NEWS & EVENTS

A Compilation of Community News You Can Use 

March 2, 2014

Happy March!

Here's hoping spring weather is coming to NoCo soon! While I'm a pretty hearty year-round bicycle commuter and outdoor enthusiast, I can honestly say I'm sick of the cold and battling the ice. So instead of going for a bike ride on this wintry day, I'm sending you the NEWS! 

  NEWS & EVENTS

The City of Loveland wants your opinion

Loveland City Councilors have begun work on the City's 2015 budget by identifying seven specific results-those things that should happen to make living in Loveland better for everyone. Help launch the planningprocess by telling City leaders what you think the future should look like.

Food for Thought Film Festival

"Girl Rising" film screening 

Celebrate International Women's Day with a film screening of the groundbreaking documentary "Girl Rising." The public event will include a community meet-n-greet, film and a Global Women's Panel on "

What Education Means to Me."

When: Friday, March 7, 5-8:30 p.m. 

Where: University of Northern Colorado, Michener Library, Lower Level - Lindou Auditorium, 14^th Ave. & 20^th St., Greeley

Cost: FREE- anyone is welcome! Refreshments and light snacks provided.

Visit webpage for more information or contact Meagan.

  JOB OPENINGS

Kids at Heart

Group Leader

Kids at Heart is looking for a fun and loving person who loves working with children between the ages of 0 and 13. The candidate will have experience working with children, be at least 18 years old and have experience leading a group. 

Larimer County Workforce Center

Several positions available in Estes with the Temporary Jobs Program
Larimer County Workforce Center currently has several open positions to support efforts for flood recovery in the Estes Valley. Interested candidates will need to meet eligibility criteria. Learn more at www.larimerworkforce.org  under the "Job Seeker" tab "Temporary Jobs Program"  or contact Jill Lancaster at 970-577-2140.
Deadline: (not specified)   

Down for Life Expo

CSUnity agency registration  

CSUnity is an annual tradition engaging thousands of students in a day of service to nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, and local residents.  Students have accomplished projects ranging from neighborhood cleanup and long-delayed maintenance projects at nonprofit agencies, to assisting the National Forest Service with brush removal.  The possibilities for projects are endless, and the project itself is up to the agency at which the students volunteer.  

When: Saturday, April 5, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.

Where: In and around the Fort Collins community 

Help shape the future of biking in Fort Collins

Fort Collins is developing a comprehensive Bicycle Master Plan to shape the future of bicycling in the City, where people of all ages and abilities can safely and comfortably ride a bicycle. Help shape the plan at the upcoming open house. 

When: Wednesday, March 12, 4-7 p.m.

Where: Lincoln Center, Columbine Room, 417 W. Magnolia Street

Visit the website to learn more about the bike plan and the open house.

A manly grief support meeting

The Alliance for Suicide Prevention will kick off the Heartbeat grief support group for men in March. This grief support group will focus on meeting the needs of guys grieving the loss of an individual to suicide. Privacy and confidentiality are respected.  The guys: Each of these men has experienced the loss of someone to suicide and will be there to start the conversation: Dr. Jonathan Franco, Steve Vallee, John Yoder, Dennis Bogott, and Vega de la Cruz
When: Wednesday, March 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Drop ins welcome!
Where: Pathways Hospice

Cost: FREE

If interested please contact Jessica Jans, or 970-669-5150.  

Nominations open for 2014 Community Hero Awards

United Way of Larimer County is accepting nominations for its 2014 Community Hero Awards. The award program honors individuals or groups who have made a difference in the Larimer County community by giving, advocating and/or volunteering in the areas of Education, Income and Health.   

When: Nominations must be submitted by Friday, March 28 to be considered for the awards. 

For more information, click here or contact Jamie Suess or 970-407-7054.

 4-H Carnival
The Carnival is a great family event for young children and families where 4-H clubs sponsor carnival-type booths for all ages.   The Carnival also includes an artisan and craft show, door prizes, games and food.
When: Saturday, March 22, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Where: First National Bank Building at The Ranch Fairgrounds and Events Center 

For more information, visit www.larimer.org/ext, download Event Flyer, or contact kwolfe@larimer.org or 970-498-6000.    

  WHAT'S UP IN ESTES

Flood recovery information open house

Public or non-profit organizations with resources available for flood recovery are invited to attend this open house sponsored by the Larimer County - Flood 2013 Long Term Recovery Groups. The purpose is to connect those impacted by the 2013 Flood with agencies and organizations that provide information and resources for recovery, all in one location. Interested organizations must register by contacting Suzanne Bassinger, Larimer County recovery manager, at 970-498-7148. Organizations cannot be accommodated without pre-registration.

When: Saturday, March 8, 10 a.mm-2 p.m.

Where: Rocky Mountain Park Inn, 101 S. Saint Vrain Ave.

Meditation in the mountains classes 

• Meditation for Relaxation on Mondays at 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. from March 3 - 24, through the School's Outreach Program for adults. Pre-Registration with Outreach required for the whole series. $30 for the 4-week session. Open to the public!

• Upbeat Flow Yoga on Tuesdays at 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.  from Feb 25 - April 1, at Estes Park Massage through the School's Outreach Program for adults. Pre-Registration with Outreach required for the whole series. $55 per 6-week session. Open to the public!

• Kids Yoga! on Wednesdays from March 5 - April 2 through Estes Valley Recreation and Park District. Grades K - 3 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.. Grades 4 - 8 from 4:45 - 5:45 p.m. At the Aquatic Center Gym. Pre-Registration with EVRPD required for the whole series. $33 in-district / $44 Out-of-district for the 5-week session.

For on-going yoga classes visit the website for complete details.  

• World Café networking session at breakfast (theworldcafe.com)
• Breakout sessions on the Common Grant Application and Proposal Writing, Fiduciary Responsibility - Financials, Making the Ask, Managing Risk
• Foundation panel luncheon including: Anschutz Family Foundation,  Bohemian Foundation, OtterCares, El Pomar Foundation, Dept. of Local Affairs and the Community Foundation of Northern Colorado (tentative)

When: Wednesday, April 16, 8:15 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: Stanley Hotel
Cost: $50, partial scholarships available

Registration details to come. 

5th Annual Estes Park Early Childhood Conference

When: Saturday, April 19, 8:30 a.m.- 4 p.m.

Where: YMCA, Estes Park  

Cost: $10 Estes Park Residents, $40 out-of-town attendees

Check out the flyer for more details. Registration details coming soon!

  WELD COUNTY CORNER

Prescription for Health: Fears & Myths of Memory Loss

Not all memory loss is to be feared. Learn about the different types of memory loss, including dementia and Alzheimer's. Come explore ideas for support, treatment, and reducing risk.

When: Tuesday, March 11, 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Where: Carbon Valley Regional Library

Join author and urban homesteading expert Sundari Kraft as she shows us ways to maximize the yield in our home gardens.

When: March 13, 6:30p p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

Where: Erie Community Library

  FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Healthy Start initiatives

Department of Health and Human Services 

Purpose: Eliminating Disparities in Perinatal Health program.  The Healthy Start (HS) program aims to reduce disparities in infant mortality and adverse perinatal outcomes.

Deadline:  Monday, March 31

Comprehensive mental health services for families and children

Department of Health and Human Services 

Purpose: The purpose of this program is to improve behavioral health outcomes for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. This program supports the operation, expansion, and integration of SOC through the creation of sustainable infrastructure which allows for the provision of and access to required services and supports that adhere to the values, principles, and practices comprising the system of care approach to become the primary way in which children's mental health services are delivered throughout the nation.

Deadline:  Friday,  March 21

Addiction recovery efforts supported

Department of Health and Human Services
Purpose: The Recovery Community Services Program-Statewide Network program provides support to expand the capacity of addiction recovery community organizations through the development of an organized statewide network.
Deadline: Wednesday, March 5

YouthBuild

Department of Labor 

Purpose: Award grants to organizations to oversee the provision of education, occupational skills training, and employment services to disadvantaged youth in their communities while performing meaningful work and service to their communities.

Deadline: Tuesday, April 22

Preventive services for underprivileged and at-risk youth 

Liberty Gives Foundation

Purpose: LibertyGives Foundation is to support causes benefiting underprivileged and at-risk youth in Colorado, focused on proactive and preventative services

Deadline: Monday, June 30

Funds build capacity for organizations addressing violence against women
Department of Justice: Office on Violence Against Women
Purpose: The Technical Assistance Program works to build the capacity of criminal justice and victim services organizations to respond effectively to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, and to foster partnerships among organizations that have not traditionally worked together to address violence against women.
Deadline: Thursday, March 6

Youth academic, arts interests
Kinder Morgan 

Purpose: To provide youth with opportunities to learn and grow - to help today's science, math and music students become the engineers, educators and musicians who will support diverse communities for many years to come. To accomplish this goal, we fund programs that promote the academic and artistic interests of young people in the many cities and towns across North America where Kinder Morgan operates.
Deadline: March 10, May 10, July 10, Sept 10, Nov 10

Efforts to reduce source pollution funded
Environmental Protection Agency
Purpose: The Source Reduction Assistance Grant Program supports new or innovative techniques for education or training that promote pollution prevention and source reduction efforts.
Deadline: Tuesday, March 11

Program supports housing services for low-income veterans
Department of Veterans Affairs
Purpose: The Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program supports efforts to coordinate or provide supportive services to very low-income veteran families who are residing in permanent housing, are homeless and scheduled to become residents of permanent housing, or after exiting permanent housing.
Deadline: Friday, March 14

Champions for healthy kids
General Mills
Launched in partnership with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, this has become a flagship program of the General Mills Foundation, distributing more than $5 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. Through the Champions for Healthy Kids program, the General Mills Foundation will award 50 grants of $20,000 each to nonprofit organizations working to improve nutrition and physical fitness behaviors for youth.
Deadline: Friday, March 14

Program seeks to reduce drug use
Department of Health and Human Services
Purpose: The Drug-Free Communities Program provides support to prevent and reduce substance use among youth by addressing risk factors in communities.
Deadline: Monday, March 24

Various community grants
U.S. Bank Foundation
Purpose: to respect the diversity of our communities and to build strong partnerships and lasting value in our communities by supporting organizations that: improve the educational and economic opportunities of low- and moderate-income individuals and families; and enhance the cultural and artistic life of the communities in which we live and work.
Deadline: Monday, March 31

Hunger relief, career opportunities
Walmart Foundation
The Walmart State Giving program provides grants to nonprofits that serve underserved populations and align with the Walmart Foundation's giving focus areas. The Focused Giving grant includes programs focused on Hunger Relief & Healthy Eating and Career Opportunity only. Examples include efforts that aim to enroll people in SNAP, healthy eating/ cooking skills training, nutrition education programs and career skills or job training efforts that lead to placement.
Deadline: Applications are accepted Sunday, April 13, 2014 to Friday, April 26, 2014 (for Colorado grant applicants).

Support for domestic violence shelters in every state
The Mary Kay Foundation: Shelter Grant Program
Purpose: committed to ending the epidemic of domestic violence by providing grants to women's shelters throughout the United States. Applying organizations must offer immediate overnight housing to women and children affected by domestic violence. 
Amount: $20,000 to at least one domestic violence shelter in every state; remaining funds are distributed based on state population.

Deadline: Applications submitted January 15 through April 30

High school psychology
American Psychological Foundation
Purpose: These grants support the science and application of psychological science among talented high school students. More than 200,000 students are currently enrolled in high school psychology. APF wants to support high quality education in psychology and to nurture the next generation of psychologists, with up to $20,000 for projects that support the goals of the program.
Deadline: Thursday, May 1

Challenge America Fast-Track
National Endowment for the Arts
The Challenge America Fast-Track category offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Age alone (e.g., youth, seniors) does not qualify a group as underserved; at least one of the underserved characteristics noted above also must be present. Grants are available for professional arts programming and for projects that emphasize the potential of the arts in community development.  Grants are for a fixed amount of $10,000 and require a minimum $10,000 match.
Deadline: Thursday, May 8

Preventive services for underprivileged and at-risk youth
LibertyGives Foundation
Purpose:  To support causes benefiting underprivileged and at-risk youth in Colorado, focused on proactive and preventative services

Amount: $1,000 to $150,000
Deadline: Monday, June 30

Material support for community volunteer projects
The Home Depot Community Impact Grants Program
Purpose: support nonprofit organizations and public service agencies in the U.S. that are using the power of volunteers to improve the physical health of their communities. Proposals for the following community improvement activities will be considered: repairs, refurbishments, and modifications to low-income and/or transitional veteran's housing or community facilities (schools, community centers, senior centers, etc.); weatherizing or increasing energy efficiency of low-income and/or transitional veteran's housing or community facilities; engaging veterans as volunteers to help other veterans in their community through service projects focusing on the renovation, repair, and improvement of homes and other properties serving veterans; and planting trees or community gardens and/or landscaping community facilities that serve veterans. Priority is given to projects for veterans that include housing repairs, modifications, and weatherization work.
Amount: Grants of up to $5,000 as Home Depot gift cards for the purchase of tools, materials, or services
Deadline: Requests accepted February 1 through August 15

  CLASSES FOR PARENTS & PROFESSIONALS

Estate Planning 101
Learn what you really need to know about wills, trusts, and powers of attorney, and how to put them all together. Amy Rosenberg and Kate Smith of Peterson, Rosenberg PLLC will answer your questions and help you create strategies that make sense for your family. Amy and Kate are attorneys who practice in trust and estate planning, protective proceedings (guardianships and conservatorships), estate tax issues and related litigation. FREE, no registration required.

When & Where:
          March 18, 6:30 p.m., Loveland Public Library
          March 19, 6:30 p.m., Fort Collins Old Town Library

Internet safety
The Fort Collins police plan to host eight presentations regarding internet safety through May 2014. Presentation topics include sexual predators, online enticement and grooming, social networking, cyber-bulling and sexting. 
When:  6:30-8:30 p.m. on March 4, April 1 and May 6
Where: Fort Collins Police Services Community Room, 2221 S. Timberline Rd.
For reservations, contact Keith Maynard or 970-416-2051. 

Save the date for the 2014 TAP Spring Symposium
STOP, COLLABORATE AND LISTEN. Join nearly 200 nonprofit leaders for a full-day regional training event at the Technical Assistance Partnership (TAP) Symposium. Collaboration is becoming more important in the nonprofit sector every day. This year's symposium will explore how organizations from across sectors can join together in order to achieve positive, lasting change. Workshops will be led by industry and community experts in the areas of collaborative fundraising, aligning strategies, marketing/communications, and much more!
When: May 29, 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Where: Embassy Suites, Loveland
Cost: $55 per person
Registration will open in March at www.UnitedWayofLarimerCounty.org.

  CLASSES FOR KIDS & TEENS

Larimer County Open Spaces programming

• Tiny Trekkers at the Loveland Library-Join Larimer County Naturalists this winter for a nature-filled program designed for your 2-5 year old and you. This will be a morning filled with crafts, stories, fun facts and some outside time if the weather is nice. A parent or guardian must accompany the child for this hour long program.
• When: Tuesday, March 4, 9:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
• Where: Loveland Public Library
• Cost: FREE

• Moon Over My Open Space- Join a Volunteer Naturalist for a moonlit walk to look for nighttime critters and learn about owls. Approximately 2 hour hike. Hike rating: Easy.
• When: Saturday, March 15, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
• Where: Devil's Backbone Open Space, located just west of Loveland off of Hwy 34
• Cost: FREE 

• Twig Out!- Join us for this guided hike from ecologist and naturalist Paul Alaback to learn how to identify trees and shrubs in the winter, when leaves and flowers are scarce. Hike rating: Easy.
• When: Saturday, March 29, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Where: Devil's Backbone Open Space, located just west of Loveland off of Hwy 34.

Spring break camps at the Gardens on Spring Creek   A week off from school in March means time to have fun and engage in nature! Break out of your indoor routines by joining the Gardens on Spring Creek. There will be three spring break camps. The camps offer exploration and investigation of gardening and the natural world for youth in Kindergarten through 8th grade.

• Junior Master Gardener Camps for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders (level 1) and 6th, 7th, 8th graders (level 2).
• When: March 17-21
• Cost: $125 with a family membership to the Gardens, or $135 for non-members.

• Fairy Garden Camp is a three-day mini-camp for kindergartners- 4th grade interested in the creative process of designing, planting, and caring for a miniature magical garden.
• When: March 18-20
• Cost: $75 with a family membership to The Gardens, or $85 for non-members.

• Terrarium Camp is a three day mini-camp for grades Kinder through 4th. Campers will have the opportunity to create their own terrariums.
• When: March 18-20
• Cost: Cost is $75 with a family membership to The Gardens, or $85 for non-members.

Where: 2145 Centre Avenue,  Fort Collins

Register for camp online or call The Gardens at 970-416-2486.

  SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS