING UP
AS COLORADOâ€™S VACCINATION
RATE INCREASES, COMMUNITY
HEALTH PROVIDERS LIKE
SALUD ARE BECOMING MORE
THAN MEDICAL OFFICES.
PAGE 4
SKEPTICISM IN
THE SERVICE
INDUSTRY
AS RESTAURANTS AND BARS
BEGIN TO FULLY OPEN, SOME
SERVICE INDUSTRY WORKERS
ARE HESITANT TO RETURN.
PAGE 5
HYGIENE
AND HEALTH
LOCAL NONPROFIT â€œSHOWERS
FOR ALLâ€ AIMS TO BUILD
RELATIONSHIPS AND MEET
PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE.
PAGE 8
VOICES OF
OUR COMMUNITY
PAGES 3, 4, 11, 12
EVENTS / PUZZLES
PAGE 13
RESOURCES
PAGE 15
JUNE 2021 | Vol.26 Issue 6
SINCE 1997, WE HAVE PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO WORK. DONATE TODAY TO ENSURE OUR VENDORS CONTINUE TO HAVE JOBS. (DENVERVOICE.ORG)
FROM YOUR VENDOR:
CREDIT: GILES CLASEN
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://7sHyidnoOzZ91VqENqFC-mGyHxsZ110D1jNRs7r2TrUÍ'Í`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›l×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›kÍ
Í×‘C’×˜š   Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://Z2pasRiQcO0AztTebpZxTJvNWnyhLmhYVmoypB_-AoEÎ òÍ`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://bDiVoja7CvqgoBtIWBYBW0nEp5yOREvRQyWk9UZgp_wÍdiÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://IpuOpIKrB84yKc8VQXSJklej5oiaO9BGL_nr6HqK4ukÍ!«Í`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://-IIfHIN4QMRMnawRYBFEH7_q742Ypiv_DBXseCwE07wÎ {ZÍtÍ ÍTÍñ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›×˜š Í
 Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://HNxZDwTbn4aXftvwVXt3HyoJPzQOjFPs8nxO5MS82vwÎ «ºÍ`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://nNclpvUis31KGZ1wZFoRb7VTesn1jokvBVsBkp74O5YÍh7Í`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ZoE-UqOv8SUFFSUWG1FllnF_64-M0tKrE2mpUcTUy2cÍ#ÒÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://uYdddOEXseRPfpPV75XN1Gl1fb8fAYBaIuuuQ1VquBQÎ 2†Í(Í ÍTÍñ×`ªÈŸ<Dœh÷›‚”× ×`ªÈŸ<Dœh÷›Ž Í
ÍäÌÑ9×HÚ $http://denvervoice.org/subscriptions××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈŸ<Dœh÷› ÍŸÍËÌÀ9×H¾mailto:program@denvervoice.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈŸ<Dœh÷›Œ ÍóÍÌ¢9×Hºmailto:ads@denvervoice.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈŸ<Dœh÷›‹ Í’ÍÑu9×H¶http://denvervoice.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ”EDITORâ€™S NOTE
TODAY, WHEN I WENT to the grocery
store, the arrows that directed
people to go â€œthat wayâ€ up or down
the aisles, had been removed. There
were no reminders to keep two cart
lengths between me and the person
ahead of me in the checkout line.
While countless people
ELISABETH MONAGHAN
MANAGING EDITOR
consistently went the wrong way in
grocery aisles when the directional
arrows were all over the store, it
was strange having the flexibility
to decide which direction I would go to get my produce, toilet
paper, or coffee.
Yesterday, I was at a small outdoor gathering, where all of
the attendees had received our COVID-19 vaccinations, so we
felt comfortable going mask-less. I forgot how nice it is to see
peopleâ€™s smiles.
These are two positives about returning to how we did things
before the pandemic, but I wonder how long it will be before
we see the negatives. Will those who experienced extreme
isolation or depression recover, or have they hit an emotional
state of no return? What about those who will continue to
consider the virus a hoax or have no intention of getting
vaccinated from COVID? How do we get beyond the acrimony
that divided so many friends and families?
As we return to live concerts, plays, sporting events,
restaurants, or any other activities we put on hold during the
pandemic, I donâ€™t expect things will instantly (if ever) return
to â€œpre-COVID normal.â€ I do hope I can appreciate not being
paranoid about catching the virus or risking the chance I could
pass it on to someone with a compromised immune system.
I doubt many of my memories of the pandemic will be
positive, but for the most part, I witnessed people coming
together, taking care of themselves, and most importantly,
looking out for and taking care of each other. â– 
June CONTRIBUTORS
PAULA BARD is an award-winning fine art
photographer, writer, and activist. She lives
on a mountain top southwest of Denver.
GILES CLASEN is a freelance photographer
who regularly contributes his work to the
VOICE for editorial projects, fundraisers,
and events. He has also served on the
VOICEâ€™s Board of Directors.
ROBERT DAVIS is an award-winning
freelance reporter for the Denver VOICE. His
work has also appeared in Colorado Public
Works Journal, Fansided, Colorado Journal,
and Medium.com.
DOUG HRDLICKA is a Denver native who
reports on the cityâ€™s changes.
DENVERVOICE.ORG
CE.ORG
@deeOCE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jennifer Seybold
MANAGING EDITOR
Elisabeth Monaghan
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Anthony Cornejo
GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Hannah Bragg
VOLUNTEER COPY EDITORS
Haven Enterman
Kersten Jaeger
Aaron Sullivan
Laura Wing
PHOTOGRAPHERS/ILLUSTRATORS
Paula Bard
Giles Clasen
WRITERS
WHAT WE DO
The Denver VOICE empowers homeless, impoverished, and
transient individuals by creating job opportunities through
our vendor program. We give our vendors a job and help
them tell their stories; this creates a space for them to be part
of a community again.
Vendors purchase copies of the VOICE for 50 cents each
at our distribution center. This money pays for a portion
of our production costs. Vendors can buy as many papers
as they want; they then sell those papers to the public for
a suggested $2 donation. The difference in cost ($1.50) is
theirs to keep.
WHO WE ARE
The Denver VOICE is a nonprofit that publishes a monthly
street newspaper. Our vendors are men and women in the
metro Denver area experiencing homelessness and poverty.
Since 2007, we have put more than 4,000 vendors to work.
Our mission is to facilitate a dialogue addressing the roots
of homelessness by telling stories of people whose lives
are impacted by poverty and homelessness and to offer
economic, educational, and empowerment opportunities
for the impoverished community.
We are an award-winning publication, a member of the
International Network of Street Papers and the Colorado
Press Association, and we abide by the Society of
Professional Journalists code of ethics.
With the money they make selling the VOICE, vendors are
able to pay for their basic needs. Our program provides
vendors with an immediate income and a support group
of dedicated staff members and volunteers. Vendors are
independent contractors who receive no base pay.
EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT editor@denvervoice.org
VENDOR PROGRAM program@denvervoice.org â€¢ (720) 320-2155
ADVERTISING ads@denvervoice.org
MAILING ADDRESS PO Box 1931, Denver CO 80201
VENDOR OFFICE 989 Santa Fe Drive, Denver, CO 80204
OFFICE HOURS: Starting June 1, we will be open
Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. until 12 p.m.
Orientation is held every day we are open, but
prospective vendors must arrive by 10:00 a.m.
John Alexander
Brian Augustine
Paula Bard
Giles Clasen
Robert Davis
Doug Hrdlicka
Raelene Johnson
Jerry Rosen
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Nikki Lawson, President
Michelle Stapleton, Vice President
Lori Holland, Treasurer
Jeff Cuneo, Secretary
Chris Boulanger
Donovan Cordova
Pamela Gravning
Raelene Johnson
Zephyr Wilkins
2 DENVER VOICE June 2021
STAFF
CONTRIBUTORS
BOARD
CONTACT US
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://IpuOpIKrB84yKc8VQXSJklej5oiaO9BGL_nr6HqK4ukÍ!«Í`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›m×‰EÚ¯VOICES OF OUR COMMUNITY
OUR Streets: IVAN EKONEK
BY PAULA BARD
â€œIâ€™M 27, FROM GHANA, Accra, in West Africa. I came to this country for
education â€” Chicago community college. Thatâ€™s why I came to America.
I came to the U.S. for advanced education.
I lived in Chicago when I first came to America; I was in Chicago,
going to school. Yeah, I got a degree; Iâ€™m a good electrician. My
parents sent me here. I wanted to come to Chicago because when I
was in Africa, they have school online from the U.S.
And so, then to Denver after that...because itâ€™s dangerous in Chicago.
Chicago is so dangerous. Too dangerous. Oh my God!
The police were called on me three times. The first one was out at
the park. I was just jogging to the park and trying to, you know, raise
myself. The police arrive to ask me a question. â€˜We had a call on you,â€™
so I had to wait like 30 minutes [for them] to run my background,
everything. â€˜Keep walking, just keep walking.â€™
I went downtown. So, the second time, and it happened again, it
was at night in downtown Chicago. They were just focusing on me.
I think itâ€™s because Iâ€™m Black. Yep, thatâ€™s why. Yeah, they just focus on
me. They came straight to me. â€˜Hey man, we want to have your ID,â€™ the
man is like, â€˜are you selling drugs?â€™ No, I was not selling drugs!
Chicago is too dangerous. Iâ€™m focused now on getting out; I just
want to go, to go home.
In Ghana, we got lands, we got horses, we got a farm. A whole
plantation, we grow pepper, okra, tomatoes. My grandfather built a
lot of things. Families should be helping if you got family.
Iâ€™m a Christian. But the truth, without a doubt, the truth â€”
America is getting more dangerous, and America is in trouble. Yes.â€ â– 
CREDIT: PAULA BARD
OUR Streets are stories of Denverâ€™s unhoused residents as captured by Paula Bard,
who walks the streets of Denver to photograph the faces and collect the stories of those
her city has abandoned.
HOW TO HELP
The money we take in from vendors helps us cover a
portion of our printing costs, but we depend largely on
donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations
to help us pay our rent and keep the lights on.
DONATE
Donations to the Denver VOICE are tax-deductable.
Go to denvervoice.org to give a one-time or recurring donation.
You can also mail a check to:
Denver VOICE | P.O. Box 1931 | Denver, CO 80201
GET THE WORD OUT
We rely on grassroots marketing to get the word
out about what we do. Talk to people about our
organization and share us with your network.
Support us on
@denverVOICE
ADVERTISE
Our readership is loyal, well-educated, and socially concerned. Readers
view purchasing the paper as a way to immediately help a person
who is poor or homeless while supporting long-term solutions to end
poverty. If you are interested in placing an ad or sponsoring a section of
the paper, please contact us about rates at ads@denvervoice.org.
VOLUNTEER
We need volunteers to help with everything from newspaper
distribution to event planning and management.
Contact program@denvervoice.org for volunteering information.
SUBSCRIBE
If you are unable to regularly purchase a newspaper from our vendors, please
consider a subscription. We ask subscribers to support our program with a 12-month
pledge to give $10 a month, or a one-time donation of $120. Subscriptions help us
cover our costs AND provide an amazing opportunity to those who need it most.
Go to denvervoice.org/subscriptions for more information.
June 2021 DENVER VOICE 3
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ZoE-UqOv8SUFFSUWG1FllnF_64-M0tKrE2mpUcTUy2cÍ#ÒÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›n×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›mÍ
Í×‘C’×˜š   Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://f7rePJSXPj-ie1r5tcEoRAtH67cEKOfPI_wQoMFTvNkÎ ˜$Í`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://we6ztXis10GM45g_upTDalaf3f8yx0bxpD74cYL4N2sÍ~=Í`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://yqTNVsnxPfzu1Z2S0i8IBGj06lhYrOLzEVOxkqkE9rAÍ&ŽÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://YAOZQGOism3tz4gm9NjPZoTehg2X03LSYOq9pq-TigAÎ á†ÌþÍ ÍTÍñ×`ªÈŸ<Dœh÷›×˜š Í
 Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://OhAEKpQM1ARhKbeXwB85gQlfebT6EZ01Z2WZglFx91AÎ Ž/Í`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ANFjGk9ZVGH3bVbDzfsZjmajhaFltk_OYpHJabhZkTcÍsÁÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://GRrRns_eg-q-0Dk9UKRfIMCLZG7NpU2f7YfimhtbUmIÍ%)Í`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://kgHeqgWp8qK5Nki0ksNvv81y6JyCMTL9F3HcZSkX6eoÎ êÍ´Í ÍTÍñ×`ªÈŸ<Dœh÷›’× ×`ªÈ <Dœh÷›• ÍõÍÌ¼9×H¾mailto:program@denvervoice.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ <Dœh÷›” Í›Í·Í19×H½http://DENVERVOICE.ORG/VENDOR××Ðˆ×‰EÚAsk a
VENDOR
THIS COLUMN IS A PLACE FOR DENVER
VOICE VENDORS TO RESPOND TO QUESTIONS
FROM OUR READERS AND STAFF.
Q
How would you respond if someone
asked you, â€œIf I donate to the Denver
VOICE today, how will that money
benefi t you six months from now?â€
A
JERRY ROSEN
It would benefit me in many ways as it would
help me support myself in many ways with
having the things I need and being able to get
the things I need in the future.
RAELENE JOHNSON
I would let them know if they donate to the VOICE,
the money goes to keeping the paper in print, so
vendors can keep earning a living. The money
also helps keep the office [running] and pays
some staff. Please keep the aper going! Thank
you from all of us vendors!
BRIAN AUGUSTINE
You help the Denver VOICE continue publishing,
which means I will be able to continue working.
I not only keep earning to pay my rent. But, I
stay connected with the community I feel so
close to and included in now. Also, you keep me
the happiest Iâ€™ve ever been in my life by doing
the job that I love. Itâ€™s people that donate to the
Denver VOICE that help all the vendors working.
Thank you so very much. From all of us.
Please see page 12 for an additional response.
What do YOU want to ask?
If you have a question or issue you
would like vendors to discuss, please
email community@denvervoice.org.
4 DENVER VOICE June 2021
CREDIT: GILES CLASEN
LOCAL NEWS
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROVIDERS
TAKE THE LEAD ON VACCINATIONS
BY ROBERT DAVIS
KARLA CARRANZA of Denver said she got her COVID-19
vaccine because she was ready to reunite with her family and
friends after spending a year apart.
Dr. Hannah Fields of Estes Park got hers to protect both her
family and her patients.
Stephanie Flores from Fort Lupton said she got it because
her work as a medical provider puts her in close contact with
the public.
What each of these women has in common is that they
got their vaccines from the Salud Family Health Clinic, a
community health center that focuses on helping Coloradoâ€™s
low-income and immigrant communities get vaccinated.
As Coloradoâ€™s vaccination rate increases, community
health centers like Salud are becoming more than medical
offices. They are now off-hours service providers, trusted
sources of information, and community resource centers, too.
Theyâ€™re also serving as lynchpins of the stateâ€™s
vaccination efforts.
Maisha Fields, the director of community partnerships
at Salud Family Health Centers, described this workload to
Denver VOICE in an interview as â€œheavy.â€ But, sheâ€™s found the
key to success lies in â€œconnecting with people where they are.â€
â€œNormal health care comes with normal business hours.
Rather than be another normal provider, we aim to be a
trusted provider. Weâ€™re able to adjust our method of delivery
to meet the needs of our community members,â€ Fields added.
VACCINE EQUITY
According to the Center for Disease Control, only 10% of
vaccines distributed in Colorado have gone to Hispanic and
Latinx communities. Meanwhile, these communities made
up 41% of cases and 25% of deaths, according to an analysis of
the data by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The song remains the same in the Denver metro area.
Communities with strong Hispanic and Latinx populations
such as Montbello and Westwood are reporting low
vaccination rates, according to the Colorado Health Instituteâ€™s
COVID-19 Vaccination Map.
To address these disparities, Denver opened five
community vaccination centers at the following locations:
â€¢ Barnum Recreation Center - 360 Hooker St.
â€¢ Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center - 2650 E. 49th Ave.
â€¢ Swansea Recreation Center - 2650 E. 49th Ave.
â€¢ John F. Kennedy High School - 2855 S. Lamar St.
â€¢ Montbello High School - 14274 E. 51st Ave.
However, these statistics confirm the fact that several
communities in Colorado are not getting the quality of
healthcare they deserve, according to Fields. She said thatâ€™s
why Salud and other community healthcare centers are
focusing their efforts on culturally-responsive services in an
attempt to increase vaccination rates.
Some examples include hosting vaccination drives during
the evening or on weekends; driving mobile clinics to
churches, parks, and other community centers, and providing
walk-in vaccinations.
Fields said there have been two keys to Saludâ€™s success:
flexible services and building trust in the communities
they serve.
â€œItâ€™s not always the voices of the sports stars that people
listen to. Thatâ€™ll work for some, but others will pay more
attention to what their neighbor says than what someone on
the Denver Broncos says about getting vaccinated,â€ she said.
INFORMATION PIPELINE
When Governor Jared Polis retired the stateâ€™s COVID-19
dial framework in mid-April, he simultaneously gave local
healthcare providers more control over case management
and disrupted an information pipeline that many relied on for
local data about the pandemic.
At the time, officials said the decision was due to several
factors including increasing vaccination rates and lower
hospitalization rates of elderly Coloradans. In response,
several countiesâ€”Denver includedâ€”made their COVID-19
data publicly available. Others such as Douglas County took
the opposite approach.
However, the patchwork county-level data available
coupled with sensationalized reports of complications caused
by the vaccine have made it difficult to repair the information
pipeline between scientists and the general public.
For community health providers, Fields said, closing this
information gap between vulnerable communities and sound
science is a critical element of their work.
Chief Medical Officer for Salud Tillman Farley told
Denver VOICE about some focus groups that Salud has
conducted. He said those who self-reported as vaccine
hesitant often believed that scientists had a profit motive
behind the inoculation. Others were distrustful of medicine
more generally.
He said these results made one thing resoundingly clear:
those who are vaccine-hesitant are becoming tougher sells.
Unfortunately, the result is that people distrust an element of
medicine that scientists know best: vaccines.
â€œThere is nothing that medicine knowns better than
vaccines, from the molecular level to the population level,â€
Farley said. â€œImmunology is very sound science. There arenâ€™t
any hidden dragons left to discover. Weâ€™re only getting better
at it.â€
Meanwhile, state COVID data shows Denver County has
more than 450 confirmed cases of variant strains â€“ threefourths
of which are from the B.1.1.7 strain, which was first
identified in the United Kingdom.
According to the latest vaccination data from Denver
Public Health, 63% of Denver residents have received at least
one dose of the vaccine. Another 43% are fully vaccinated. â– 
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://yqTNVsnxPfzu1Z2S0i8IBGj06lhYrOLzEVOxkqkE9rAÍ&ŽÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›o×‰EÚ.LOCAL STORY
Spring
WISH LIST
THE LOGO OF A CHIPOTLE RESTAURANT IS SEEN IN GOLDEN, COLORADO. CREDIT: REUTERS/RICK WILKING
NOT EVERYONE IN SERVICE
INDUSTRY FAVORS
LIVING WAGE MODEL
BY DOUG HRDLICKA
THE FINAL HOURS OF COVID-19 may be upon us â€“ so it would
seem with the restrictions being lifted. The joyful idea of
the pandemic coming to an end starkly contrasts the call
for social distancing and mask-wearing because others may
be a threat to us, and we may be a threat to them. But of all
the doom and gloom that is present now, as restaurants and
bars begin to fully open, is that service industry workers are
hesitant to return.
In the Facebook group Stupid Questions in the Service
Industry, which has more than 16 thousand members, the
answer to the hesitancy was varied. In some instances,
people used this past year as an opportunity to pursue career
ambitions outside the service industry, but among the top
reasons are low pay and rude customers.
The minimum for a tipped employee is $9.30 across
Colorado; the remainder relies on the generosity of the guests.
That being the case, jobs in the service industry have been
less than gainful this past year, and members of the Facebook
service industry group report the attitudes of guests being far
more egregious.
Some establishments, however, have abolished tips in favor
of a salary â€“ the most recent being Chipotle. Starting June 1,
the company began paying a minimum wage of $15 per hour
in addition to incentives such as education, referral bonuses,
and a pathway towards management positions that pay an
annual salary of $100,000.
â€œChipotle is committed to providing industry-leading
benefits and accelerated growth opportunities, and we hope
to attract even more talent by showcasing the potential
income that can be achieved in a few short years,â€ the
company wrote in a newsletter.
The decision for a company to pay a salary to its employees
is not unique to Chipotle. During the spring of last year
Amethyst Coffee, which has three locations in the Denver
metro area, also abolished the tips system and began paying
their employees $50,000 per year.
â€œWe cannot keep relying on tips to pay people a living wage
in cities that only get more and more expensive like Denver,â€
Winn Deburlo with Amethyst Coffee said last year.
The move drew national attention and garnered praise
from community members and worker advocates. Some,
however, disapproved because the wage hike was being
passed on to the customers through the price of coffee.
The Colorado Restaurant Association added to that by
noting employees stand to gain more from a tips system
over a salary. Sonya Riggs, the CEO and president of CRA
cited Union Square Hospitality Groupâ€™s attempt at salary as a
cautionary tale.
â€œWhen Union Square Hospitality Group moved away
from tipping, they reported that 40% of their best servers
quit,â€ Riggs said in a letter. â€œWeâ€™ve also heard from some local
restaurant groups who have moved away from the traditional
tipping model that they lost upwards of 80% of their front-ofhouse
staff, who left to work at restaurants operating under
traditional tip models.â€
In the same letter, Riggs, also confirmed the difficulty
restaurants are having with finding workers. Small business
owners shared similar struggles in the Stupid Questions
Facebook group. Many insisted upon wanting to be able to
pay workers more, but with the rise in food cost and PPE, they
simply didnâ€™t have the revenue.
â€œRestaurants across the state have shared with us that they
are struggling to hire enough workers to meet the current
demand from diners as patio season gets underway and
capacity restrictions ease or are eliminated,â€ said Riggs.
The truth of the matter has yet to be unveiled, though. As of
right now, restrictions remain in place, and many people are
still receiving pandemic unemployment. But if cases remain
low, we may return to normal before summer even begins.
â€œItâ€™s time to say goodbye to capacity limits and distancing
requirements,â€ said Mayor Michael Hancock in a post on his
Facebook page, â€œand for those of us who are vaccinated, time
to remove our masks in most circumstances.â€ â– 
DENVERVOICE.ORG/VENDOR-NEEDS
Drop-offs are accepted Mon, Weds, Fri.,
9 a.m. â€“ 12 p.m., or schedule a drop-off by
emailing program@denvervoice.org.
June 2021 DENVER VOICE 5
NEW ITEMS NEEDED:
Socks
Reusable water bottles
Sunscreen, toothpaste,
deodorant, chapstick
Paper products for the office
GENTLY USED ITEMS NEEDED:
Flat screen TV
Backpacks
Umbrellas that can fit
into a backpack
Ball caps/hats for warm weather
Gloves
Panchos & windbreakers
(Menâ€™s L, XL, XXL)
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://GRrRns_eg-q-0Dk9UKRfIMCLZG7NpU2f7YfimhtbUmIÍ%)Í`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›p×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›oÍ
Í×‘C’×˜š   Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://GDq0kYAb8XWHTfsjhXOi9w8VRXilOeCX1d2cGynOPWEÎ  Í`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://vNGfA3yN1iCBbC4iCque4GWYitsiQ2nxoPYX7qe4NWYÍlºÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://dOoYj_tc_yA4y1WPleGxKAXXGgqlCyVybeIStilOHG0Í%ÏÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://uuShydwtXbDQ5U51R3gtJOStJvA4cEZTc5G-cCEgWXQÎ ,™*Í ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ <Dœh÷›–×˜š Í
 Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://QdOWJgusp7oX4yk56fV7t-GGz_2EnelLZOz_ON7xE44Î ¯'Í`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://hpVhKjOnr4uIZnpLqQxdtCTWET5loOCRbx1Kw4CEw5sÍ€¡Í`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://pkW9RCFghjBLB07G8xogz0_6EK4aHVG67ATH_2bLOMgÍ$ÁÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://4h3-KjUZif4PqEABILAUo_vURwhvA7kj08d-cPpElzwÎ ÅDÍ ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ <Dœh÷›—×‰EÚVLOCAL STORY
When Sarah Slaton lost her work as a musician due to COVID-19, she and others in the music industry, found new work testing patients for the virus. â€œIt was devastating fi nancially. Between losing
my job and having all of my shows canceled, I was really in a rough spot. I was really in a place of self-doubt last summer going into last fall.â€ Credit: Giles Clasen
WITHOUT AUDIENCES, MUSIC
INDUSTRY PROS FIND NICHE IN
COVID RESPONSE SERVICES
BY GILES CLASEN
FACING DEVASTATION
COVID-19 wasnâ€™t the first time Sarah Slatonâ€™s life was
interrupted by illness.
In 2009, not long after Slaton graduated college and moved
to Denver, her mother was diagnosed with brain cancer.
Slaton returned to Arkansas and cared for her mother, who
passed away 14 months later.
â€œI felt so fucking lost without her,â€ Slaton said. â€œIt was like
the whole world was upside-down, and I didnâ€™t want to have
anything to do with it. I bought a one-way flight to Europe. I
took off and went backpacking for a little bit.â€
In time Slaton returned to Denver and started the band
Edison as a tribute to her mother, even using a photo of her
mom on the bandâ€™s first album.
â€œI just always wanted to pursue being a musician, and
I was always afraid to really go for it,â€ Slaton said. â€œThings
changed, having her voice in the back of my head; I knew I
had to just try.â€
6 DENVER VOICE June 2021
In 2018, Edison broke up and Slaton began her solo career.
She had built momentum going into 2020 and had scheduled
a national solo tour.
The coronavirus pandemic brought everything to a
screeching halt for Slaton, as it did for many other Americans.
Unlike some businesses during the pandemic, the music
industry couldnâ€™t continue at a limited capacity. Events
were canceled and concerts were put on hold. The revenue
dried up, and Slaton had no choice but to start collecting
unemployment insurance.
â€œIt was devastating, financially,â€ Slaton said. â€œBetween
losing my job and having all of my shows canceled, I was
really in a rough spot. I was really in a place of self-doubt last
summer going into last fall.â€
Slaton was used to pinching her pennies as a touring
musician, but this was different.
In December of 2020, Slaton found another break, of
sorts, in the music industry. She took a job with a COVID-19
response team for Highline Medical Solutions, an offshoot of
Highline Events Solutions.
FINDING A SOLUTION
Highline had been an experiential marketing company
that produced music and sporting events around the world
since the mid-1990s. But as was the case with so many, when
COVID-19 hit,
Highline lost all of its business, and the Highline Event
Solutions business struggled to survive.
James Deighan, Highlineâ€™s managing partner and founder,
said in the summer of 2020 the company had to furlough most
of their 15 full-time staff and inform their 250 contractors
around the country that there would be no work until the
pandemic ended.
â€œIt was devastating,â€ Deighan said. â€œIt was very, very
difficult. It was very sad, but at the same time, there was
absolutely nothing I could do. I held on as long as I possibly
could before telling employees we have had for 13 or
18 years.â€
Deighan looked for any solution to keep his company
going. He considered selling his house and even considered
becoming a bartender again, a job he hadnâ€™t done since the
founding of Highline 26 years ago.
Highline did qualify for a Paycheck Protection Program
loan from the federal government, which helped him keep his
staff paid a bit longer, but it ultimately wasnâ€™t enough.
â€œCome late July, early August, there wasnâ€™t a dime left to
spend on staff, let alone overhead,â€ Deighan said.
Just as Highline looked like it might fall, Deighan had an
idea. A friend with experience in the medical industry told
Deighan about the logistical complexities involved in testing
Coloradoâ€™s population for COVID.
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://dOoYj_tc_yA4y1WPleGxKAXXGgqlCyVybeIStilOHG0Í%ÏÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›q×‰EÚ$ÌLOCAL STORY
Highline had years of experience organizing large-scale
events like the Winter X Games, Super Bowl Half Time Shows,
Vail Snow Days, and Deighan saw this as a great way to parlay
that experience into a different type of enterprise.
In the early fall of 2020, Deighan began applying for
requests for proposals from the state of Colorado to manage
and staff COVID testing sites. Highline Medical Solutions, a
new wing of the Highline events business, was born.
â€œI was so excited,â€ Deighan said. â€œWe kind of put the word
out across the country, to the Highline family, to anyone that
didnâ€™t have work, to apply their very strong skill sets and help
address a serious need in fighting the pandemic.â€
OPPORTUNITIES FOR PAID WORK
Deighan wasnâ€™t the only individual in the music business
excited to have paid work in a new industry
â€œWe lost not only our jobs but our identity this past year,â€
Stacy Wiseman said. â€œNot only are we working now, but we
are helping the country open back up.â€
A tour manager for A-list comedians and bands, Wiseman
spent 14 years traveling around the world before the pandemic
hit. She learned about the job opportunities with Highline
through a Facebook group for music industry professionals.
At
the
vaccine
sites, Wiseman
helps manage
the
administration side of the vaccination sites.
Wiseman said Highline has managed the sites extremely
well because they applied the same efficiencies as those they
used to produce events.
â€œThis is a mini-festival,â€ Wiseman said. â€œWe set it up like
a tour production office because it works. We say put us in
charge because we know how to do this work.â€
Before working for Highline, Wiseman lived on $167
a week from unemployment. Her unemployment was
interrupted on two different occasions because she was a
victim of fraudulent claims.
â€œIâ€™ve talked with friends [in the music industry] around
the country who are really floored that this is what Denver
is doing, hiring industry people,â€ Wiseman said. â€œOther
individuals around the country havenâ€™t had this option,
havenâ€™t been this lucky.â€
WHATEVER COMES NEXT
After Sarah Slaton joined the Highline Medical Solutions
team in late December, she got right to work in her new
role. In no time, she was donning N95 respirators and face
shields, traveling to rural communities, and conducting
COVID tests.
Slaton learned quickly, despite having little medical
experience in her background. She said the biggest demand
on her team was helping to calm nerves for people scared of
a virus they didnâ€™t fully understand. She was also nervous
about getting the virus and spreading it to the people she
cared about.
â€œI wasnâ€™t vaccinated the first couple of months that I was
doing it,â€ Slaton said. â€œThere were hundreds of people coming
Your Own Medicine plays a streamed show at The Armory Denver.
â€œWe were the fi rst to close and may be the last to open because
you canâ€™t really book a national tour.â€ Credit: Giles Clasen
to the sites every day for tests, and quite a few people were
positive. Iâ€™m not going to lie and tell you that I wasnâ€™t anxious,
but I knew that we were doing good work.â€
To cope with the anxiety of the ever-present threat of the
virus, Slaton was meticulous about cleanliness. She never
went anywhere in public without a mask and used copious
amounts of hand sanitizer.
Being on the road and living out of hotels as part of the
COVID response felt a little like traveling as a musician, too.
She even brought her guitar and a mobile recording studio to
continue writing music.
â€œI have written a lot of music in the past year,â€ Slaton said. â€œI
donâ€™t have a full albumâ€™s worth by any means, but I definitely
have been writing a lot of music, and Iâ€™m figuring out what
way Iâ€™m going to release it. Iâ€™m figuring out how Iâ€™m going to
afford to get it all recorded.â€
Sam Krentzman said he has seen a lot of resiliency in the
creative community this year.
Krentzman, the founder of The Armory Denver, a music
and recording venue, has been working on â€œWhen the Music
Stops,â€ a documentary about the pandemicâ€™s impact on the
Colorado music scene.
â€œI actually think thatâ€™s the thing about the creative
community. Itâ€™s not like theyâ€™re only able to be creative in a
particular scenario,â€ Krentzman said. â€œTheir creative energy
transcends difficult scenarios. We actually saw a lot of people
who couldnâ€™t tour or play for audiences go to the studio and
start recording. There are a lot of people getting ready for
whatever comes next.â€
REBUILDING THE INDUSTRY
But the damage to the Colorado music scene may be lasting
and has gone beyond hurting musicians and companies that
organize shows. Krentzman said thousands of tradespeople
lost their incomes due to COVID.
Great shows require skilled sound board operators, lighting
technicians, riggers, stage builders â€” even bartenders â€” to
ensure they run smoothly.
Some of these tradespeople left the industry completely
in 2020, looking for other work. Some moved away from
Colorado during the pandemic.
â€œI know steelworkers and riggers who moved to Florida and
Apdiela Pulido receives her second dose of the Pfizer vaccine from
Laura Vanston. Highline Medical Solutions. Credit: Giles Clasen
Texas building stadiums and stages,â€ Krentzman said. â€œThose
states had fewer restrictions, so production moved. But
[those workers] had to expose themselves to additional risks
of COVID in those spaces, leaving the regulations of their
home state for work elsewhere.â€
Krentzman said The Armory Denver struggled to survive.
The business only survived because of a grant, virtual shows,
the support and generosity from the buildingâ€™s owner, and
Krentzman using his unemployment income to pay the
businessâ€™s bills.
â€œThis is a family affair,â€ Krentzman said. â€œIt is a group of
artists who built this place, and it took a lot of people to keep it
going this past year.â€
There is a chance that Colorado will have a lot of work
rebuilding the music scene here. But the music industry is
important to Coloradoâ€™s economic success.
A recent study by Economists, Inc., an economic consulting
firm, found that for every dollar generated by music activities,
an additional 50 cents is created for adjacent businesses. The
music industry supports 2.4 million jobs nationally.
The total economy does well when the music industry
is thriving.
â€œEveryone benefits from every stage of a musicianâ€™s
development,â€ Krentzman said. â€œI just wish there were more
direct investments in the creative arts in Colorado, both in
industry development and also artistic development.â€
Krentzman also said he thinks the live music industry will
come back slower than other parts of the economy.
â€œWe were the first to close and may be the last to open
because you canâ€™t really book a national tour,â€ Krentzman said.
â€œEvery state has different restrictions, so it is very difficult to
book right now.â€
The Colorado Music Relief Fund, managed by Redline
Contemporary Art Center, has helped support individuals
who work in the Colorado music industry, but the biggest
thing someone can do to help bring live shows back to
Colorado is to get vaccinated, Krentzman said.
â€œIn my personal opinion, the vaccines are very important,â€
said Krentzman, who was vaccinated. â€œI feel a sense of
personal responsibility for my own health and who Iâ€™m
obligated to care for in my own life and business. There
needs to be a sense of social responsibility to prevent the
transmission of the disease and the development of new
variants. We need to do as much as we can to keep people safe.
The more that people get vaccinated, the fewer [number of]
people will die of COVID. I think that thatâ€™s a very good goal.â€
If music events are attended by a mix of individuals who are
both vaccinated and unvaccinated, concerts could become
hotspots for the spread of the virus. Krentzman said that
would likely lead to another shutdown of live music. A second
shutdown could be a more devastating injury to the music
industry and could be even more difficult to recover from.
CREATING MOMENTUM
Slaton has already given up hope of reviving her national tour
that had been scheduled for 2020. She was vaccinated due to
her high risk of exposure while working for Highline and now,
she feels safe playing live shows. But she will limit any touring
to Colorado this year. She is hoping that the U.S. continues
to open safely throughout 2021 and she can have momentum
leading into 2022.
â€œI create momentum,â€ Slaton said. â€œThatâ€™s the reason I am
where I am. Everything that Iâ€™ve ever done, anything that Iâ€™m
super proud of, it because I worked at it. Iâ€™ll create momentum
whatever year it is or whatever day it is.â€
Slaton released two new songs in 2020, â€œTime to Go,â€ and
â€œGet Up.â€ She has received a strong reception to both and is
excited about the following she now has and hopes to expand
it significantly over the next year.
â€œI feel like Iâ€™m still just trying to keep going and keep getting
up each day and just loving the present moment as much as I
can,â€ Slaton said. â€œI donâ€™t know what Iâ€™m going to be doing in
two or three months; I donâ€™t know when this is going to end or
when I can go back to playing music full-time. I just have to
remember that Iâ€™ll find my way eventually.â€ â– 
June 2021 DENVER VOICE 7
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://pkW9RCFghjBLB07G8xogz0_6EK4aHVG67ATH_2bLOMgÍ$ÁÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›r×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›qÍ
Í×‘C’×˜š   Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://pc4kQ5gdf28LbTupOIov_o4aXVYo0fircTFBdkPg-g8Î 8`Í`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://lu5RTOBCZmVMM18SxgudEUZaC-V2Yj8FLZP13uumUQ0Ír’Í`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://OTh2e0fzKXNy1UU1OMA5HM3WH6mxHFrIc8w9QPweAuMÍ(¸Í`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://qEU23wZNgRjNYDO_aGC7L5a9fnEYzTUfV1JWM-hZrY4Î ß'JÍ ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ <Dœh÷›™×˜š Í
 Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://lfjyUdxU1y0NbkjEHsYh6NPa_KFGhr-Vps3IA_bj0u0Î K£Í`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://qhYyifTV0_PLfzdSU_b2Zsbm0g4aKetvl5lv5YQyV_AÍTGÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://zyM3D03jVzkGSwuC7eXu64UYaa_ZUrvHkqm26eKYEJMÍëÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://SJTyhZpDGMUPKM_oWTFs5AiYSzMCiE6aBsFukkfDCa8Î 	®U(Í ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ¡<Dœh÷›š‘× ×`ªÈ¡<Dœh÷›œ Í	JÍÌÌ“9×H¼http://www.showersforall.org××Ðˆ×‰EÚ	{COMMUNITY PROFILE
CREDIT: PAULA BARD
HYGIENE AND HEALTH
The Dignity Project: Outreach to the Most Vulnerable and Threatened.
BY PAULA BARD
CLEANLINESS ASSURES US BASIC DIGNITY and allows for
participation in the world. Could showers and clean clothes
also empower the journey away from homelessness and
poverty? Could showers and clean clothes encourage those
struggling to feel human and remind them that they matter?
For Jennifer Kloeppel and Kellen Berrigan, founders of
the Dignity Project, the answer is a resounding yes.
Floating above a cityscape splashed with fuchsia and
blue mountains, the sign on their open shower and laundry
trailer boldly declares â€œShowers For All.â€ Kloeppel and
Berrigan intend, as their mission statement says, to â€œrestore
dignity and hope.â€
The Showers For All mobile trailer is capable of providing
60 loads of laundry and 60 showers per day in sparkling
white bathrooms to anyone who shows up and requests one.
They aim to build relationships and, in their words, â€œmeet
people where they are.â€ Kloeppel and Berrigan learn names
and share stories while offering the much-appreciated free
shower and laundry service.
Hygiene is inextricably linked to health. According to
Kloeppel, living in dirty clothes can lead to skin conditions
8 DENVER VOICE June 2021
and insect infestations. During menstrual cycles, women
unable to keep clean are at risk of infection and toxic shock
syndrom, which can be deadly. Job seeking is impossible
when hygiene cannot be maintained and puts one at a
steep disadvantage when competing with other applicants.
Regular showers and laundry can also mean fewer missed
school days for children. Overall, as Kloeppel explained,
â€œpersonal hygiene means feeling valued.â€
Berrigan and Kloeppel crossed paths while working at St.
Andrew Methodist Church in Highlands Ranch. Berrigan
was doing audiovisual support and Kloeppel is an outreach
and worship director.
â€œWe started talking at work and realized that we had a
similar passion for making this happen,â€ said Kloeppel.
â€œWe just started dreaming about how we could create this
nonprofit and what it would look like to build a combination
shower and laundry trailer because the need is here all
the time.â€
They jump-started the project with an online fundraiser.
This provided the resources to build out the trailer,
According to Kloeppel, â€œEverything after that has come
CREDIT: PAULA BARD
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://OTh2e0fzKXNy1UU1OMA5HM3WH6mxHFrIc8w9QPweAuMÍ(¸Í`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›s×‰EÚ5COMMUNITY PROFILE
CREDIT: PAULA BARD
CREDIT: PAULA BARD
from small donors, who have helped just keep it alive. We
do a lot of talking to people and telling them why this is
important â€” who benefits. People can recognize the need
for it.â€
Both Kloeppel and Berrigan learned independently
that access to showers and laundry was important to those
experiencing homelessness.
Kloeppel was student teaching in Los Angeles, working
in Skid Row, where people would say to her, â€œI can find
food and I can find a shelter if I need it, but I canâ€™t find
a laundry or shower.â€ On the other side of the world,
Berrigan was in Australia, when he saw a little car towing
around a trailer that had a washer and dryer, doing laundry
for people. â€œWell, this is cool,â€ he thought. They both
carried the seeds of the program when they met in Denver
and launched the Dignity Project.
â€œItâ€™s a labor of love, so I get to do my real job, and then I get
to do this passion project,â€ said Kloeppel, â€œand Kellen gets to
do the same thing. We have incredible volunteers. Itâ€™s fun!â€
They both work as volunteers themselves, and they set the
Dignity Project up as a nonprofit, so they have no paid staff.
So far, the trailer alternates on Fridays and Saturdays
the Capitol Hill
between two safe outdoor
spaces
in
neighborhood, and theyâ€™ve just added Tuesdays and
Thursdays in the Amphitheater at Civic Center to
their schedule.
The Denver Public Library refers people that could use
CREDIT: PAULA BARD
the services. They have been working with Denver Parks
and Recreation to add more parks to the schedule.
â€œDenver Parks and Rec has actually been an incredible
partner for us, and theyâ€™re working really hard to help us
find spaces that will work in the city,â€ said Kloeppel. â€œIâ€™m
so grateful for them and the work that the team has done to
help this happen in city parks.â€
Showers For All is not the only mobile laundry and
shower service available. Denver-based Bayaud Industries
also runs a fleet of laundry and shower trucks. Their first
laundry truck was created as a result of a specific request
from individuals in the unhoused community and was
inaugurated back in 2016.
According to Cindy Chapman, who oversees Bayaudâ€™s
mobile units, participants have said that being able to wear
clean clothes can change their whole week.
During the pandemic, the City of Denver contracted
most of Bayaudâ€™s fleet for the emergency shelters. But when
summer warms up, their trucks will again roam throughout
the city with their regular schedule published on the Bayaud
website. This summer, they look forward to introducing
their new combination laundry and shower truck.
The attractive Showers For All trailer sits at Denverâ€™s
safe outdoor sites on Fridays and Saturdays, and Civic
Centerâ€™s Amphitheater all day Tuesdays and Thursdays. It
is staffed with welcoming volunteers who are busily doing
laundry and cleaning while talking to folks. Itâ€™s a lively scene.
Laundry and showers are free for anyone who just shows up.
To see their current schedule, visit www.showersforall.org. â– 
June 2021 DENVER VOICE 9
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://zyM3D03jVzkGSwuC7eXu64UYaa_ZUrvHkqm26eKYEJMÍëÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›t×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›sÍ
Í×‘C’×˜š   Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://G1h0E4e9SRrJPF1RmTSvth7-EhqcKz-CCTeXXcm6vgcÎ  ÖÍ`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://Aq29LMV75aw3hAR4eG4qjSrsC0oW6toyjxs4rmSX7SYÍ…Í`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://Z377JJ6gqX_gEywhxpY1dWQsY_ynDgkxzIspxsCVuZQÍ(èÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://H20K0tRmt8a4fIY1fBX1XILy9s9x-n8FrZ50-j4kJpUÎ 	~ Í ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ¡<Dœh÷›×˜š Í
 Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://V4nnj1mXt4zWUtB3zfQ2qaTqIG0VFZN2WKTxwEaz9-cÎ 3„Í`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://fHmG3lA_FZ66wWRW8HQBMC5j422LvjyacAnHWiXfxLMÍgÑÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://u7bZbO3MzhoTOl4ms4Cg_zB-0l_K-4oMUYANX5fdqPEÍ SÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://wudawLwHJkww_vWJJhGfpY7CfMj1W_T54BEVNtMz8BgÎ Ø"ÍÊÍ ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ¡<Dœh÷›ž“× ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›¢ Í¦Ímz9×H¶http://writedenver.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›¡ Í£ÍLÍ9×HÚ ,http://lighthousewriters.org/workshop/denver××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›  ÍÌÍê69×H®http://INSP.ng××Ðˆ×‰EÚ`INTERNATIONAL STORY
FUNDING NOT GOING DIRECTLY TO TRIBES
Typical of this yearâ€™s wildfire bills is House Bill 3160, which
would establish a fund for community protection against
wildfires. The fund draws from a proposed surcharge
on insurance policies. It sends the money to the state fire
marshal, the Department of Forestry, and the Oregon
Watershed Enhancement Board.
None of that money is set aside for tribal efforts, such
as the Confederated Tribes of Grand Rondeâ€™s fire program,
which has previously collaborated with Oregon Metro on
prescribed burns.
Rep. Pam Marsh (D-Ashland), vice chair of the House
Special Committee on Wildfire Recovery, said this bill
is designed to distribute funding through existing state
agencies, but some of it might reach tribes secondhand.
â€œAlthough tribes arenâ€™t called out in the initial legislation,
I am confident that they would be targeted in the funding
process,â€ she said. â€œHowever,â€ she added, â€œWe should think
about that.â€
But Danny Santos, interim director of the Legislative
Commission on Indian Services, said the perception that
non-tribal participants, such as the Forestry Department,
will take up tribal interests has not historically worked in
the best interests of tribes.
â€œSome state agencies, other governmental entities, and
PHOTO BY KARSTEN WINEGEART ON UNSPLASH
WHY ARE INDIGENOUS
TRIBES EXCLUDED FROM
POLICYMAKING WHEN
THEIR PRACTICES ARE USED
TO FIGHT WILDFIRES?
BY BRIAN OASTER
Last year, lawmakers responded to 2020â€™s devastating wildfires,
which burned over a million acres in Oregon, by introducing a slew
of bills aimed at wildfire prevention, management, and recovery.
Also last year, a growing body of scientific research came to light
supporting the effectiveness of traditional Indigenous land
management practices in preventing uncontrolled wildfires. But
Native representation in decision-making processes is meager
compared to business interests.
ANOTHER WILDFIRE SEASON IS ALREADY UNDERWAY, with fires
burning around Klamath Falls. Drought conditions across
85% of Oregon have threatened a worse fire season than
last year.
Lawmakers responded to 2020â€™s devastating wildfires, which
burned over a million acres in Oregon, by introducing a slew of
bills aimed at wildfire prevention, management, and recovery.
Also last year, a growing body of scientific research
came to light supporting the effectiveness of traditional
Indigenous land management practices in preventing
uncontrolled wildfires. Foremost among these practices
are prescribed burns, a method of intentionally burning
the land every few years, under controlled conditions, to
prevent the build-up of fuel like deadfall and overgrowth
and promote fire-adapted ecosystems, thus preventing
uncontrolled outbreaks of wildfires like the ones we saw
last year.
But despite the research supporting Native expertise,
Oregon lawmakers have left Native people almost entirely
out of the decision-making and funding processes
aimed at changing the pattern of uncontrolled summer
and autumn fires â€” even as the state works to implement
tribal knowledge.
legislators may still assume that tribal interests (for
one and sometimes every tribe) are covered in their
meetings, memos, policies, and proposals,â€ Santos said.
But consultation means â€œhaving meaningful dialogue in
developing plans, not simply informing tribes of what
actions (are) to be taken.â€
Another bill, House Bill 2273, seeks to establish a forestry
task force and doesnâ€™t specify the inclusion of tribal
representatives. Yet another proposal, House Bill 3282,
would require the Forestry Department to study and make
recommendations about wildfire prevention, but makes no
mention of consulting Indigenous scientists.
The absence of Native people from these bills contrasts
starkly with the strong representation of business interests.
A few fire bills have overt economic tones. House Bill
3279 would offer grant money to private contractors with air
curtain burners to help with fuel reduction â€” money that
could go to tribal fire programs for the same purpose.
House Bill 2795 aims to give $5 million from the general
fund to support â€œGood Neighbor Authority Agreement
projects.â€ These are projects, according to Oregon law, â€œthat
increase timber harvest volumeâ€ and â€œmaximize economic
benefit to this state.â€
One wildfire bill mentions Natives directly. House Bill
2722 seeks to create a committee to advise policymakers
on land use and wildfires. The 22-person committee would
include one Native person to represent the nine federally
recognized tribes across Oregon. Also around the table
would be developers, real estate agents, farmers, utility
companies, and landowners.
One Native person out of 22 slightly over-approximates
Oregonâ€™s Native population by percentage â€” 3% of
Oregonians are Native â€” but doesnâ€™t necessarily account for
the unique expertise Native communities can bring to the
table and their unique stake in caring for the land.
Santos said that expecting one person to represent the
diverse governmental, economic, and environmental
positions of the nine tribes â€” which are not always in strict
accordance with one another, or with settler conservation
efforts â€” is like expecting a representative of Portland to
speak for other parts of the state.
â€œThe city of Portland cannot be seen as speaking for all
Oregon cities. Malheur County cannot be seen as speaking
10 DENVER VOICE June 2021
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://Z377JJ6gqX_gEywhxpY1dWQsY_ynDgkxzIspxsCVuZQÍ(èÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›u×‰EÚnPAGE TITLE
for all Oregon counties,â€ Santos said. â€œAt the same time,
notifying a tribe and consulting with them clearly does not
reflect all the interests, concerns, and needs of Oregonâ€™s nine
federally recognized tribes.â€
NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED TRIBES
At a federal level, Santos noted, two Oregon tribes recently
became the first to be nationally recognized for their forest
management systems. The Coquille Indian Tribe was the
first to apply for, and to be granted, the Indian Trust Asset
Management Plan. This federal program gives Coquille the
authority to manage their lands, which are held in trust by the
Department of the Interior, without needing approval from
the secretary of the Interior. Earlier this year, the Cow Creek
Band of Umpqua Indians in Southwest Oregon became the
second tribe to win land management sovereignty through
the Indian Trust Asset Management Plan.
The program gives the Coquille and Cow Creek Umpqua
tribes sovereignty to manage their forest lands as they see
fit, but
it doesnâ€™t provide funding or engage them with
statewide land use planning or wildfire prevention efforts.
Susan Ferris, public affairs person with the Cow Creek
Umpqua Tribe, said Native people should be included
in statewide discussions about land management and
wildfire prevention.
â€œIn the beginning,â€ she said, â€œall the forest lands in Oregon
were managed, and managed well, by Oregonâ€™s Indigenous
peoples. â€¦ It would seem now that people are making a
concerted effort to manage our forests better, that it would
only be sensible and right to include Oregonâ€™s nine federally
recognized tribes.â€
USING KNOWLEDGE, BUT NOT LEADERSHIP
While Native people are largely omitted from state wildfire
legislation, Native knowledge is not. Controlled burns have
arrived at the doorstep of Oregon law.
House Bill 2572 would allow neighboring property
owners to collaborate on controlled burns. This would
update the current state law, which calls any fire crossing
property lines â€œuncontrolled.â€ And House Bill 2571 would
commission a study of liability for prescribed fires, to see
whatâ€™s worked in other states.
Marsh, the Democrat from Ashland, acknowledges
these two bills are explicitly based on traditional
Indigenous knowledge.
â€œWhen we talk about them, we always note that we are
trying to re-establish traditions that were known and
implemented by our tribes,â€ she said.
These two bills pave the way for more prescribed burns,
but they donâ€™t mention Natives, designate Native leadership,
or fund Native wildfire efforts.
Santos said there remains a lack of understanding of how
much tribes have to contribute to statewide discussions.
â€œWhile challenges remain, there have been great
advancements in having tribal voices around the table,â€
Santos said.
At a meeting on 13 April for the Natural and Cultural
Resources Task Force, part of Gov. Kate Brownâ€™s disaster
cabinet response to the wildfire relief and recovery efforts,
Santos said, â€œTribal representatives got information and
made valuable inquiries related to tribal interestsâ€ and
were â€œmade aware of funding opportunities.â€ He said tribal
consultations like this are happening more frequently across
other cabinets and state agencies, as well.
Government-to-government
relations between
tribes
and the state have improved, Santos said, but thereâ€™s still a
long way to go. â– 
Courtesy of Street Roots / INSP.ngo
The Hard Times Writing Workshop is a collaboration between Denver Public Library and Lighthouse
Writers Workshop. Itâ€™s open to all members of the public, especially those experiencing homelessness.
Each month, the Denver VOICE publishes a selection of writing from these workshops.
Virtual workshops: lighthousewriters.org/workshop/denver-public-library-hard-times
More writing by these featured poets: writedenver.org
WRITING THROUGH
HARD TIMES
COURTESY OF DENVER PUBLIC LIBRARY
AND LIGHTHOUSE WRITERS WORKSHOP
DANIEL ANGEL
MARTINEZ
MY MAKESHIFT HOME
Why would I want a roof over my head?
Why would one want boxed-in isolation?
I would rather have open space instead.
I can go anywhere in natureâ€™s spread
With no particular destination.
Why would I want a roof over my head?
As for partnerships that share a bed,
Maybe I donâ€™t need cohabitation.
I would rather have open space instead.
â€œThere is room for everyone,â€ they said.
Yet, shelters lack accommodation.
Why would I want a roof over my head?
With a world of campsites, no need to dread
Whether one can book a reservation.
I would rather have open space instead.
All the so-called comforts of home I shed
In my bittersweet emancipation.
Why would I want a roof over my head?
I would rather have open space instead.
A COLLABORATION
BY THE EDGEWATER
HARD TIMES WRITING
WORKSHOP
HOPE
Hope is the breath
that makes survival possible,
a little word, well-balanced.
When youâ€™re an outsider,
itâ€™s almost impossible to come insideâ€”
so hand out public encouragement,
for we are picked & pruned
for the purpose of romance.
Hope is a bird once nestled
in a tree beneath your ribs,
an eagle in flight that will escape.
It is the phoenix within us
that will soar.
Hope is the last crumb
that tells me
I can go on.
June 2021 DENVER VOICE 11
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://u7bZbO3MzhoTOl4ms4Cg_zB-0l_K-4oMUYANX5fdqPEÍ SÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›v×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›uÍ
Í×‘C’×˜š   Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://pE1phzsPYyVlpiYTQwNz9FJPDf8JI4rlBTLBCZ8mfZwÎ "ƒÍ`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://lYreR5i4oHoPHBQq3-XjsnhkW8fgUZ94K7F4lk0Vue0Íd¯Í`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ex7Qg2Fr4G-xBwkBPBmmeJfTSD_1eEST5itKpczy5VkÍ!ôÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://QmCXAtgy4-lJ_JUYCAXSeLJmWo-zJuL6nDRS9M8-4fUÎ .ÁÍ’Í ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›£×˜š Í
 Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://Y-cZRuKA7q-FG3bMo86dCU_OGReI4FWMbsDYfHs8jdwÎ ÝwÍ`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://T37nqChgT91Xxwntkvn4mAlADqfG9wbG-vv7HQR5f-YÍhKÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://3EB-0OPhdp0q_J7st_sBJYQiSEWDLD4GZa4fWqVQqcoÍ$lÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://hQiI-uxcDV6ubIVpcvlxreWobbYEjZaSBKHc34RLTZkÎ tìÌÈÍ ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›¤•× ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›¬ ÍjÍ,L9×H¶http://denverpride.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›« Í3ÍBÌ‹9×HÚ "http://facebook.com/lostcitydenver××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›ª Í@ÍŽÌ
9×HÚ !http://boultersfarmersmarkets.com××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›© Í1ÍÊÌŠ9×HÚ  http://facebook.com/DenverBazaar××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›¨ Í©ÍÌ¬9×HÚ )http://facebook.com/FirstFridayFivePoints××Ðˆ×‰EÚ
€IN YOUR OWN WORDS
Pain, BE GONE!
BY RAELENE JOHNSON, VOICE VENDOR
FOR SO LONG GROWING UP, all Self felt was pain, misery, despair,
and unhappiness. How does Self know to just let go, tell
someone their pain, keep telling someone until someone can
help Self?
What about for kids, that donâ€™t know they keep the pain
going, lost, trapped?
Self gets good at hiding their pain, masking all they
went through. Over time, Self believes they can handle it â€“
â€œthe pain.â€
As Self gets older, drugs and alcohol will numb the pain,
RAELENE JOHNSON. CREDIT: CORTNEY TABERNA
and at first, it works. Self feels better with a little help! Self just
doesnâ€™t know what will happen over time to them until it is
too late!
Self will keep killing Self until Self lets go of what is holding
them back.
Deal with whatever Self went through or is still going
through so Self can heal!
Once healing happens, Self can start a better life.
Freedom is the best gift Self can give Self, so, Self, let go of
pain. Let pain be gone! Self, is worth it! â– 
Subscribe online:
NEVER MISS
AN ISSUE!
DENVERVOICE.ORG/SUBSCRIPTIONS
Become a Denver VOICE
subscriber and get the
paper delivered directly to
your mailbox every month.
Both personal and business
subscriptions are available.
Your donation goes directly
to support our program!
Ask a VENDOR
BY JOHN ALEXANDER, VOICE VENDOR
The following is Johnâ€™s response to this monthâ€™s Ask a Vendor
question. Because there wasnâ€™t room to fit his entire answer on
page 4, we have published it in this section. The question was,
â€œHow would you respond if someone asked you, â€˜If I donate to
the Denver VOICE today, how will that money benefit you six
months from now?â€™â€
IF I AM OR WERE TO EVER BE BLESSED to cross paths with a
person wanting to donate the Denver VOICE, and their
only requirement of me in exchange would be to give them
some idea of how that money would benefit me six months
later, I would start by sharing that their support enables the
VOICE to accomplish things like paying for the lease for the
office, the utilities, [the cost of printing] our papers, and the
many, many other obligations that are constant.
The fact being pointed out here is that your support,
donations, and cash are gifts that keep on giving. For example,
six months from now, I and many people like me will still be
able to come to a sheltered place, buy papers, and maintain
our business. We will still have a place to congregate with
friends and seek help, counsel, etc.
There will be many things and countless ways that I will
benefit from any donations, six months or even six years
from now. â– 
JOHN ALEXANDER. CREDIT: GILES CLASEN
12 DENVER VOICE June 2021
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ex7Qg2Fr4G-xBwkBPBmmeJfTSD_1eEST5itKpczy5VkÍ!ôÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›w×‰EÚ)EVENTS
FIRST FRIDAY: JAZZ IN THE PLAZA
Free jazz in the plaza, featuring Purnell Steen and LeJazz Machine.
WHEN: June 4, 5 p.m. â€“ 7 p.m.
COST: Free
WHERE & MORE INFO: Charles R. Cousins Plaza, 2401 Welton St. | facebook.com/FirstFridayFivePoints
SATURDAY NIGHT BAZAAR: SLOANâ€™S LAKE
This weekly market will feature 30+ local vendors, pop-up bars, food trucks, live
music, and more. Well-behaved dogs are welcome; this event runs through October 2.
WHEN: June 5, 12, 19, and 26, 3 p.m. â€“ 8 p.m.
COST: Free entry
WHERE & MORE INFO: 1611 Raleigh St. | facebook.com/DenverBazaar
BOULTERâ€™S FARMERS MARKET
ACROSS
Check out this new Thursday morning market, featuring fresh produce, prepared
foods, and a variety of crafts and quality goods from local makers.
WHEN: June 17 and 24, 10 a.m. â€“ 2 p.m
COST: Free entry.
WHERE & MORE INFO: 5505 West 20th Ave. | boultersfarmersmarkets.com
LOST CITY LIVE WITH SARAH SLATON AND BRIANNA STRAUT
Come on out for a night of live, local music and feel-good vibes on the patio of Lost City.
WHEN: June 25, doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m.
COST: Tickets start at $25
WHERE & MORE INFO: 3459 Ringsby Ct. | facebook.com/lostcitydenver
DENVER PRIDEFEST
Denver PrideFest 2021 is combining both virtual and in-person events for folks to
celebrate however theyâ€™d like. Participants can enjoy a virtual parade, a virtual
+ in-person 5K, an online marketplace, and in-person pride hubs, featuring a
pool party, live music, DJs, drag brunch, family-friendly events, and more!
WHEN: Jun 26 and Jun 27, times vary
COST: Donations accepted
WHERE & MORE INFO: Online and various locations | denverpride.org
1. Andean tubers
5. Glasgow gal
9. Imitates a crow
13. Big name in pineapples
14. Celtics point guard
___ Irving
15. Assortment
16. In an unsettling manner
19. Does without
20. Held off
21. German river to
the North Sea
22. â€œBack in the ___â€
23. Big name in child
education
27. Big-ticket ___
31. Fencing swords
32. Disobeyed a zoo sign?
33. Ricelike pasta
34. â€œMy Name Is Asher ___â€
(Chaim Potok novel)
35. Plant bristles
37. Painterâ€™s medium
38. Not kosher
40. â€œ___ you nuts?â€
41. Hot spot
43. Wrapped garment
44. Plan that has no
chance of success
47. X-ray units
49. Breakdancing
move, with â€œtheâ€
50. Operatic villains, oft en
52. Capital of Indonesia
55. Reproduction without
fertilization
58. Jewish month
59. Basic assumption
60. Rational
61. Frost-covered
62. Newspaper page
63. False alternative
DOWN
1. Eccentric
2. Hairdo
3. ___-ran (loser)
4. Exude
5. French high schools
6. Greek war god
7. Knightâ€™s title
8. Reserved
9. With vigor, musically
10. Aquatic plant
11. Cunning
12. Kind of sauce
14. Door openers
17. Makes eyes at
18. â€œ___ magic!â€
22. Fertilizer compound
23. Cheesy sandwiches
24. â€œTh e Barber of
Seville,â€ e.g.
25. â€œWell, I ___!â€
26. Frequently
28. Rainbow ___
29. Online publication
30. Back tooth
35. Home of a famous zoo
36. God of love
39. â€œTo begin with...â€
41. Kitchen wrap
42. Chair part
45. Bent or shaped metal
46. Arcade coin
48. ___ Wednesday
50. â€œ___ Haâ€™iâ€
51. Lily variety
52. â€œBy ___!â€
53. Boris Godunov, for one
54. Hokkaido native
55. Th e â€œpâ€ in m.p.g.
56. Chill
57. â€œDidnâ€™t I tell you?â€
COURTESY OF
DEBORAH LASTOWKA
PUZZLES
Thanks to Deborah Lastowka, who provides this list of ideas for
entertainment people can enjoy while practicing social distancing.
COURTESY OF STREETROOTS
ANSWERS ARE ON PAGE 15
June 2021 DENVER VOICE 13
PUZZLE COURTESY OF STREET ROOTS, DENVER VOICEâ€™S SISTER PAPER IN PORTLAND, OR
PUZZLE COURTESY OF STREET ROOTS, DENVER VOICEâ€™S SISTER PAPER IN PORTLAND, OR
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://3EB-0OPhdp0q_J7st_sBJYQiSEWDLD4GZa4fWqVQqcoÍ$lÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›x×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›wÍ
Í×‘C’×˜š   Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://KxmrMuA2uFCVLRO58__KF7VSa_Cv0Sl6urdMYIq6pv8Î 2÷Í` ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://zNy4WIrOD2GMdo1QMH8obZBqfU4lucTVMmKDHsl0KqMÍcmÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://dVmobvvuIgn-8355uJwybqGyxs5aW4i-85sig4vI7QgÍ ûÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://bYjATdqAsOOuj_VUZkndColDkaPdqn1N5PBFMrXcWwQÍVÛÍ8Í ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›­×˜š Í
 Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://nbiwSorh_FTYPzdvOhTuEUIG0sZ9WC6Bf-Lh-vPs1nYÎ æ»Í` ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://WW5Ud6qY02-mYQy06DTeTWBxcvpYekYJiWCfsnMFtJgÍgôÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://L3QKeVKyM74mWQ1gjUh-QTZj_fZdMPMW2VNr5Rm-ymgÍ­Í`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://AqJs7tsFGQKABslUz2IN-J7zqn0UvwtjXGgWkhIndEIÎ 	@Í ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ¢<Dœh÷›®Ü 4× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›ç Í~Í†L9×H´http://urbanpeak.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›æ Í­ÍJÍ=9×HÚ $http://urbanpeak.org/denver/programs××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›å Í	3ÍD9×H³http://soxplace.com××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›ä Í>ÍÖÌ„9×HÚ  http://seniorsupportservices.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›ã Í	œÍ¬D9×H´http://sfcdenver.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›â Í.Í‚N9×H´http://odmdenver.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›á ÍFÍYÍ39×HÚ (http://homelessassistance.us/li/lawrence××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›à Í	{Íi9×Hºhttp://holyghostchurch.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›ß ÍÍýÌ¢9×HÚ $http://harmreductionactioncenter.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Þ Í	jÍÃE9×H´http://tgpdenver.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ý ÍfÍˆ,9×H¯http://thoh.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ü ÍÐÍ_J9×Hµhttp://citysquare.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Û Í		Í5e9×H¹http://attentionhomes.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ú ÍÜÍ$Ìª9×HÚ #mailto:contactah@attentionhomes.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ù Í	<ÍÙH9×H³http://work-now.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ø ÍÀÍÀÌ×9×H²http://va.gov/find××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›× Í	Í§Ì9×HÚ #http://sunshinebehavioralhealth.com××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ö ÍöÍ~Ì¨9×HÚ 'http://coloradocoalition.org/healthcare××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Õ Í­ÍTÌ›9×H¿http://saludclinic.org/commerce××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ô Í	GÍßÌ„9×HÚ  http://liverhealthconnection.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ó Í³ÍßÌ’9×H¿mailto:info@hepc-connection.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ò Í®Í¶Ì¢9×HÚ $http://harmreductionactioncenter.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ñ ÍöÍjX9×H·http://denverhealth.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ð Í7Í¨Íf9×HÚ 0http://careercenteroffices.com/center/231/denver××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ï Í‡Í]l9×H¼http://denverlibrary.org/ctc××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Î Í7ÍàÍI9×H¾http://voacolorado.org/gethelp××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Í Í†Í£K9×Hµhttp://lovedenver.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ì Í7Í‹Ì¸9×HÚ )http://seniorsupportservices.org/programs××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ë Í7ÍaR9×H¶http://soallmayeat.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ê ÍÌÍ&f9×H¹http://stpeterandmary.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›É ÍVÍk9×Hºhttp://saintpauldenver.com××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›È ÍÍäD9×H´http://sfcdenver.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ç Í7ÍËn9×H¼http://stelizabethdenver.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Æ ÍfÍ¡n9×H¹http://odmdenver.org/home××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Å Í»ÍwÌ²9×HÚ &http://jordanamedenver.churchfoyer.com××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ä ÍôÍ^i9×Hºhttp://holyghostchurch.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Ã ÍpÍFk9×H¼http://hislovefellowship.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Â ÍÝÍb9×H¸http://krishnadenver.com××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›Á Í(ÍÌ¤9×HÚ $http://facebook.com/ThePeoplesPicnic××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›À Í8ÍêÌÅ9×HÚ +http://feedingdenvershungry.org/events.html××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›¿ Í2ÍÀÌ†9×H¾http://frwoodyshavenofhope.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›¾ Í7Í—Ì€9×H¾http://denverrescuemission.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›½ Í-Ím*9×H¯http://dicp.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›¼ Í,ÍCX9×H·http://mealsforpoor.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›» ÍîÍJ9×Hµhttp://citysquare.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›º Í7Í^9×Hºhttp://christinthecity.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›¹ ÍñÍ×N9×H¶http://christsbody.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›¸ Í7Í­h9×Hºhttp://denvercathedral.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›· ÍÍƒX9×H·http://mealsforpoor.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›¶ ÍÓÍjÌ9×HÚ %http://capitolheightspresbyterian.org××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›µ ÍºÌæÌ¹9×H½mailto:EDITOR@DENVERVOICE.ORG××Ðˆ× ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›´ ÍèuÍR9×H¿http://DENVERVOICE.ORG/RESOURCE××Ðˆ×‰EÚ÷DONOR LIST
WE LOVE OUR DONORS! WHEN YOU SUPPORT
THE DENVER VOICE, YOU ARE HELPING SUPPORT
HUNDREDS OF HOMELESS AND IMPOVERISHED
INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE WORKING TO REALIZE
SELF-SUFFICIENCY THROUGH EARNING A
DIGNIFIED INCOME. YOUR GIFT MAKES A WORLD
OF DIFFERENCE FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS. HERE,
WE LIST THOSE WHO HAVE GIVEN $500 AND MORE
IN THE LAST YEAR. DENVERVOICE.ORG/DONATE
$25,000+
The NextFifty Initiative
John & Laurie Mcwethy Charitable Fund
$10,000+
Kenneth King Foundation
Denver Foundation
Max & Elaine Appel
DEDO Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund
The Christian Foundation
$5,000 - $9,999
Anschutz Family Foundation
$1,000-$4,999
BNSF Railway Foundation
Bright Funds
Russell Peterson
Phoenix Capital, Inc.
Signs by Tomorrow
Energy Outreach Colorado
City Side Remodeling
SEI Giving Fund
Matthew Seashore & Nikki Lawson
Josh Kauer
Caring Connection
Kroger
Gaelina Tesfaye
Network for Good
Charities Aid Foundation of America
Jim Ashe
Walker Family Foundation
The Sidney B. & Caleb F. Gates Jr. Fund
Matthew Rezek
Conover/Wonder Family Fund
The Sidney B. & Caleb F. Gates Jr. Fund
Patrick & Jan Rutty
Conover/Wonder Family Fund
Phoenix Capital
$500-$999
Colorado Cross Disability Colalition
Graham Davis
Betty & Warren Kuehner
Jeremy Anderson
Lighthouse Writerâ€™s Workshop, Inc.
Community Health Charities
Michelle Stapleton & James Thompson
Michael Dino
Paul Hoffman
Michael J. Fehn & Jan Monnier
Jennifer Stedron
Mr. Paul Manoogian
Lori Holland
Jill Haug
Travis & Meggie Ramp
Alistair Davidson
Jim and Nancy Thomas
Jennifer Seybold
Sheryl and John H Parker
Susan B. Jones
Maggie Holben
Elsbeth Williams
Michael Vitco
Gaspar Terrana
Catherine Hegedus
Christine Muldoon and Pete Iannuzzi
James Stegman
3M Foundation
10X Business Consultants
SEMOptimize
Laura Wing
Meek-Cuneo Family Fund
Pivitol Energy Partners
Donald Weaver
Key Renter Property Management
SPONSORSHIP LEVELS
THE DENVER VOICEâ€™S ANNUAL SPONSORSHIP SUPPORT LEVELS PROVIDE BUSINESSES LIKE YOURS THE OPPORTUNITY TO
INVEST IN WORK EMPOWERMENT, HOMELESS PREVENTION, THE CHALLENGING OF COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS, AND TO
BE A PART OF PROVIDING OUR COMMUNITY WITH QUALITY AWARD-WINNING JOURNALISM THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
THROUGH OUR WRITERS AND VENDORS â€“ AN INVALUABLE PART OF DENVERâ€™S COMMUNITY.
YOUR INVOLVEMENT WILL HELP HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING POSITIVE ACTION TO COMBAT HOMELESSNESS
AND IMPOVERISHMENT. AS A SPONSOR, YOU HAVE A WAY TO REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND GIVE SOMETHING BACK
AT THE SAME TIME.
ANNUAL SPONSORSHIPS BENEFITS INCLUDE YOUR LOGO LISTED ON OUR WEBSITE HOMEPAGE, MONTHLY AD SPACE IN
OUR PAPER, AND SPECIAL EVENT PERKS FOR YOU AND YOUR EMPLOYEES ALL YEAR LONG. ITâ€™S A GOOD DEAL FOR A GOOD
CAUSE, AND YOUR GIFT IS 100% TAX-DEDUCTIBLE!
ABOVE THE FOLD: $5,000
â€¢ One complimentary full page ad in the newspaper ($1,000 value)
â€¢ Table of 10 and Sponsor recognition at annual Rise and Thrive Breakfast (200 attendees)
â€¢ Sponsorship recognition at our annual Pints Fighting Poverty event (200 attendees)
â€¢ Business logo highlighted on website homepage, and in the Above the Fold Sponsorship list
â€¢ Logo highlighted in our annual report, along with logo in quarterly support feature of the paper
GALLEY: $2,500
â€¢ One complimentary half page ad in the newspaper ($600 value)
â€¢ Table of 10 and Sponsor recognition at annual Rise and Thrive Breakfast (200 attendees)
â€¢ Sponsorship recognition at our annual Pints Fighting Poverty event (200 attendees)
â€¢ Business logo highlighted on website homepage, and in the Galley Sponsorship list
â€¢ Logo highlighted in our annual report, along with logo in quarterly support feature of the paper
HONOR BOX: $1,000
â€¢ Table of 10 and Sponsor recognition at annual Rise and Thrive Breakfast (200 attendees)
â€¢ Sponsorship recognition at our annual Pints Fighting Poverty event (200 attendees)
â€¢ Business logo highlighted on website homepage, and in the Honor Box Sponsorship list
â€¢ Logo highlighted in our annual report, along with logo in quarterly support feature of the paper
FLY SHEET: $500
â€¢ Two complimentary tickets to our annual Pints Fighting Poverty event ($50 value)
â€¢ Business logo highlighted on website homepage, and in the Fly Sheet Sponsorship list
â€¢ Logo highlighted in our annual report, along with logo in quarterly support feature of the paper
14 DENVER VOICE June 2021
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://dVmobvvuIgn-8355uJwybqGyxs5aW4i-85sig4vI7QgÍ ûÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›y×‰EÚ#·RESOURCE LIST
FOR HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS IN DENVER
DENVERVOICE.ORG/RESOURCE-LIST
DIAL 211 FOR A MORE COMPLETE LIST OF RESOURCES IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH. PROVIDES INFORMATION FOR FOOD, MEDICAL CARE, SENIOR SERVICES, YOUTH PROGRAMS,
COUNSELING, EDUCATION, SHELTERS, SUBSTANCE ABUSE, HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE, AND MORE. EMAIL EDITOR@DENVERVOICE.ORG WITH CORRECTIONS OR ADDITIONS.
FREE MEALS
AGAPE CHRISTIAN CHURCH 2501 California St., Sat., 11am
CAPITOL HEIGHTS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1100 Fillmore St., Sat. lunch at 11:30am capitolheightspresbyterian.org
CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY SERVICES Go to mealsforpoor.org for meal locations
CATHEDRAL OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION 1530 Logan St.; sandwiches & coffee Mon.-Fri. 8:30am
denvercathedral.org
CHRISTâ€™S BODY MINISTRIES 850 Lincoln; Mon. closed, Tues.-Thurs. 10am-3pm, Fri. 8am-11pm; groceries &
hot meal on Sat. at 2pm (at 16th & York); Sun. church service at 6pm, dinner at 7pm. christsbody.org
CHRIST IN THE CITY Home-cooked meal; Civic Center Park at Colfax & Lincoln at 1pm every Wed. & 2nd Sat.
christinthecity.org
CITYSQUARE DENVER 303-783-3777, 2575 S. Broadway; Food pantry Tues. 10am-6pm citysquare.org
CAPITOL HILL COMMUNITY SERVICES Hot meals served at 1820 Broadway (in front of Trinity United Methodist
Church), Mon., Tues., Thurs., Fri. 11:45-12:15 mealsforpoor.org
DENVER INNER CITY PARISH 303-322-5733, 1212 Mariposa St., VOA Dining Center for Seniors, free 60 yrs and
older, Wed.-Sat. 9am-12pm. Food Bank, Wed.-Fri., tickets at 9am, food bank open 10am-12pm. dicp.org
DENVER RESCUE MISSION 1130 Park Avenue West, 3 meals 7 days/week: 5:30am, 12pm, 6pm 303-294-0157
denverrescuemission.org
FATHER WOODYâ€™S HAVEN OF HOPE 1101 W. 7th Ave. 303-607-0855. Mon.-Fri. 7am-1pm. Not open weekends.
Breakfast is at 8am, and lunch is served at 11am frwoodyshavenofhope.org
FEEDING DENVERâ€™S HUNGRY Food service on the second and fourth Thurs. of each month; locations found at
feedingdenvershungry.org/events.html
FOOD NOT BOMBS Wed. 4pm/Civic Center Park facebook.com/ThePeoplesPicnic
HARE KRISHNA TEMPLE 1400 Cherry St., free vegetarian feast on Sun., 6:45-7:30pm krishnadenver.com
HIS LOVE FELLOWSHIP CHURCH 910 Kalamath, community dinner on Thurs., 6-6:45pm, menâ€™s breakfast 1st Sat.
of the Month, 8-10am, womenâ€™s breakfast 2nd Sat., 9-11am. hislovefellowship.org
HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH 1900 California St., sandwiches, Mon.-Sat., 10-10:30am holyghostchurch.org
JORDAN AME CHURCH 29th and Milwaukee St., Tues. lunch 11:30am-1:00pm jordanamedenver.churchfoyer.com
OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES 1567 Marion St., Sat. morning breakfast: 8am, Sun. dinner (required church
attendance at 4:30pm) meal served at 6pm. 303-830-2201 odmdenver.org/home
ST. ELIZABETHâ€™S Speer Blvd. & Arapahoe St. on Auraria campus, 7 days/week, 11:00am; food, coffee.
stelizabethdenver.org
ST. FRANCIS CENTER 2323 Curtis St., Wed. & Fri. 3-4:30pm (except third Wed. of each month). sfcdenver.org
ST. PAULâ€™S LUTHERAN 1600 Grant St., Street Reach meal Mon. 1-4:30pm. Grocery room open at 11:30am every
Mon. saintpauldenver.com
ST. PETER AND ST. MARY 126 W. Second Ave., dinner at 6 on Tues. 303-722-8781 stpeterandmary.org
SAME CAFÃ‰ 2023 E. Colfax Ave. Restaurant serving mostly organic foodâ€”not free, but pay what you can or
work off your meal in the kitchen: Open Mon.-Sat., 11am to 2pm, Closed Sun. & holidays, 720-530-6853
soallmayeat.org
SENIOR SUPPORT SERVICES 846 E. 18th Ave. 3 meals, Mon.-Fri. 7am-7pm; Sun. 11am-4pm. 55+
seniorsupportservices.org/programs
URBAN OUTREACH DENVER 608 26th St., Thurs. dinners, 6pm-7pm lovedenver.org
VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA 2877 Lawrence St., breakfast (8am), lunch (11:30am), dinner (5pm) Mon.-Thurs.,
12pm on Fri., 1pm on Sun. Food & clothing bank 9:30am-4pm Mon.-Thurs.
voacolorado.org/gethelp-denvermetro-foodnutrition-themission
CAREER SERVICES
COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY CENTER Level 4, Denver Central Library, 14th Ave. & Broadway. 720-865-1706.
Hours: Mon. & Tues. 10am-8pm; Wed., Thurs., Fri. 10am-6pm; Sat. 9am-5pm & Sun. 1-5pm; FREE services
include computer/internet use, wifi, computer classes, job search/resume classes and one-on-one tech help
appointments. denverlibrary.org/ctc
THE WESTSIDE ONE-STOP CAREER CENTER Denver Department of Human Services, 1200 Federal Blvd., Mon.Fri.,
7:30am-4:30pm; Services include: employment counseling, assisted job search, rÃ©sumÃ© preparation,
job/applicant matching, phone bank for calling employers, access to computers, copiers, fax, etc.
careercenteroffices.com/center/231/denver-westside-workforce-center
MEDICAL & DENTAL SERVICES
ACS COMMUNITY L.I.F.T. CareVan at Open Door Ministries, 1567 Marion St., Tues. 9am-12:30pm
DENVER HEALTH MEDICAL CENTER 303-436-6000, 777 Bannock St. denverhealth.org
HARM REDUCTION ACTION CENTER 303-572-7800; 112 E. 8th Ave.; Mon.-Fri., 9am-12pm. HIV/Hep C/
Gonorrhea/ Chlamydia testing available. Our services are restricted to active IV Drug Users. Offers clean
syringes to active users, as well as safety training on how to properly dispose of dirty syringes.
harmreductionactioncenter.org
LIVER HEALTH CONNECTION 1325 S. Colorado Blvd., Suite B302. Resources and support for those affected by
Hep C. Free Hep C testing offered. 800-522-4372, info@hepc-connection.org, liverhealthconnection.org
INNER CITY HEALTH CENTER 303-296-1767, 3800 York St. Mon., Wed.-Fri. 8am-5pm; Tues. 9am-5pm;
Sat. 8am-2pm. Emergency walk-ins.
SALUD CLINIC 6075 Parkway Drive, Ste. 160, Commerce City; Dental 303-286-6755. Medical 303-286-8900.
Medical Hours: Mon.-Wed. 8am-9pm, Thurs.-Fri. 8am-5pm; Sat. (Urgent Care only) 8am-5pm;
Dental Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8am-5pm; Pharmacy Hours: Mon.-Fri. 1-5pm; After Office Hours: 1-800-283-3221
saludclinic.org/commerce-city
STOUT STREET CLINIC 303-293-2220, 2130 Stout St. Clinic hours for new and established patients: 7am-4pm
Mon., Tues., Thurs., & Fri. The clinic is open Wed. 11am-7pm. coloradocoalition.org/healthcare
SUNSHINE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH (YOUTH SERVICES) Services for youth facing substance abuse, addiction, mental
health disorders, or a combination of these conditions. 833-931-2484 sunshinebehavioralhealth.com
VA MEDICAL CENTER 303-399-8020, 1055 Clermont St. va.gov/find-locations/facility/vha_554A5
WORKNOW 720-389-0999; job recruitment, skills training, and job placement work-now.org
DROP-IN & DAYTIME CENTERS
ATTENTION HOMES 303-447-1207; 3080 Broadway, Boulder; contactah@attentionhomes.org. Offers safe shelter,
supportive programming, and other services to youth up to age 24 attentionhomes.org
CITYSQUARE DENVER 303-783-3777; 2575 S. Broadway; Mon.-Thurs. 10am-2pm, Denver Works helps with
employment, IDs, birth certs; mail services and lockers citysquare.org
FATHER WOODYâ€™S HAVEN OF HOPE 303-607-0855; 1101 W. 7th Ave.; Mon.-Fri. 7am-1pm. Six private showers &
bathrooms, laundry, lunch & more thoh.org
THE GATHERING PLACE 303-321-4198; 1535 High St.; Mon., Wed.-Fri. 8:30am-5pm, Tues. 8:30am-1:30pm.
Daytime drop-in center for women, their children, and transgender individuals. Meals, computer lab, phones,
food bank, clothing, art programs, GED tutoring, referrals to other services, and more. tgpdenver.org
HARM REDUCTION ACTION CENTER 303-572-7800, 231 East Colfax; Mon.-Fri. 9am-12pm. Provides clean
syringes, syringe disposal, harm-reduction counseling, safe materials, Hep C/HIV education, and health
education classes. harmreductionactioncenter.org
HOLY GHOST CATHOLIC CHURCH 1900 California St., help with lost IDs and birth certificates holyghostchurch.org
HOPE PROGRAM 303-832-3354, 1555 Race St.; Mon.-Fri. 8am-4pm. For men and women with HIV.
LAWRENCE STREET COMMUNITY CENTER 2222 Lawrence St.; 303-294-0157; day facility, laundry, showers,
restrooms, access to services homelessassistance.us/li/lawrence-street-community-center
OPEN DOOR MINISTRIES 1567 Marion St.; Mon.-Fri. 7am-5:30pm. Drop-in center: bathrooms, coffee/tea,
snacks, resources, WIFI odmdenver.org
ST. FRANCIS CENTER 303-297-1576; 2323 Curtis St. 6am-6pm daily. Storage for one bag (when space is
available). Satellite Clinic hours- Mon., Tues., Thurs, Fri. 7:30am-3:30pm; Wed. 12:30-4:30pm sfcdenver.org
SENIOR SUPPORT SERVICES 846 E. 18th Ave. For those 55 and older. TV room, bus tokens, mental/physical
health outreach, and more. seniorsupportservices.org
SOX PLACE (YOUTH SERVICES) 2017 Larimer St. Daytime drop-in shelter for youth 12-30 years old. Meals, socks,
clothing bank, personal hygiene supplies, internet access, intentional mentoring and guidance, crisis
intervention, referrals to other services. Tues.-Fri. 12-4pm & Sat. 11-2pm. soxplace.com
THE SPOT AT URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES) 2100 Stout St. 303-291-0442. Drop-in hours Mon.-Fri. 8-11am. If
you are a youth aged 15-20 in need of immediate overnight shelter services, please contact 303-974-2928
urbanpeak.org/denver/programs-and-services/drop-in-center
URBAN PEAK (YOUTH SERVICES) Youth 14-24 in Denver and Colorado Springs. Overnight shelter, food, clothing,
showers, case workers, job skills and training, ID and birth certificate assistance, GED assistance, counseling
and housing. 730 21st St. 303-974-2900 urbanpeak.org
June 2021 DENVER VOICE 15
DONâ€™T LOOK NOW!
PUZZLES ARE ON PAGE 13
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://L3QKeVKyM74mWQ1gjUh-QTZj_fZdMPMW2VNr5Rm-ymgÍ­Í`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›z×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›yÍ
Í×‘C‘×˜š   Í
Íu×‰œ”×‰	Ú 7cassandra://G0anrve2UVa1ZqBNdNXJxabORf_W6-JG_Ir17iN4lMsÎ EÍ`ÍîÍ¸×‰	Ú 7cassandra://ypuofhi-ezVL5Cld0IIpFj2apk8ZglnjUlPV0E3PJOYÍOYÍ`ÍqÍà×‰	Ú 7cassandra://EldPhMu38hdCN42bQ2EoXwJ8eNOs95CXqP2cVLDwa4EÍUÍ`ÌÅÍ ×‰	Ú 7cassandra://kyXZ71RGe495mjNgyOj3imuuSwqsVq3pQYezCHHVt6sÎ ¬âÍjÍ ÍTÍñ×`ªÈ£<Dœh÷›²×‰EÚ ÓEAT
&
benefi ts the
GIVE!
Bring this ad to Fat Sullyâ€™s
Tennyson location, and
they will donate 25%
of the cost of your meal
to the Denver VOICE!
TJUNE 15
uesday, 5-11 p.m.
4275 Tennyson St. 80212
WHEN / WHERE
×‰	Ú 7cassandra://EldPhMu38hdCN42bQ2EoXwJ8eNOs95CXqP2cVLDwa4EÍUÍ`ÌÅÍ ×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›{×ˆE×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›|×`ªÈž<Dœh÷›{Í
Í,¦6-2021×`ªÈi‹±¢RAÉuÁ